Brazil - Fixed-Line Infrastructure - Background Report

Synopsis

In the mid-1990s, less than one in 10 Brazilians had a telephone, and an estimated 13 million people were waiting for a line. Besides the long and sluggish waiting lists, customers had to contend with exorbitantly expensive services and constantly dropping out connections. This situation was an added catalyst for fixed-mobile substitution, which is a prominent phenomenon in Brazil. As in other countries, VoIP has helped to lower the price of fixed line calls and has become extremely popular. CTBC subsidiary Engeredes partnered with RSL Communications in late 1999 to provide Brazil’s first VoIP service for long-distance domestic and international phone calls. WLL or fixed-wireless technology has been of particular importance in Brazil for the development of fixed-line competition as well as for the provision of telephony and broadband services in rural and remote areas. This report provides background information for the more regularly updated Brazil - Fixed-Line Market and Infrastructure - Overview, Statistics and Forecasts. As such, it covers details on the history and development of Brazil’s fixed-line market and telecom infrastructure that are absent from the more up-to-date report, but it does not contain forecasts or statistics.