RIO DE JANEIRO--Two years after Brazil hosted the 2014 Fifa World Cup, the city of Rio de Janeiro will host the first Olympic and Paralympic Games to take place in South America. The Olympic Village will house around 17,000 participating athletes, and the Brazilian federal government...
RIO DE JANEIRO – Two years after Brazil hosted the 2014 Fifa World Cup, the city of Rio de Janeiro will host the first Olympic and Paralympic Games to take place in South America. The Olympic Village will house around 17,000 participating athletes, and the Brazilian...
European telco operates in Brazil through its TIM unit
Italian telecommunications group Telecom Italia confirmed the company was not in talks with Brazilian telecoms operator Oi to merge assets in the Brazilian market. The European telco said there were no formal or informal negotiations with...
During Brazil's recent ABTA show, Vivo President Amos Genish said WhatsApp is a clandestine service as it is not regulated in Brazil and not subject to the same regulations or fiscal duties. By calling the over-the-top player, acquired by Facebook, a "pirate," Genish was...
The Colombian agencies for spectrum and communications regulation, the ANE and CRC, have posted a draft to auction spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 700 MHz bands. The agencies will accept comments on the draft until June 12. The document can be...
During a May 6 conference call discussing TIM Brasil's latest financial results, the operator's President Rodrigo Abreu said he’s satisfied with the telecom operator’s performance in the first quarter of 2015. Abreu said he expects that the operator's future growth will be supported by 4G service...
Telefónica's 2014 full-year and fourth-quarter net income slumped 34.7% and 89.5%, respectively, in a year-over-year comparison. Total revenue decreased 11.7% for the full year and 14.1% in Q4 2014.
In a statement, Telefónica's executive chairman César Alierta said that the Q4 results represent the culmination of...
TIM Brasil's gross revenue fell 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to the same quarter of 2013 and decreased 2.2% year-over-year for 2014. However, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization increased 6.4% in 2014 when compared to the previous year. During Q4, EBITDA...
Antonio Carlos Valente, the president of Telefónica Vivo, said the company is waiting for a decision from the Administrative Council for Economic Defense before moving forward with integrating GVT's operations. Telefónica bought GVT last year from the French group Vivendi.
Speaking with members of the press during the Campus Party...
The Brazilian unit of Telecom Italia, TIM, closed a deal with WhatsApp. Under the agreement, TIM Brasil customers who have the post-paid “controle” plan can use WhatsApp without paying for the data consumption used by the over-the-top service. The package costs $10.77 and includes 300 MB of data,...
Argentina's new telecommunications and information services bill has passed the lower house of congress. The digital bill – which defines new information technology as a public service, broadening the concept of Internet access – drew strong criticism from opposing members, who claim it favors monopolies. The measure passed the upper...
After much speculation, Telecom Italia’s board of directors approved an investigation into potentially integrating its Brazilian unit, TIM, with rival operator Oi. Earlier this year, Oi saw its attempt to merge with Portugal Telecom fall apart after Rioforte defaulted on €897 million ($1.12 billion) debt held by Portugal Telecom.
The Telecom Italia decision follows Telefónica’s planned...
SÃO PAULO — Speaking at this week’s Futurecom event, TIM Brasil CEO Rodrigo Abreu said that the move from voice to data is changing the role of carriers and their future relies on understanding that providing connectivity is only the tip of the iceberg.
“We must understand how...
Mexico's telecommunications regulator, IFT, has imposed a $3.69 million fine on fixed-line operator Telmex for monopolistic practices in long-distance services. IFT said Telmex committed a serious infraction by ignoring competitor Axtel's requests to interconnect with its network. The carrier also did not provide information about...
A flurry of potential acquisitions in Brazil has resulted in two competing operators, Oi and TIM Brasil, each considering bids to buy the other.
First, there is the ongoing battle for Vivendi's Brazilian unit, GVT. Telefónica raised its offer for GVT to U.S.$9.83 billion in cash...
América Móvil, which owns Claro, NET and Embratel in Brazil, confirmed its interest in making a common offer with the carrier Oi to acquire the operator TIM Brasil. Oi has already released a material fact announcing that it has engaged Banco BTG Pactual to review alternative options to acquire...
UPDATED: The future of Brazil's telecom market has become complicated by several potential, competing acquisition offers. Nearly everyone expects some kind of market consolidation, but how it will happen is not yet clear. Over the past few weeks, French company Vivendi has fielded dueling bids from Spain's Telefónica...
NII Holdings, which operates in Latin America under the Nextel brand, announced it will likely file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because it cannot fulfill its financial obligations. Following the announcement, NII Holdings' shares plummeted. According to the filing, the mobile phone carrier has until Aug. 15 to...
In a new twist to the changing Mexican telecom market, Telefónica is reportedly in talks to acquire Grupo Iusacell, a deal that could be worth up to $4 billion, according to local newspaper El Confidencial. Rumors have been circulating since early June that the two were considering a merger. In a regulatory...
América Móvil finished the first quarter with revenues up 1.3% year-on-year to $14.93 billion, pushed by growth in Brazil. The carrier's Brazilian unit posted an 8.5% increase in total with wireless revenues rising 5.7% and fixed revenues increasing 11%. As for customers, América Móvil counted 342.9 million accesses, 4.5% more...
The Spanish group Telefónica announced a major reorganization in its operations, ending the Telefónica Digital unit, created in 2011 with the objective of bolstering Telefónica’s place in the digital world and leveraging any growth opportunities arising in this environment. To replace its digital unit,...
While TIM posted a 12% rise in its second-quarter profit, beating forecasts on strong cost controls, NII Holdings’ Nextel operations presented a consolidated net loss of $386 million.
TIM, Brazil's second-largest wireless telecom operator, said its postpaid base grew 13.9% year-over-year. During a conference call, Rodrigo...
SINGAPORE — Live TIM, the fiber optic broadband Internet service of Brazilian operator TIM, is set to launch fixed-telephony services by the beginning of next year. According to TIM chief marketing officer, Flavio Lang, the service will focus initially on residential clients and will be...
April 30 was the final day to deploy LTE networks in the Brazilian host cities of the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the largest four carriers that were granted LTE licenses met the deadline. Telefónica held a press conference on April 30 to announce its...
