Brazil’s Anatel orders Tim to suspend infinity day promotion

Matthew Malinowski, Telma Marrotto – Bloomberg Businessweek, 11/16/2012

Brazil’s telecommunication regulator Anatel ordered Tim Participacoes SA (TIT) to suspend its Infinity Day Promotion because of concerns over its quality of service.

The Infinity Day Promotion consists of unlimited calls at a fixed price for 24 hours between telephones operated by Tim. The company said it disagrees with Anatel decision as there is no evidence of “any potential of network instability,” according to an e-mailed statement.

Tim executives “are ready for a clarification meeting with Anatel in Brasilia,” the company said in the statement. Shares fell 3.7 percent to 7.72 reais in Sao Paulo, the second-worst performer among members of the benchmark Bovespa index.

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Brazil’s TIM faces new government scrutiny over science

Sergio Spagnuolo – Reuters, 11/16/20123

Brazilian telecom regulator Anatel on Friday ordered TIM Participacoes, the nation’s No. 2 wireless carrier, to stop selling a flat-rate promotional plan with unlimited calls per day because of concerns about service quality.

It was the latest in a series of regulatory setbacks for the Brazilian unit of Telecom Italia. In July, Anatel banned TIM’s sales in 19 states for nearly two weeks until the company presented an investment plan to improve service.

TIM started selling its “Infinity Day” promotion on Monday, allowing customers to make unlimited local phone calls within the carrier’s network for a flat daily rate of 0.50 real ($0.24) and unlimited long-distance calls for an additional 0.50 real a day.

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Brazil considers auction of more airwaves for 4G mobile services

Carla Simoes, Crayton Harrison – Bloomberg, 08/23/2012

Brazil’s government is considering an auction by December 2013 of airwaves that are held today by television broadcasters and would be converted for use with 4G wireless services.

The airwaves in the 700-megahertz spectrum band would be freed up by June 2016 after TV networks such as Globo Comunicacao e Participacoes SA and Grupo Record complete their switch to digital broadcasts, said Joao Rezende, president of Brazil’s phone regulatory agency, known as Anatel. Broadcasters must make the transition under a June 2006 presidential decree.

Anatel plans to conclude studies defining the use of the airwaves by the end of this year, Rezende said yesterday in a phone interview from Curitiba, Brazil. Once that process is complete, the agency and the Communications Ministry will put together an auction plan.

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Brazil tackles telecoms before World Cup

Samantha Pearson – Financial Times, 8/14/2012

For José Fortunati, one of the hardest parts of being mayor of Porto Alegre in Brazil’s southern “gaucho” or cowboy state is getting reception on his mobile phone.

“I was talking to you in another room but I had to move as I couldn’t hear you,” he explains over a faint line. “Our building is right in the middle of town so in theory we’re meant to get the best signal.”

Complaints in the city have sparked a national crackdown by the telecoms regulator, Anatel, over the past few weeks, raising fears about the direction of one of the world’s most attractive mobile phone markets.

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