SÃO PAULO (WiMAX Day). Last week the Brazilian long distance carrier Embratel Participações SA announced plans to invest $600 million into the deployment of its WiMAX network in 11 Brazilian cities by March of 2008. Embratel, which is part of the Mexican telecoms group Telmex, obtained Brazil’s only national license for WiMAX five years ago.

The cities for the March rollout are Sao Paulo, Rio de  Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Campinas, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Florianopolis, Campo Grande, Brazil, Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza. Embratel’s Director of Sales Flávio Augusto Gomes told members of the Brazilian press last week that the company plans to provide WiMAX coverage in other cities across the country in subsequent stages during 2008, and is targeting both residential and corporate segments of the population for membership.

In the past year, Brazil has become a fast competitive market for WiMAX. Brazil Telecom is the third largest GSM and fixed-line telecommunications operator competing with Embratel, and other leading communication companies, TVA and Neovia.