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Brazil to widen broadband access
11 March 2010
The Brazilian government wants Telebrás to manage a programme to build a national fibre network to improve broadband access
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Brazil is planning to increase access to broadband internet and set up a nationwide fibre optic network in the first half of April, according to reports. The plan will be carried out by the successor of the current president Luiz da Silva, said a presidential aide.
Infrastructure networks owned by government energy companies and Petrobras could be used to build the network. Telebrás, a former state-owned telecom company, will likely manage the programme.
The company ran Brazil’s telephone system until 1998, when it was spun off and privatised. It now operates as an umbrella for a small number of outstanding assets.
Telebrás has planned a pilot project in 300 cities that currently do not have broadband. While no budget has been set for the project, the government intends to spend anything between $843 million and 10 times that figure. GTB