NSN has declared its intention of becoming a major player in Brazil’s 4G network equipment market, with the vendor’s Latin American chairman Aluizio Byrro stating that the company is aiming at taking a third of this market.
The vendor is seeking a local partner to take advantage of the impending network rollouts. Although regulations state that network equipment must be produced locally, NSN has not yet decided whether to establish a manufacturing facility in Brazil.
"We have been studying the possibility of producing in Brazil for some time and the conditions have improved quite a bit recently," said Byrro. "The next big challenge is to also make Brazilian production competitive enough to export."
The four largest operators in Brazil all obtained 4G spectrum in auctions which closed last week. All of these - America Movil’s Claro, Oi, TIM Brasil and Telefonica subsidiary Vivo – are contractually obliged to provide 4G coverage for the cities which will host matches during the 2014 football World Cup.
Times have been tough for NSN recently, and the vendor is looking to next-gen network build-outs as a means of improving its financial situation. As part of the process of streamlining its focus onto mobile broadband, the firm recently cut 17,000 jobs and eliminated a number of branches of its business.
