Fifty years ago, Brazil faced the challenge of connecting a vast territory while bearing a heavy dependence on foreign telecommunications technology. With critical infrastructure in the hands of multinational corporations and little autonomy to shape its own path, the country found its strategic answer in 1976: the founding of CPQD.
Established as the technological arm of the Telebrás System, the Center took on the vital mission of ensuring national sovereignty in telecommunications and continuously transforming national strategic objectives into technical capabilities that support the integration and development of the country.
Looking back, we highlight just a few of the major technological milestones—among the hundreds of projects, solutions, and initiatives that have shaped CPQD’s five-decade journey—such as the development of the Trópico digital switching systems, which gave Brazil autonomy in telephone switching; the introduction of optical fiber, which laid the foundation for modern connectivity; and the inductive card, which modernized public telephony on a large scale. These examples demonstrate how technological decisions made decades ago shaped the infrastructure that now underpins the digital world. This legacy, however, would soon be tested by profound transformations that lay ahead.
The 1990s brought the challenge of market liberalization and the disruption of long-standing models. For CPQD, this was not merely a change, but a bold reinvention: shifting the focus from hardware to software intelligence. Recognizing that competitive advantage was moving from physical infrastructure to network and service management, the organization immersed itself in the engineering of Operations Support Systems (OSS). This transition required a deep cultural transformation, in which academic excellence advanced hand in hand with commercial sustainability and customer orientation. CPQD evolved from simply building networks to becoming the intelligence that manages them—ensuring resilience and leadership in a new landscape of global competition.
This technological reinvention was matched by an equally profound institutional transformation. Over the following decades, CPQD undertook a continuous journey to secure its sustainability as a private foundation, expanding beyond telecommunications to deliver solutions for sectors such as energy, finance, and government—supporting essential public services and structural policies. More recently, beginning in the mid-2010s, this path evolved into a cultural and strategic restructuring that modernized management, incorporated agile practices, and strengthened collaborative values, preparing the organization to lead in the development of frontier technologies such as Open RAN, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
As we celebrate 50 years of a history that makes us proud and has brought us to this point, we look ahead with the clarity of those who understand that the future is built with balance and purpose. Our strategic drivers reaffirm CPQD’s commitment to sustainable growth and ESG responsibility, ensuring that innovation goes hand in hand with positive social impact. We will continue transforming knowledge into new businesses and scalable solutions that anticipate market trends. More than developing technology, our mission is to keep writing this collective story—orchestrating an ecosystem of open innovation and cultural transformation that strengthens Brazil’s technological sovereignty and generates real value for our clients, employees, and society as a whole.
The legacy that connects Brazil
The founding core (Telecommunications Networks)
Where it all began: replacing foreign dependence with a voice of our own. With projects such as the Trópico product family and Rexpac, CPQD digitalized the country, structured national switching, and demonstrated that Brazilian engineering could integrate a nation of continental dimensions—establishing the technical and institutional foundations of sovereignty in critical networks.
The backbone (Optical and Transport Networks)
The light that guides the future. By mastering optical fiber technology and ultra-high-capacity systems such as DWDM and advanced transport networks, CPQD built the invisible highways that sustain the digital economy, connect territories, and transport massive volumes of data with performance, reliability, and technological autonomy.
Freedom in motion (Mobile and Wireless Access Networks)
Breaking cable barriers to connect Brazilians wherever they are. From early leadership in LTE to a leading role in 5G and Open RAN, we are driving the evolution of mobile networks—bringing intelligent connectivity to people, production chains, public services, and critical industrial environments.
Connection beyond the horizon (Satellite Connectivity)
Ensuring that no one is left behind. Through satellite communication solutions, the signal of progress goes beyond forests, borders, and infrastructure gaps—bringing education, healthcare, security, and citizenship to remote and strategic regions of the country.
The intelligence of interconnection (Architectures, OSS, and Orchestration)
The brain that makes the network pulse. By advancing virtualization, SDN, and OSS systems, CPQD transforms complex infrastructures into orchestrated, secure, and scalable platforms—enabling networks and services to operate with efficiency, resilience, and governance
Networks with purpose (Specific Environments, IoT, and Critical Systems)
Technology that understands context and delivers real value. In private networks, IoT, and tailored solutions for agriculture, industry, smart cities, and essential infrastructures, our technologies enhance automation, monitoring, and decision-making—raising productivity, safety, and sustainability.
Trust at scale (Financial Market, Security)
Where technology must be flawless. By translating technical excellence into solutions for the digital economy, CPQD has strengthened its role in the financial system with anti-fraud platforms, decentralized digital identity, OSS systems, and trusted infrastructures for regulated environments.
The mark of trust (Standards and Technological Evolution)
O CPQD atua como guardião da excelência tecnológica brasileira. Ao participar da definição de padrões globais e conduzir testes independentes e reconhecidos, garantimos que equipamentos, sistemas e serviços que chegam ao mercado e ao cidadão sejam sinônimo de qualidade, segurança e inovação de classe mundial.
Our essence
Mission
CPQD has been a benchmark of excellence for over four decades in its mission to generate and deliver innovations and solutions in Information and Communication Technologies, contributing to the sustainable development of society
Vision
Our distinctive capabilities enable us to lead the process of innovation and the generation of knowledge in ecosystems that are creating solutions for the future to happen today.
Values
Our success depends on the sum of individual attitudes and behaviors that shape our organizational culture. We uphold non-negotiable values and practice CO-CREATION in all our internal and external relationships: Collaboration, Customer Orientation, Trust, Respect, Innovation, Adaptability, and Results Focus
CPQD TechCo Series
The future is shaped by digital platforms, data, intelligence, software, and new monetization models. This new reality challenges operators to evolve into a broader role within the digital ecosystem—that of a TechCo.
But how can this transformation be accelerated with both security and strategic clarity?
CPQD has developed the TechCo Series, a curated knowledge and solutions pathway designed to guide operators through every stage of this evolution. From platform architecture to data monetization, from intelligent automation to the creation of new revenue streams, the series brings together the most relevant insights for those who aim to lead—not merely follow—the sector’s digital transformation.
Download the first white paper in the CPQD TechCo Series — Telco AI: The AI-Driven Transformation of Operator Networks
