Nextel Telecomunicacoes (Nextel Brazil) – which was acquired by America Movil (AM), the parent company of domestic rival Claro Brasil last year – has been rebranded as Claro-nxt. Following the switchover, legacy Nextel customers have gained access to Claro’s LTE-A network, as well as receiving other benefits such as free WhatsApp access and unlimited calls across Brazil.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, the USD905 million transaction closed in December 2019, strengthening AM’s mobile network capacity, spectrum portfolio, subscriber base, coverage and quality, particularly in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
In other news, on 8 October former Nextel owner NII Holdings filed a ‘Verified Petition for Dissolution’ in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, as it presses ahead with its previously stated liquidation plans. The process ran into complications on 3 April this year, when holding companies affiliated to AT&T rejected the offer of security made by NII. The two parties failed to agree on a fee to cover ‘certain on-going contractual indemnification obligations for tax liabilities attributable to periods preceding the sale of NII’s Mexican operations [to AT&T]’.