Brazil - Fixed-Line Operators - Background Report

Synopsis

In 1998, Brazil had four incumbent operators: three regional and one nationwide international telephone provider. Four direct competitors, the ‘mirrors companies’, began operations in 2000. While on the one hand liberalisation has seen many new players enter the fixed-line market, the original companies have shrunk from eight to five through consolidation. After a troubled history involving years of shareholder disputes, Brasil Telecom was acquired by Oi. Two of the mirror companies, Vésper and Vésper São Paulo, were merged into Embratel. 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 operators that are absent from the more up-to-date report, but it does not contain forecasts or statistics.