Brazil-TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION

摘要

The Brazilian telecommunications industry has undergone a complete transformation since early-1998, when state-owned Telebras acted as a holding company for 28 operating companies: one long-distance operator (Embratel), which also provided telex and data communications services, and 27 companies which provided local, inter-state longdistance, and mobile communications services at the state level. Four independent telephone companies provided services outside the Telebras system, in specific geographical areas, accounting for 9% of all lines in service. The mobile sector was opened to competition in 1997, when companies were licensed to provide B band cellular services in 10 regions, in competition with the Telebras A band cellular operators. The Telebras companies were amalgamated into three regional, one long-distance (Embratel), and eight cellular operating companies in early-1998, prior to being privatised in July 1998. Four independent telephone companies were not incorporated into Telebras: Companhia Riograndense de Telecomunicacoes (CRT); Companhia de Telefones do Brasil Central (CTBC Central); Servico Telefonico Municipal de Londrina (Sercomtel); and, Centrais Telefonicas de Ribeirao Preto (CETERP). CRT, Sercomtel, and CETERP were all owned by municipal governments and were privatised during 1997 and 1998 . CTBC Central is privately-owned by Grupo Algar. The privatisation was one of the single largest privatisations in the world, netting over R$21,000 million, against the combined minimum bid of R$13,500 million. Immediately the privatisation was concluded, the Brazilian regulator initiated plans to offer "mirror" concessions to operate in competition with the four former Telebras fixed operators. The first mirror concessions were awarded in January 1999, to companies now known as Intelig Telecomunicacoes for the mirror concession to Embratel and Vesper Holding for the mirror concession to Tele Norte Leste. Three companies put forward bids for the mirror concession to TELESP, which was awarded in May 1999 to Vesper Sao Paulo SA. It was not until September 1999 that the final mirror concession was awarded, to a consortium led by Global Village Telecom.