After buying telecommunications infrastructure operator AES Atimus Group in July for U.S. $1.03 billion (R$ 1.6 billion), Telecom Italia’s Brazilian mobile unit, TIM Participações SA, on Dec. 5 announced TIM Fiber’s business plan for the next year. The fiber optic network connects 21 cities in the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states.
TIM aims to connect mobile broadband subscribers, potentially connecting their connection speeds to 21 Mbps. Ultra mobile broadband connections could achieve 42 Mbps with the development of infrastructure and trade capacity with other telecom operators, using networks of TIM’s Intelig and TIM Fiber.
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In the residential market, TIM will offer Internet access of up to 100 Mbps. The goal is to reach more than 1 million customers in five years in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, a market that is projected to grow 50% over the next three years despite a relative lack of very high speed offerings.
TIM Fiber features a step in the development of network infrastructure of TIM Brazil. In addition to AES Atimus network, TIM has a backbone of more than 15,000 km (about 9,300 miles) of optical fiber from Intelig network, a carrier that TIM acquired in 2009. TIM is also focusing on organic development. This year carrier reached an agreement for the construction of 1,800 km (about 1,100 miles) in the north with Amazon LT.
TIM plans to invest nearly U.S. $4.2 billion (R$7.5B) in infrastructure between 2011 and 2013. At the end of 2013, the carrier will have doubled its fiber optic network from the start of this year.
Rocinha
In addition to TIM Fiber’s plan, the carrier said it is implementing a Wi-Fi pilot project in Rocinha, Brazil’s largest so-called favela neighborhood, with more than 150,000 inhabitants. The pilot marks the beginning of TIM Wi-Fi, consisting of two networks: a private one that allows customers to access the operator’s network at high speed, and a public one that is open to any user who has a device with Wi-Fi connection through government partnerships.
After deployment in Rocinha, the operator plans the expansion of Wi-Fi into other densely populated areas, such as universities and airports.
In Rocinha, TIM installed several antennas that deliver mobile broadband speed of up to 54 Mbps for the entire community and serve as wireless Internet hot spots, strengthening the capacity of the data network through optical fiber and thus improving the quality of service.
During the pilot phase, about 500 to 600 residents will have access to the technology, the carrier said.
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