Mobile communication system planning in Brazil

Brazil´s mobile communication system currently holds a unique position in the world regarding size (260 million subscribers and 58,000 radio bases). There are already more mobile terminals than people in Brazil, but there is still a a projected growth boosted by sport events to be held in the very near future (The 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics ) and also due to recent increases in the middle class purchasing power. This continuous growth is happening in a scenario full of problems for mobile carriers, who have been suffering recent interventions from the Brazilian regulatory agency (Anatel), regarding lack of capacity to serve the entire subscriber base. Present efforts are focused on implementing 4G systems. Considering this scenario, it is important to have system data and engineering tools that enable the analysis of the network as a whole, and the forecast of new service areas and their respective coverage. This paper describes data collection and the development of information systems that can help on these analyses.