Brazilian NET Serviços, owned by América Móvil, plans to increase its Wi-Fi hotspots from its current 2,400 in 12 cities to 10,000 in 15 cities over the next year. The company has been deploying hotspots since mid-2011 in venues with a high concentration of people as part of NET’s strategy is to foster loyalty and add value for its customers. NET’s cable broadband clients can use the Wi-Fi hotspots for free.
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Increasing the number of hotspots is part of the cable telecom operator’s 2013 investment plan and goals. José Félix, president of NET Serviços, told journalists during a press conference in São Paulo yesterday that starting in January the company will expand its service offerings to 44 additional cities.
In August, Félix announced that NET was working to expand its cable TV, fixed telephony and broadband services from 93 municipalities to more than 200. A new law (#12,485) was the turning point since it opened the nationwide market for NET, making its license concession national instead of municipal. This is the main reason that Félix called 2012 a milestone year for the company several times during the press conference.
Investments
NET’s total Capex during 2012 was U.S.$1.3 billion (R$2.7 billion). Without revealing investment projections for 2013, Félix said that the company might follow a growth trend.
During 2012, NET said it expanded its networks by 16,000 kilometers (about 9,900 miles). The next goal is to expand its networks to cover 100 million people.
(The currency exchange rate at time of this report: 1 USD = 2.086 BRL)
