Brazil kicks off global 700MHz auction roadshow

Brazil has begun a global roadshow to promote its upcoming 700MHz auction.

Starting on Monday, Brazilian communications authorities are making an initial four-day trip to New York and London.

The group is headed by communications minister Paulo Bernardo and includes officials from communications ministry MiniComand telecoms watchdog Anatel, MiniCom said in a statement.

The roadshow seeks to promote the tender terms in the hope of attracting new players to the local market, which is currently dominated by four major telecom groups.

The first stop is New York, with a trade promotion event sponsored by the Brazilian consulate. There will also be meetings with potential investors.

In London, a promotional event will take place at the Brazilian embassy and bilateral talks will be held with investors, the ministry added.

Brazil is looking to tender the spectrum for 4G LTE broadband services in August and the government sees an opportunity for new players to enter the market, despite the global consolidation trend in the telecoms industry. Analysts see the entry of new groups as unlikely.

Telefônica/Vivo, TIM Brasil, Claro Brasil and Oiare the four largest telecoms players in Brazil. The difference in market share between the first three is less than four percentage points in the mobile telephony segment.

According to MiniCom, the total number of broadband connections in Brazil has grown by 1,026% in the last four years, from 12.1mn accesses in 2010 to 137mn in 2014.