Brazil’s telecoms regulator says the country’s mobile operators are likely to achieve 100% population coverage by the end of 2009, reports BNamericas. Currently the incumbent operators’ networks are limited to cities with a population of at least 30,000 people. However, Anatel expects coverage of underserved areas will be boosted this year as a result of the upcoming auction of mobile licences dedicated to small towns and municipalities. The watchdog hopes to stimulate interest from bidders by pricing the spectrum at a much lower level than it has sought on previous occasions.
In a separate story, the country’s leading cellco by subscribers, Vivo Participacoes, says it expects its CAPEX for 2008/09 to be BRL4 billion (USD2.1 billion) with the lion’s share of the money going into 3G infrastructure. According to Vivo finance director Ernesto Gardelliano, the company’s capital expenditure for the current fiscal year is estimated at BRL1.95 billion.
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