Operators prepare for New Year's Eve traffic

Brazilian mobile operator Vivo has taken steps to avoid a repetition of last year's traffic overload problems on New Year's Eve by increasing its network capacity in tourist places by 20% and on the coast by up to 40%, local daily Estado de São Paulo reported. "No company manages to avoid every problem in these five minutes at the end of the year," Vivo network operations director Paulo Emidio Faria was quoted as saying. "But there is no risk of congestion. No one will be unable to speak." In 2003, clients of various operators faced congestion problems, principally at the end of the year. Claro, the second largest operator in the country, has also prepared a special plan for the holidays. "Every New Year, we reinforce the coverage in places with a large concentration of people, especially at year's end," a Claro company spokesperson was quoted as saying. "The least you can expect is that companies have the infrastructure to provide the service," said Marcos Diegues of Brazil's consumer defense agency Idec. "Whoever has problems has the right to at least obtain a discount on their subscription equivalent to the period service is unavailable. If it happens again this year, it will be proof of a lack of investment and planning."