Brazil telecom Oi adds mobile customers as it expands 4.5G coverage

SAO PAULO: Brazilian telecom Oi SA added more post-paid mobile clients in May than in April, commercial director Bernardo Winik said on Tuesday, as the company expanded its 4.5G coverage in Latin America’s largest economy.

“April was better than the first quarter and May was better than April,” he said at a press conference in Sao Paulo, adding that investments in 4.5G coverage prepare the network for the future generation 5G.

Oi’s preferred shares were up 0.6% in afternoon trading in Sao Paulo.

Oi’s 4.5G coverage is expected to double to 35 million customers by the end of 2019 from 17.7 million on March 31. The carrier mainly uses equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Finland’s Nokia Oyj.