Anatel's board of directors approved on November 4, 2026 an additional project to use budget surplus from the EAF, the entity that administers the 3.5 GHz band, to buy TV 3.0 kits. The base budget is R$1,280,690,000, about R$1.28 billion, for a base scenario of around 910,000 families — a figure reports also describe as about 1 million kits, covering all stages of the project, not just the equipment.
The central condition is that the scale of distribution depends on validating demand, on the outcome of a pilot and on the available budget. Territorial estimates are only indicative and must be recalculated after the actual audience, logistics and contracting conditions are confirmed, according to the vote by substitute councillor Suzana Rodrigues, approved by the board.
How the pilot will work
The field trial should cover approximately 1,500 to 3,000 households, spread across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District, with at least 30 days of observation. São Paulo will also host the project's first phase. Indicative criteria cited in the vote include preserving previously received relevant channels in at least 95% of households, hardware failure of no more than 2%, successful remote updates in at least 98% of eligible devices, and no unpatched critical vulnerabilities before scaling up.
Who should receive the kits, and when
The priority audience is low-income families, with priority for Bolsa Família beneficiaries registered in CadÚnico, in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District. Distribution is planned in stages over up to 24 months, starting in the municipality of São Paulo. The EAF must submit to Gaispi a schedule covering legal eligibility milestones, homologation, the pilot, results assessment, staged procurement, distribution and completion.
Cost and kit specifications
The base cost is R$1,407.36 per family, covering all stages, not just the equipment. The R$1,280,690,000 budget is a ceiling conditional on actual uptake, not a fixed amount tied to the project: the actual cost will be the number of families actually served multiplied by the unit reference cost, and any unconsumed share does not remain tied to the project.
The minimum specification must be future-proof, with Android/AOSP 14 or higher, at least 2 GB of DDR memory and 8 GB of Flash storage. The aim is to give access to the interactive features of the new generation of free-to-air TV without requiring the purchase of a new TV with the technology built in.
Where the money comes from
The funds are surplus from the 5G auction in the 3.5 GHz band, managed by the EAF. The entity's original budget was R$6.4 billion, paid by the auction winners, and the TV 3.0 kits are an additional project, not originally planned, to be paid with resources saved in earlier phases. In the same decision, another R$375 million of the surplus went to a federal data centre for artificial intelligence, to be operated by Telebras — a separate project, not part of the kits budget.
The decision sets no confirmed date for large-scale distribution to begin: the final design depends on the pilot, the assessment of its results and the schedule still to be presented. The vote also considers it desirable, as a prudential measure, for the Ministry of Communications to issue a formal document backing the board's decision.
Image credit: illustrative image about digital TV in Brazil, via Teletime.
Sources: Teletime — Anatel approves R$1.3bn for TV 3.0 kits, tied to a pilot project; TudoCelular — 5G auction surplus to fund converters for 910,000 families.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on public information and the sources cited in this article. The facts were checked against those sources; consult the original sources to confirm details before making any decision.
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