Total Brazil cell phone users near 100 mln mark http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=COMSRV&storyid=2007-01-16T182003Z_01_N16358204_RTRIDST_0_BRAZIL-TELECOMS.XML&from=business
Tue Jan 16, 2007
SAO PAULO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Brazil finished 2006 with a total of 99.92 million cellular phone users, a 15.8 percent increase from the previous year, according to data released on Tuesday by the country's telecommunications regulator.
But the data also showed that growth in the cell phone market in Brazil, a continent-sized country of 185 million people, has begun to slow. In all, 13.7 million new cell phones went into service last year. That marked a sharp slowdown from 2005, when wireless providers signed up 20.6 million new users.
Like in other developing countries, more people in Brazil use cell phones than traditional land lines. As a result, phone companies here are increasingly shifting their focus to mobile services.
The main players in Brazil's cell phone market are Vivo Participacoes (VIVO4.SA: Quote, Profile , Research) (VIV.N: Quote, Profile , Research), a joint venture between Spain's Telefonica Moviles (TEF.MC: Quote, Profile , Research) and Portugal Telecom (PTC.LS: Quote, Profile , Research); TIM Participacoes (TCSL4.SA: Quote, Profile , Research), the Brazilian unit of Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI: Quote, Profile , Research); and Claro, which is owned by Mexico's America Movil (AMX.N: Quote, Profile , Research)(AMXL.MX: Quote, Profile , Research).
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