Oi SA says PNBL offering available in 2,000 cities, targets 4,800 by 2014

Brazilian telco Oi SA, the entity formed through the restructuring of Telemar Participacoes’ former operating divisions Brasil Telecom, Tele Norte Leste Participacoes, Coari Participacoes and Telemar Norte Leste, has extended the operational footprint of its national broadband plan – Plano Nacional de Banda Larga (PNBL) – to 2,005 municipalities. Oi SA, which markets its internet offering under the Oi Velox banner, reached its latest milestone through the deployment of services to an additional 113 cities, and now targets coverage of 4,800 municipalities by the end of 2014. The carrier added that around 40% of cities covered are located in the north and northwest of Brazil. In total, Oi Velox is now available in 24 states across the country, excluding the Federal District, and offers users a low-cost 1Mbps internet service for BRL35 (USD17.2) per month.