Connection and communication services may be seen as essential in today’s world, being crucial for everyday activities, and their importance has become even more obvious in the pandemic scenario. In addition, digital inclusion poses new opportunities for work and professional growth, thus helping develop business and local economies.
In this context, demand for access to connections has climbed so we (Algar Telecom) are strengthening measures taken to ensure high quality services for current customers and to connect new customers from locations where our operations have reached more recently, thus expanding our offer of services for more users.
In the landline business, we evolved technology and grew optical fiber networks to provide high-speed broadband services for our residential customers. For our business customers, we continue to expand operations and serve customers with more fiber broadband in an increasing number of cities. By the end of 2021, 94.1% of all our connections were optical fiber (20.0 pp up against 2020). This technology provides better customer connection experiences.
Also in 2021, we started to offer broadband services to over 1,000 public system schools for an initiative conducted jointly with Federal Government for the School Broadband Program. In addition, we introduced a 5Gb Data Control Plan intended exclusively for public system schoolteachers and our 3Gb Control Plan for their students.
Mobile telephone for connectivity combined with mobility can connect to the Internet wherever users are located, thus generating major impact on digital accessibility for people and companies. With this in mind, we continued to expand coverage in our mobile operating area; by the end of 2021, 90% of this region’s population was covered by 4G and 4.5G frequencies, in addition to enabling cellular network coverage for small communities.
Another initiative highlighted in this context was our “Alô Minas” [Hello Minas] Personal Mobile Service with 4G technology or higher installed in districts and cities with tax incentives from ICMS tax credits. On this basis, we served eight districts and cities in the state of Minas Gerais in 2021 and people small towns there were able to get connections. To ensure that all access to the various types of connection and communication offered by Algar Telecom has the necessary quality, we maintain a specific network core area and voice and data traffic management platforms to ensure usability for contractual products and services with guaranteed supply of the attributes offered. We also conduct qualitative and quantitative monitoring of users on our networks in order to mitigate negative impacts on service provision and offer the best customer experience.
New municipalities served in 2021
