Shares in Portugal’s international telecommunications company Marconi Comunicacoes Globais SA have been soaring in Lisbon on the news that it is forming an international consortium with Embratel Ltda of Brazil: Marconi claims that the Alianca Atlantica consortium will be ranked within the top 10 telecommunications consortia in the world, generating $11,000m in annual receipts and $1,000m in international services; the Embratel long-distance phone company is part of Brazil’s state communications holding company Telebras; the new consortium plans to invest around $200m in joint projects over the next five years outside the territories of the two countries; Embratel and Marconi will have equal stakes in Alianca Atlantica, which will be based in Portugal and offer private services, mobile satellite systems, facsimile store and foward and corporate marketing; it will seek alliances with other international telecommunications firms.
