The loan is designed to encourage Brazil to seek alternative 5G suppliers to China's Huawei, Reuters said. During a visit to Brasilia, officials of the US International Development Finance Corporation, the EXIM bank and the National Security Council told reporters that funding was available to buy equipment from other companies.
In Washington, top US officials urged Brazil to carefully monitor Chinese investments in Brazil and moves by Beijing to expand its influence in Latin America’s largest economy through the sale of 5G technology by Huawei.
China’s Embassy in Brazil on Twitter accused the US of seeking a networking “monopoly,” but said it believed most countries would remain independent and make their own decisions regarding 5G.
Any local regulation on 5G suppliers in Brazil is not expected to come until next year, when the country plans a major auction of 5G spectrum. The operators have started launching limited 5G services already on existing spectrum, but no major supply deals for the new networks have been announced yet.
