While TIM Brasil has been facing a challenging time since Brazilian telecom regulator Anatel suspended the company from selling mobile services in 19 states, Franco Bernabè, the CEO of Telecom Italia, TIM’s parent company, visited Brazil last week to speak with the communications minister, Paulo Bernardo, and the president of Anatel, João Rezende. During his visit, Bernabè said he expects the situation to return to normal by next week.
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Bernabè reaffirmed Telecom Italia’s investments in Brazil and promised that this year, consumers will begin to see improvements in the carrier’s call center services. The executive said TIM has been focusing efforts to improve telephony service quality with the expectation of resuming business operations as soon as possible.
Bernabé acknowledged that stopping the operator’s sale of chips generates competitive and operational problems, but he was optimistic about the future, saying that TIM will come through the crisis strengthened.
TIM will follow the improvement action plan the carrier submitted to Anatel. Bernabé confirmed the company’s commitment to do business in Brazil, citing the licenses acquired in the recent LTE auction.
The Telecom Italia CEO also criticized the bureaucracy involved in installing infrastructure, a common complaint from carriers. Currently, there are more than 250 state and local laws that limit the construction of towers.
Bernabé highlighted the need for unbundling to promote greater competition, something he believes should be adjusted to help guarantee equal conditions to allow different players access to the market.
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- Analysts question severity of Anatel’s Brazilian carrier suspensions
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- Brazil suspends some TIM, Oi and Claro sales due to customer complaints
