Wireless broadband attracts giants of the sector
DCI - 03/26/2008
The dispute for a still little explored segment in the Country, the WiMAX, wireless broadband Internet over long distances, gains an important player, Embratel, which foresees anticipating, in at least one year, the R$ 600 million (US$ 341 million) expected to be invested until 2010 to set up its WiMAX network in 61 Brazilian cities if the return is as favorable as it expects. Besides Embratel, a company of the Telmex Group, owned by the Mexican millionaire Carlos Slim, Brasil Telecom (BrT) and TVA, in which Telefônica has interest in, may enter the dispute in 2008 and are testing the WiMAX services. Embratel''s WiMAX project, that foresees the launching of the network in 61 cities, was divided in three parts. This way, the company starts its first phase with the launching of its wireless network in 12 capitals (Belém, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Luís, and São Paulo) until the end of this month with an investment of R$ 175 million (US$ 99.4 million). The other stages of the project would take place in the beginning of 2009 and 2010. Nonetheless, Maurício Vergani, CEO of the Embratel Companies, points out that there is a great possibility that the project may be concluded ahead of time. In this first moment, the WiMAX services provided by Embratel will have the priority to serve small- and average-sized companies which, according to the operator, is a segment formed by nearly 5 million prospective users. The Officer also highlights that the convergence of services will be the focus of the company. This way, as it already holds a partnership with Claro to offer mobile and conventional telephone services, the company intends to include the WiMAX in this package and then offers a triple play for the small- and average-sized companies. Another large company of the sector that may make the WiMAX available in 2008 is TVA. The operator made a WiMAX network test with Samsung in 2006, in São Paulo and also in Curitiba, and announced that last March it entered into agreements with Nortel for WiMAX network tests in São Paulo, and with Motorola for tests in Rio de Janeiro, cities in which TVA has the license to use the entire spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band. The company recently acquired the authorization from Anatel to test its WiMAX network in São Paulo. On Nortel's track, Brasil Telecom received, last October, authorization from Anatel to test the WiMAX in the 3.5 GHz frequencies in São Paulo city for a period of 6 months.