Telefonica to consolidate under Vivo brand by 1Q12

Dow Jones Newswires reports that the Brazilian division of Spanish giant Telefonica will consolidate its entire product portfolio under the Vivo brand of its mobile arm, by the end of March 2012. The head of the group’s operations in the country, Antonio Carlos Valente, told reporters: ‘There’s a fixed date for the change, and that’s the end of the first quarter of 2012.’ Recent changes to Brazil’s regulatory playing field now allow telcos to merge their fixed and mobile operations. Telefonica says it is close to realising this goal, after more than twelve months of corporate restructuring. The final phase – slated for October – will see the cellular unit formally absorbed into Telefonica’s primary business, Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo SA (Telesp). The Spanish operator is also closely monitoring the situation vis a vis a proposed new law that will allow it to provide pay-TV services. The law has been approved by Brazil’s Congress and is expected to be signed into law by its president, Dilma Rousseff, soon.