RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil-Oi, the new GSM operator owned by fixed-line operator Telemar, entered the country’s mobile market on Tuesday, offering the country’s first GSM and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) service. The service launched in 10 states in the northern, northeastern and eastern regions of the country.
The operator said it had 4 million pre-subscriptions before its service was commercially available. Oi is targeting to have 500,000 subscribers after one year of service.
The operator has 52 international roaming agreements, eight of which are in place with European operators. Twelve different handsets are available for the service through about 1,300 points of sale, the operator said.
Telecom regulator Anatel has authorized Oi to offer domestic and international long-distance services outside Telemar’s fixed-line concession area.
Oi means “hi” in Portuguese.
