As part of their “synergy” to integrate operations, Brazilian telecom operators Embratel, which belongs to América Móvil, and Telefónica’s Vivo announced changes to some of their brand names.
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Embratel’s residential television and fixed-telephony services will now be marketed under the Claro brand in an attempt to simplify marketing to the residential market and expand sales.
“The announcement is an important step to give more visibility to the synergy between Embratel and Claro,” explained Embratel Executive Director Antonio João Filho, in a statement.
The company added that the actual products and pricing will remain the same, and that Embratel plans to expand its offering with new benefits for customers that sign up for more than one of carrier’s products.
Embratel said it remain responsible for the infrastructure and businesses relating to the two products, but will bolster its sales and marketing efforts. The changes mark an important step toward América Móvil’s group strategy unveiled late last year.
Last October, América Móvil’s three companies based in Brazil – Net, Embratel and Claro – launched a range of integrated services that combines high-definition pay-television, mobile and fixed-telephony, and fixed and mobile broadband Internet services.
At the same time rival Telefonica Brazil had also announced its first products package integrated with Vivo. The service launch was a fixed-telephone offering in Porto Alegre, which was Telefônica’s first operation outside the São Paulo market. The offering was not quite as deep as that launched by América Móvil’s operations, but the move represented a competitive increase in the market between the two biggest foreign telecom groups in Brazil.
Telefônica Brazil is also changing brands names. The telecom operator said that beginning April 15, all services and products will be branded Vivo. The announcement was made at the 2011 Futurecom event when the CEO Antonio Carlos Valente said it would begin the move in early 2012, bringing to a close an integration process that started in mid-2010.
