Believe it or not: Senate wants to spend R$ 6 million in public money on cell phones, with 95 iPhone 18 Pro for senators

The Federal Senate (the upper house of Brazil's National Congress) has opened a tender estimated at R$ 6 million to hire corporate mobile phone service with 425 cell phones, according to the notice published by the chamber. Of the total, 95 are iPhone 18 Pro, reserved for senators and Senate directors. The other 330 devices are mid-range models and will go to civil servants in management positions.

The notice was published on October 27, and the new contract should take effect in February 2027. The phones are provided under a loan arrangement (comodato): the winning carrier keeps ownership of the devices and lends them to the Senate for the duration of the contract.

According to the notice, the package includes unlimited internet, international coverage, and mandatory replacement of all devices with newer models every two years. The monthly data allowance for the most expensive devices rises from 50 GB to 100 GB.

The contract replaces the current one, signed in 2022, which provided for 93 iPhone 13 Pro and 290 mid-range devices. The final value will only be known after the auction and may come in below the estimate.

The tender has drawn a reaction in the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of Congress). Federal Deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) said he will take legal action against the notice in the courts and before the TCU (the Federal Court of Accounts, Brazil's federal audit body). As of the publication of this story, the Senate had not responded to the criticism, and there was no court ruling or TCU decision on the matter.