02/04/2009 17h14
Telefonica to invest US$ 1.04 billion in the Country
O Estado de S. Paulo 02/04/2009
Telefonica announced it will invest R$ 2.4 billion (US$ 1.04 billion) in Brazil this year, 20% more than the R$ 2 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) invested last year. "We are keeping our investment program", said the company's President Antonio Valente. He works with a projection of growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2% for the Country, and he reaffirmed that, even with the reflexes of the international economic crisis, it is necessary to keep the rhythm of investments in order to expand the businesses of the group. According to Valente, the company intends to launch new services and products this year, like pay TV through internet (IPTV). The priority of the group, according to him, is to invest in broadband networks, telephone and pay TV. Brazil currently represents 16% of the global income of the Telefonica group, which is headquartered in Spain. Latin America, as a whole, represents 35% of the income. According to Valente, the companies of Telefonica in Latin America are seen as the "engine for the growth of the group". Included in the perspectives of new businesses, Telefonica scheduled the launching, in the city of São Paulo, of the pay television services through the internet for June. Telefonica prepares, also for 2009, the commercial launching of Orby, a laptop-like device that promises to make access to wireless internet easier. Orby has simpler commands than those of a computer, and a touchscreen. According to Valente, it will be possible to send messages, read the news, see price quotations and the weather forecasts through Orby, for example. The company also intends to launch a product, referred to as Passarela, which should integrate the electronic household devices through a wireless network. Valente explained this system will allow, for instance, that the client sees a sequence of photos that is in the computer on the living room TV. Telefonica has already entered into some contracts with building companies in São Paulo, which will build apartments ready for the new service, which can also be used for the purpose of safety, lighting and cooling of environments, for example.
