Claro sets out its stall: announces first three cities to receive 4G

Brazilian mobile service provider Telecom Americas (Claro) is the first operator to nail its colours to the mast where 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services are concerned, announcing its intention to launch in the cities of Campos do Jordao (in Sao Paulo state) and Buzios and Paraty (both in Rio de Janeiro state) ‘probably’ before April 2013.

Carlos Zenteno, CEO Claro pointed out though, that the planned launch in the three named cities is not a full-blown commercial one, but that they are more than pilots. ‘[4G services are] not commercial yet because the bands were not yet formally released for commercial purposes. But they are also not trials, because we won’t be removing them after a given period, for example. They are the first three cities to have our 4G,’ he is quoted as saying. ‘The cities were chosen due to their strong touristic appeal,’ he added.