Wireless Networks

IHS Brazil, Claro, Vivo and TIM install shared tower in Combu

IHS Brazil, Claro, Vivo and TIM install shared tower in Ilha do Combu
Image credit: Alistair McIntyre | Pixabay

Independent tower operator IHS Brazil said on Thursday it has collaborated with Brazil’s three largest mobile operators – Claro, Vivo and TIM – to provide 4G and 5G coverage to Ilha do Combu ahead of the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 30) in Belém.

Combu is the fourth largest island in Belém, located 1.5 km from the edge of municipal Belém on the opposite side of the Guamá River, where around 600 riverside families make a living from fishing, plant extraction and tourism.

Despite its close proximity to municipal Belém, however, Combu has suffered from poor connectivity due to the challenges "such as the complex logistics of setting up in an exclusively riverine transport environment, environmental constraints to preserve high biological diversity, and the technical difficulty of erecting structures in a wetland environment," IHS Brazil said.

To tackle the issue, IHS Brazil teamed with Claro, Vivo, TIM and the state government of Pará to construct a 60-metre tower to be shared by all three operators. The tower features a smaller base with equipment installed within the structure, eliminating the need for multiple external cabinets. IHS Brazil said this design also makes the tower less of an eyesore and preserves more native vegetation around the site.

The tower will deliver 4G and 5G mobile services to the local community, schools, health units, entrepreneurs and visitors, while also enabling new services like digital education, telemedicine and financial payments.

The new tower is also expected to boost Combu’s appeal as a tourist destination – particularly with COP 30 expected to draw more than 40,000 visitors, including delegations, press and civil society, when the event kicks off on November 10.

"This is a shared, unprecedented infrastructure solution on Combu Island, which has benefitted from all three operators being on the project from day one,” said Rafael Podestá, CRO for IHS Latam, in a statement. “Connectivity in this context means social inclusion, support for public policies, and reduced environmental impact through infrastructure sharing — a model that we want to replicate in other regions of the Amazon.”



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