Brazil's Tele Centro-Oeste/Inepar Wins Amazon B-Band License
Dow Jones Newswires
BRASILIA -- A consortium formed by Tele Centro-Oeste and Brazilian
group Inepar, were declared winners of the B-Band cellular telephone
license for the Amazon region, the National Telecommunications Agency,
or Anatel, announced Monday.
A spokesman for Anatel said the consortium, which was the only bidder
for what is known as Area 8, offered 60.5 million real (BRR)
($1=BRR1.18) for the license.
The contract is due to be signed within 20 days, when the consortium will
have to make a downpayment of 40% of its bid. The balance will be paid
in three further installments of 20% each after 12, 24 and 36 months,
respectively.
Tele Centro-Oeste is the privatized A-Band cellular telephone company
covering the Central West and was acquired by a consortium led by
Brazilian telecommunications equipment manufacturer Splice do Brasil
during the privatization auction of the 12 units of federal
telecommunications holding Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras, or Telebras, on
July 29.
Investment and engineering group Inepar already owns the B-Band license
for the southern states of Parana and Santa Catarina and also participates
in the Iridium do Brasil project.
-By William Vanvolsem; (5561) 244 3095; wvanvolsem@ap.org
Last month Anatel disqualified the consortium Intertelesis from
participating in the auction for the Area 8 license for failing in 48 technical,
legal and fiscal requirements demanded in the sale prospectus.
Intertelesis is formed by Brazilian group Montemil, Korean enterprises
Korea Information and Shinsegu Telecom and Secure Phone America, of
the U.S.
Two previous auctions for Area 8 failed last year due to a lack of any
interested bidders.
Consequently, Anatel scrapped the minimum asking price of BRR200
million, dropped the 49% limit on foreign capital participation and allowed
winners of B-Band licenses in other regions to also place bids.
Earlier this month Tele Centro-Oeste/Inepar announced that if it would win
the Area 8 license it will invest BRR250 million in the region to develop
cellular telephone services there.
The licensed area includes the northern-most states of Amazonas, Para,
Roraima, Amapa and Maranhao and covers a vast but thinly-populated
tropical forest region representing almost 40% of Brazil's national territory.
|
