Primeira Escolha to launch Voip services in Aug.

Brazilian telecom operator Primeira Escolha will launch long-distance and voice over internet protocol (Voip) services in mid-August, a company executive said. "Voip is a new telecom service and the question arises of how to regulate it, so our company strategy has been to get every possible license necessary from Brazilian telecom regulator Anatel. Therefore, we don't expect regulatory interference," Mario Leonel Neto said to BNamericas during an interview on Tuesday (August 10). Altamarca Holdings, a consortium of Brazilian and North American investors looking to invest in the local telecoms industry, created Primeira Escolha a little over a year ago. The firm currently has 20 employees but could increase its employee base by up to 200 within the next two years, according to Leonel. US Voip provider Net2Phone will supply the company with its technology platform and Primeira Escolha is also forming various business partnerships, such as that with pay television provider TVA, to leverage existing broadband networks and client portfolios. The company's main service for residential customers, to be launched commercially at the end of August, are Ligue 24 and VoiPE. Ligue 24 refers to Primeira Escolha's carrier code 24 for long-distance calls. To use this long-distance calling service, subscribers must register their fixed or mobile phone numbers on the company website. Subscribers can pay for long-distance calls using a credit or debit card and the company will also offer a calling card known as Cartão 24 from September. VoiPE refers to Primeira Escolha's Voip service using corporate virtual private networks (VPNs), which will be implemented in two phases in August and November. From August, the caller will only be able to make outgoing calls, which is considered a multimedia service from a regulatory standpoint, and in November the caller will have complete phone services by being able to both make and receive phone calls. Entering this pre-established segment would be extremely difficult due to high entry barriers, but this new technology lets the company reach consumers quickly, according to Neto. Primeira Escolha would not disclose revenue or client base projections.