Communication

Brazil had five telecommunication satellites in space by the early 1990s. Any Brazilian can watch television - either public or private - from any point in the country. This includes programs those dedicated to many school levels - TV Escola of the Ministry of Education, Telecurso of The Roberto Marinho Foundation / FIESP. In the Telemedicine we are still progressing, but hospitals like Sarah Kubistschek already offer equipment for videoconference, discussions, consultations, remote support of surgeries and even transmission of X-Ray pictures.

Brazil is a technically-advanced country and has sophisticated telecommunications, internet and broadcasting facilities. The fixed-line market has been privatized and the four main operators are Telesp, Telemar, Brasil Telecom and Embratel. It is very expensive to make international calls from a fixed-line phone in Brazil, and VoIP has become a popular alternative. Mobile phones are becoming much more popular than fixed-line telephones. Mobile phones mainly use the GSM system, and coverage varies in different parts of the country. The four biggest mobile phone companies in Brazil are Vivo, Claro, TIM Brasil and Oi. A number of companies offer combined VoIP, broadband and pay TV services, including TV Cidade and TVA.

The largest communication service provider companies in Brazil are Globalstar, Iridium and Inmarsat. The last two operate through distributors who sell their services and develop added value solutions. These companies offer voice services that include voice communication, broadband internet, data services, tracking and monitoring. Iridium is the only one with global coverage, including offshore, with 66 satellites in low orbit and more than 300 thousand clients.

Embratel Star One offers satellites for telecommunications companies, covering all Brazilian territory and almost all of Latin America. Their services include the deployment of public telephones in remote areas in the country and the expansion of the mobile communication of companies to locations where there is no infrastructure for the service. The IPSAT service provides internet via satellite to all national territory and access to the public telephone network.

Mobile satellite systems, which are largely used in Brazil due to its extensive territory, represent a flexible way of communication for areas in which regular telephone services do not cover. The satellite communication system was created to supply the demand for long distance data transmission in the 1980s. Later on, mobile telephones led these companies to drastically lose market share and in some cases, bankruptcy. Companies see Brazil as a potential market, so they are focusing their efforts on building a new image among consumers and expanding the market. Today, the mobile satellite service, MSS, is attending areas where regular telephone does not cover or is logistically impracticable, like in remote areas, high seas, vessels, aircraft, mining and oil sites. The MSS market revenue is around USD 550 million in Brazil.

In order to provide mobile satellite communication services in Brazil, companies require a special license for the satellite usage, that is specified according to LGT, or General Law of Telecommunications. Equipment for mobile communications operate in the C and Ku band, with an specific spectrum determined by ITU-T and satellites working in different altitudes, from low earth orbit, or LEO, to high earth orbit, or HEO. Most of the Globalstar and Iridium satellites are in low earth orbit.

The commitment to dependable communications extending throughout the country is essential to ensuring public safety in Brazil. While a substantial investment was made in strengthening Brazil’s wireless network in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, critical public safety and law enforcement agencies continue to be vulnerable to gaps in their cellular communications infrastructure, which has the potential to undermine their efforts to combat criminal activity or respond to disasters.