ANATEL and Multimedia Licenses
This article will give you an overview of what is ANATEL, how it operates and why the Brazilian communication sector depends on it.
What is ANATEL ?
ANATEL is a special autarchy bonded to the federal government, but the administrative part of the company is totally independent from the State. Created in 1997, ANATEL is responsible for regulating, granting, and supervising the communications sector in Brazil.
The agency has got many important functions for the Brazilian communication sector, such as implementing the telecommunication policy, providing certifications to companies operating in the sector, representing Brazil on international communication meetings, and stipulating rules for the related services offered throughout the country.
Any company providing services as a telecommunication operator or any other service related to media and communication sectors, must have an authorization from ANATEL in order to legally provide their services. This control ANATEL has on the operations of these companies is very important to maintain the quality of the services and stimulate the market competition.
What are ANATEL multimedia licenses ?
ANATEL is present in every Brazilian state, providing its services to companies and to the population. The company is responsible for receiving consumers complaints about communication services, punishing and verifying their services.
Over the last years, for example, the agency determined that it is completely forbidden to make advertisements or any kind of offer via telephones for those who decided they do not want to receive this kind of service. If the company insists on calling a customer who has already stated no interest on these calls, ANATEL can impose a fine.
It is important to reinforce that anyone can make a complaint to ANATEL, and commonly these complaints are showing results, improving the communication market, making companies more respectful with their consumers and more competitive between themselves.
The licenses provided by the agency are many, and it is not possible to explain all of them in only one article . We have selected the ones that can be useful for foreign companies.
License for multimedia communication services
This license enables communication and multimedia companies to transmit, emit and receive through any media vehicle for subscribers of specific services area. It is mainly required for companies working with internet and telecommunication, such as VoIP, for example.
License for fixed telephony service
This license is more embracing than the first one, once it is destined to companies working with fixed communication points, for local or distant calls. It is mainly required for companies working with any fixed telecommunication service.
ANATEL licenses are provided through the proof of many prerequisites and procedures that are necessary to prove that the company is able to compete in the market and offer services to the population.
One license for multimedia communication services ranges around BRL 9000, value paid after all the others procedures. There were plans to reduce this fee, but as it is not official yet, we have decided to follow the value presented on ANATEL's website.
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