Brazilian Wireless Market Grew 21% in 2007

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

5:05 am on January 23, 2008 | Category: Telecom Services, Wireless

Brazil’s mobile phone market grew 21.08% in 2007, to reach a total of 120.98 million subscribers, according to official data from the country’s telecom regulator, Anatel. 4.666 million new customers were added in December alone.

This brings mobile penetration in Brazil to 63.59% of the population, up from 53.24% at the end of 2006.

Unlike mobile phone markets in North America and Europe, Brazil has a high proportion of prepaid wireless subscribers, with some 81% of customers purchasing prepaid airtime cards, versus just 19% who receive a monthly phone bill.

Vivo finished the year as Brazil’s top wireless provider, with a merket share of 27.68%, up from 27.60% at the end of November. TIM and Claro were the second and third largest carriers, with market shares of 25.85% and 24.99%, respectively.

Other Brazilian mobile carriers include Oi, Telemig Cellular, Amazonia Mobile, and Brasil Telecom.