The choice of Brazil as the spearhead for Terra Mobile’s strategy in Latin America is due to the enormous growth potential of the market, which will have an estimated 55.7 million mobile telephone users by the year 2004. Likewise, the strong presence of the Telefonica Group in Brazil through its different business units, will allow Terra Mobile to achieve a wider projection and benefit from the Group’s accumulated experience.
The WAP portal of Terra Mobile in Brazil can be accessed directly through e-moci’n, the ISP of Telefonica Moviles. In Brazil, this access service is available through the three cellular operators of the Telefonica Moviles Group: Tele Sudeste Celular, Celular CRT and Tele Leste Celular; there is also an accord between Terra Mobile and Telesp Celular. In the case mobile phones of other operators, the portal can be accessed by introducing the address wap.terra-mobile.com.br in the free navigation section of the mobile phone’s Internet access services.
Terra Mobile offers mobile phone users a wide range of content and services for mobile Internet in Brazil, principally news, messaging, personal communication and entertainment.
Terra Mobile is currently the leading mobile Internet portal in Europe, with 4 million registered users. Its objective is to become the portal of reference in the Brazilian market, offering services of high interest and simple usage, adaptive to the characteristics of the mobile handset
Terra Mobile is held 51% by Telefonica Moviles (TEM) and 49% by Terra Lycos (TRR, TRLY). Its goal is to become the mobile Internet portal of reference in the markets in which it is present. In July 2000, Terra Mobile acquired Iobox, the first independent mobile Internet Portal in Europe. At present, Terra Mobile provides services in Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden.
Telefonica Moviles, the majority shareholder in Terra Mobile, at 31 December 2000 had 4.6 million clients in Brazil, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, Bahia and Sergipe.
Recently, Telefonica Moviles reached an agreement with Portugal Telecom to combine all the cellular assets of both companies in Brazil. This accord, which is pending the necessary approvals of the Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel, would create the largest mobile phone operator in South America, with 9.3 million clients and a leading market share in the states which together provide 70% of Brazil’s GDP.
