Brazilian telecommunications: experience and future perspectives

Abstract

The chaptertraces the evolution of Brazilian telecommunications from a State provision model with Telebras since the 70s to the new model emerging with the privatisation of the system in July 1998. Different aggregate and firm level indicators showed unsatisfactory efficiency and service access in the previous regime. The new model which evolves around an independent regulatory agency, displays encouraging results in terms of network expansion andthechallenges refer to the effort to guarantee universal access, the consolidation of appropriate service quality patterns and the actual functioning of competition in the different types of services.