Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel) has revoked the mobile termination rates (MTRs) set for the period between 2020 and 2023 – as established in December 2018 – and replaced them with lower interconnection charges. The regulatory change of heart follows appeals from a number of operators, including Claro Brasil. The America Movil (AM)-backed telco had argued that Anatel had used ‘inaccurate’ data in its calculations, and the figures would have a heavy impact on its unlimited tariffs.
As per Analysis 6/2020, the regulator has now redefined the MTRs for each of the country’s three operating regions. The 2020 MTR for Region 1 has now been reduced from BRL0.01863 (USD0.00429) per minute to BRL0.01338, while the Region 2 2020 MTR has been lowered from BRL0.02128 per minute to BRL0.01503, with Region 3 rates decreasing from BRL0.04342 to BRL0.02687. MTRs for all Regions are scheduled to increase slightly between now and 2023, although the rates remain far lower than those initially established in 2018.
The new 2020 MTRs will take effect on 25 February.