Brazilian regulator Anatel has wrapped up its first auction of 4G licenses, and according to the regional chairman of Nokia Siemens, Aluizio Byrro, his outfit wants a piece of the new market that is in line with its more than 35 percent share of the 3G market.
Byrro said that the company's had a growing focus on Latin America, which contributes over 10 percent of its revenue. Byrro said Nokia Siemens is in talks with a local partner to start producing 4G equipment in Brazil by September to help wireless operators establish coverage in host cities for the 2014 Soccer World Cup. New requirements that equipment be Brazilian-made also spurred the rush to manufacture locally, he said. Byrro said that conditions in Brazil had improved quite a bit recently but the company was holding off a decision about setting up a local factory. He said that Brazilian production needed to be competitive enough to export.
Nokia Siemens is a joint venture between Nokia and Siemens AG, formed to compete with dominant industry suppliers such as Ericsson, which has said it expects 4G networks to cover half the world by 2017. Worldwide things have not been good for Nokia Siemens has struggled and announced a wave of staff cuts globally over the past year. It also fired 3500 in Latin America following the end of a large services deal in the region.
Wants a third of 4G traffic
Nokia Siemens Networks aims to supply more than a third of Brazil's nascent fourth-generation (4G) wireless network
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Nick Farrell
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