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Brazil: Telco watchdog Anatel vows tight grip on mergers

By  |  March 10, 2014

Brazil’s telecommunications regulator Anatel vowed to preserve the nation’s telco market structure, which holds four main competitors, for the next two to three years and to keep a tight grip on merger reviews to ensure competition, say reports.

Anatel president Joao Rezende told reporters Monday that it will also keep an eye on foreign investment in the domestic market as reports question the future of Brazil wireless operator TIM, threatened with a breakup as Spain’s Telefonica takes more control over TIM parent company Telecom Italia.

While some analysts predict the market would lose a competitor, Anatel said a more likely scenario is that Brazil would gain a wireless operator either through a foreign merger or with the expansion of Nextel’s operations in the country.

Full Content: Reuters

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