4G uptake to skyrocket in Brazil
Brazil is set to grow the number of 4G connections from the 23 million seen in 2015 to 42 million in 2016 - an 83 percent increase in one year, according to research.
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The data from GSMA Intelligence suggests that within the Brazilian mobile market - which is Latin America's largest, with 267 million connections last year - 4G currently accounts for only 9 percent of the total.
According to the research, the two-fold increase in the 4G uptake will be a consequence of an increase in sales of smartphones, a market that will remain bullish despite the current economic downturn in Brazil.
With users upgrading their devices, the number of 3G and 4G connections will reach 223 million in 2016, up from 193 million in 2015.
The report also predicts growth of over 20 percent in the number of M2M connections in Brazil, which are expected to go from 11,6 million in 2015 to 14 million in 2016.
Earlier this week, Telecom Italia-owned mobile operator TIM announced its plans to expand its 4G coverage to more than 1000 Brazilian cities this year. The firm, one of the four largest telcos operating in Brazil, claims to have already covered 59 percent of the country's urban population across 411 cities with the technology so far, occupying the number one spot in 4G provision locally.