Telefonica Vivo switches on 4G in Sao Paulo

Brazil’s leading mobile operator by subscribers Vivo has launched 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services – dubbed ‘Vivo 4G Plus’ – in Sao Paulo and six other cities, its CEO Antonio Carlos Valente is quoted by local press as saying. Under the terms of its licence award, Vivo is required to provide 4G services in the six cities hosting the FIFA football Confederations Cup tournament in June. As well as offering services there, Valente said that Vivo has decided to add Sao Paulo to its LTE footprint – where it is the market leader in terms of subscribers – even though it is not hosting any matches. ‘We are getting ahead of ourselves and offering 4G in the capital of Sao Paulo [state] now, even though we are only required to offer it as of December [2013], and we will have the service in Santo Andre, Sao Bernardo do Campo and Sao Caetano do Sul in May,’ the CEO said. The carrier intends to price Vivo 4G Plus at the same rate as its 3G Plus service – until now its most advanced mobile offering – which is currently available in 3,100 out of Brazil’s 5,000 municipalities.