Dow Jones Newswires
BRASILIA -- In a much-awaited decision, Brazilian telecommunications
regulator Anatel Wednesday said it has chosen the 1,800 megahertz frequency to
award licenses for Personal Communications Services (PCS).
During a press conference to announce the decision, Anatel president Renato
Guerreiro stressed that Anatel "made its decision independently of external
pressures."
Guerreiro was referring to intense lobbying from telecom equipment
manufacturers on behalf of the 1,800 MHz frequency as well as its alternative,
the 1,900 MHz frequency.
Anatel's choice means the introduction to Brazil of Global System for Mobility
(GSM) technology, at the expense of the prevailing Code Division Multiple
Access (CDMA) Technology.
Anatel's Guerreiro said that Brazil has chosen the 1,800 MHz frequency for
second generation handsets and will reserve the 1,900-2,100 MHz frequency for
third generation phones, on the standard known as IMT 2000.
Anatel expects the auction process to start in August, with licenses to be
awarded in December.
Anatel said it hasn't yet decided whether initially it will auction one or two
licenses per region.
The number and geographic borders of regions will be announced in two weeks,
Guerreiro said.
He added that a third license per region may be auctioned next year, depending
on the speed of development of third generation mobile telephony.
-By Diana Rochford, Dow Jones Newswires; 5561-9965-6883;
diana.rochford@dowjones.com; and Margarita Palatnik |
