IHS Brazil, part of the IHS Towers group, announced on Tuesday it has expanded its distributed antenna systems (DAS) project at Afonso Pena Airport in São José dos Pinhais, Curitiba metropolitan area, in partnership with Motiva Airports.
IHS Brazil said the solution implemented at Afonso Pena Airport uses DAS with fibre-to-the-antenna (FTTA), which it previously deployed on Line 5-Lilac of the São Paulo subway.
Alexandre Katz, Operations Director of IHS Brazil, said the project is the largest undertaking among the 16 airports included in its partnership with Motiva Airports (formerly CCR Aeroportos).
The internal system has 45 irradiation points for both 4G and 5G distributed across three indoor sections covering all internal areas of the airport. The DAS system supports the 1800-MHz, 2100-MHz, and 2600-MHz bands in 2x2 MIMO for 4G, and the 3500-MHz band for 5G.
Meanwhile, three outdoor sections will deliver coverage to the runways, parking lots and the terminal’s entrances, overcoming physical barriers such as concrete walls and metal structures that typically hinder signal propagation.
Afonso Pena Airport is one of the main terminals in southern Brazil, handling approximately 500,000 passengers and 800,000 tons of cargo per month, with more than 140 scheduled flights daily. Katz said the expanded DAS network will help Brazil’s major mobile operators provide faster and more stable connectivity to terminal workers and passengers.
"With integrated 4G and 5G technologies, we will help MNOs provide passengers at Afonso Pena Airport with a high-quality connection, meeting the growing demand for data and supporting improvements in the terminal’s operational efficiency,” he said in a statement.
IHS Brazil noted that the Afonso Pena Airport project is part of a larger initiative designed to strengthen connectivity in indoor environments in Brazil, such as airports, shopping malls, hospitals and factories. The company has already installed DAS technology at the airports of Navegantes, Palmas, São Luís, Foz do Iguaçu and Goiânia.
Additional DAS technology rollouts are planned at other airports in Motiva Airports' portfolio in 2026.
