Brazil launches National Broadband Plan

Brazil's Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo has launched the National Broadband Plan (PNBL) with the participation of four telecommunications operators. Oi, Telefonica, CTBC and Sercomtel will launch their commercial broadband offers within a month. These will provide a minimum 1 Mbps for BRL 29.80 per month in states that have granted a tax exemption and BRL 35 where there is no exemption. By 2014, the operators will have to deliver fixed or mobile internet access to 70 percent of Brazilian municipalities, compared to 27 percent today. Fixed operators with mobile operations (Telefonica and Oi) may sell 1 Mbps connections over the mobile network in places where they have no fixed infrastructure.