Modernising the Digital Ecosystem in Brazil

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Wednesday 23 Nov 2016 ｜ 2016 | Latin America & the Caribbean | New Regulatory Frameworks |

Modernising the Digital Ecosystem in Brazil image

Technological advances resulting from digitalisation have generated tremendous benefits and opportunities for society, are influencing and changing the ways in which people interact and the very nature of our business environment. Mobile has been the primary driver of this change.

Worldwide it is estimated that more than 3 billion people regularly access the internet using mobile technologies. Brazil alone has almost 250 million mobile connections and approximately 120 million single mobile internet users.

The opportunities that connectivity can provide, driven primarily by mobile access, will impact all our lives. It is key, therefore, that governments plan for and shape a regulatory environment where business can thrive, mobile can take full advantage of the opportunities created by this new digital world, and where consumers are properly protected.

In Brazil reform is required in a number of areas to both enhance the business opportunities and benefit the consumer. These include:

  • An improved quality of service for the consumer, with a focus on transparency to ensure that information available is comparable and in line with best practice
  • Enhanced network sharing
  • Equal treatment for equivalent services regardless of the supplier or the technology
  • The removal of discriminatory obligations and asymmetry from legacy regulation
  • Optimise the use of spectrum, thereby improving coverage, capacity and quality
  • Rationalise the tax system applicable to the sector to make services more accessible and promote digital inclusion

Reform in these areas will ensure that consumers will be better informed and able to make choices based on their needs and ability to pay; greater competition and enhanced investment; quality and coverage improvement; and a more streamlined tax system resulting in increased consumption, accessibility and digital inclusion.

Over the coming months, the GSMA looks forward to continuing our dialogue with policymakers, to ensure that Brazil applies a future fit regulatory framework that will deliver for all its citizens.