Abrintel, the Brazilian Association for Telecommunications Infrastructure, has weighed in on the dispute over tower premitting in Brazil, as reported in TELETIME. Rules around whether towers are to be permitted within 500m of an existing site are up in court.
Luciano Stutz (pictured), Abrintel's Director General, has rebutted claims from a study by LCA Consultores, commissioned by Conexis Brasil Digital, the mobile network operators association, which found that the repeal of mandatory tower-sharing regulations reduced telecom infrastructure costs.
Abrintel argues that the study’s five-year analysis is too short to assess long-term tower-sharing contracts, which often last 10–20 years. It also claims that choosing 2019 as a base year distorts trends, as it was an atypical period due to the 4G-to-5G transition.
The association also highlights issues with inflation calculations, stating that the study overlooked issues with the volatility of the index used, which could have exaggerated cost reductions. Additionally, it argues that the pandemic’s impact on tower contract renegotiations was ignored.
Abrintel further criticizes how contract growth data was presented, suggesting that the increase in 2021 was largely due to equipment migration rather than new tower construction.
The debate stems from Brazil’s 2021 decision to repeal a law requiring towers less than 500 meters apart to be shared. While Conexis Brasil Digital claims this improved cost efficiency and 5G investment, Abrintel is challenging the repeal’s validity in Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court.
