Brazil adds 2.2 million subscribers in April (Brazil)
Brazil added 2.2 million new subscribers in the month of April, representing an increase of 0.86 percent compared to March 2012. 3G terminals (mobile broadband) totaled 54.3 million hits, as reported by telecommunications regulator Anatel.
As per a report by DJN, TIM Participacoes SA added the most subscribers in the month, with 37 percent of net additions, far above second-placed Oi SA with 23 percent. Telefonica Brasil SA was third, with 22 percent of total additions, and Claro, the local unit of Mexico’s America Movil SA (was fourth with 16 percent.
Further, Telefonica, part of Spain’s Telefonica SA, was still the largest operator overall, with nearly 30 percent market share. TIM, a unit of Telecom Italia SpA was second with 27 percent, Claro was third with 24 percent and Oi had 19 percent.
Brazil plans LTE auction in June 2012 (Brazil)
Brazil plans to auction spectrum in the 450MHz and 2.5GHz bandwidth on June 10 in an attempt to launch upgraded broadband technologies. According to reports, telecom operators TIM Brasil and Vivo had initially opposed the auction citing that it is too soon after the 3G rollout.
However, the regulator aims to hold the auction soon so as to ensure rollout of 4G services in time for the 2014 soccer World Cup. As per reports, operators winning the 2.5GHz spectrum will be required to launch their services by the end of 2013, in all the cities hosting the FIFA World Cup.
The operators expected to participate in the bidding are rumoured to include Claro, Oi and Nextel Brasil, along with TIM Brasil and Vivo.
Portugal Telecom acquires 25.3% stake in Brazil’s Oi
Portugal Telecom has acquired 25.3% of Brazilian carrier Telemar Norte Leste SA (Oi) for $5 billion claiming a bigger stake than Portugal’s largest phone company had originally planned to buy.
According to Portugal Telecom, the stake was built through direct investments in the company and indirect positions in its biggest shareholders. The acquisition includes 25.6% of Telemar Participacoes SA, the group that controls the Brazilian phone carrier.
Portugal Telecom is investing in Oi to tap growing demand for mobile-phone and Internet service in Brazil. The Portuguese carrier announced its plans in July to buy a stake in Oi after selling its half of Vivo Participacoes SA, Brazil’s largest mobile-phone company.
Under the agreement, Oi plans to purchase a stake of as much as 10 percent of Portugal Telecom. Oi is Brazil’s largest fixed-line phone company and its fourth-biggest mobile- phone carrier.
Oi to begin LTE tests in Brazil
Oi, Brazilian mobile network has reported four companies that will participate in its LTE trials in the country – Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, ZTE and Nokia Siemens Networks.
According to reports, there is a market expectation that the first LTE networks will come into operation before the 2014 World Cup.
Oi will be conducting the trials both in laboratory conditions and in live networks in several – still to be determined – cities. The exact deployment for each of the infrastructure suppliers is still being finalized.
The regulator is expected to grant a temporary license covering the 2.5 GHz bands for the tests.
PT acquires 22% stake in Oi (Portugal)
Portugal Telecom (PT) has announced that it has bought more than 22% stake in Brazilian telecommunications company Oi for US$4.99 billion.
According to PT, the deal also involved the fusion of the two companies’ call centres in Brazil. Oi also planned to purchase a stake of up to 10% in the Portuguese firm. PT recently sold its share in Brazilian cell phone operator Vivo to Spain’s Telef³nica.
Portugal Telecom acquires $5 Billion stake in Oi of Brazil
Portugal Telecom has announced that it had inked a deal to take a 22.38% stake in the Brazilian telecommunications company Telemar Norte Leste, also known as Oi.
The stake represents $5 billion in cash and awards Portugal Telecom significant corporate governance rights over the Brazilian company.
A deliberate partnership between the two companies reveals Portugal Telecom’s continued interest in the Brazilian market even after it sold its 50% stake in the Cellphone operator Vivo to Telef³nica of Spain in July.
As per the terms of its investment, Portugal Telecom can nominate one member and one alternate member to the board at the Oi subsidiary, TmarPart, as well as two members and two alternate members to the board of TNL.
The stake will also give Portugal Telecom a say in the nomination process for the chief executive of Oi.
According to Portugal Telecom, it hoped to contribute significantly to the improvement of Oi’s performance, citing its successful experience in fixed-to-mobile convergence, mobile broadband and pay TV, as ways it might do this.
Six submit bids for Brazil’s H Band auction
Anatel, Brazil’s national telecoms regulator has revealed that six groups have submitted proposals to bid for the country’s final 3G mobile frequencies the so-called H Band.
The six are domestic operators Vivo, Claro, TIM Brasil, Oi, Nextel and CTBC. The regulator has set up a Special Licensing Committee (CEL) which will assess the applications on 14 December. The H Band auction comprises 165 lots of spectrum with a minimum price of US$649 million, and US$410.31 million for leftover spectrum.
According to reports, at this stage though, only Nextel fulfils the basic stated requirement of the H Band auction i.e. as an iDEN digital trunking operator it will be classed as a new entrant in the GSM/W-CDMA market. As such, if it bids for the new licence it is understood that four GSM operators (Vivo, Claro, TIM Brasil and Oi) will be restricted to bidding for the frequencies as extension bands. If Nextel and CTBC fails to express an interest in the H Band, the other operators will be allowed to compete.
Anatel leads with H Band mobile auction (Brazil)
Anatel, Brazil’s telecoms regulator has reportedly rejected petitions to permit existing mobile operators to participate in the upcoming auction of H Band 3G mobile spectrum.
Earlier this year, Telemar Norte Leste (Telemar, or Oi) and SindiTelebrasil, an association representing local telephony companies, each submitted petitions to block the forthcoming auction of the H Band spectrum.
According to reports, with Anatel looking to start the tender to allocate the country’s last planned award of frequencies for 3G mobile services on 14 December, the two parties cried foul at the watchdog’s decision to prevent current operators Oi, TIM Brasil, Vivo Participacoes and Telecom Americas (Claro) from participating, saying it had failed to justify the reasons for their exclusion.
In their appeals, SindiTelebrasil and Oi argued Anatel was acting as a bar to competition and hampering the rapid launch of 3G services.
Portugal Telecom expects to close Oi deal by March 2011
The Chief Executive of Portugal Telecom, Zeinal Bava believes that Portugal Telecom (PT) can seal its deal with the Brazilian telecommunications group Oi (Tele Norte Leste Participa§µes) before the end of March 2011.
According to Bava, negotiations are progressing very well. The company is confident that it will get all deals done by the end of March, if not sooner… maybe even February.
Oi and Portugal Telecom at the end of October extended the deadline for negotiations over their future partnership until Jan. 31, 2011. Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, has approved Portugal Telecom’s plan to take a stake in Oi but the two groups are now finalizing the terms and conditions of their industrial alliance.
As per the CEO, it is too early to give details on plans it has for Oi until the deal is signed. The company will leverage their know-how and their partner’s knowledge to do a better job in the future.
The PT is also interested in acquisitions in Africa, but will consider any opportunity carefully, explained the executive.
?
