Brazil Wireless Co Vivo Sees Small Market Slippage In March

SAO PAULO -(Dow Jones)- Brazil's leading cellphone operator Vivo Participacoes saw its share of the Brazilian mobile phone market continue to erode in March.

The operator, which is jointly owned by Spain's Telefonica Moviles and Portugal Telecom, had 28.42% of the local market by the end of March, down from 28.56% at the end of February, according to figures released Monday by telecommunications regulator Anatel.

Closest rival TIM Participacoes, the local unit of Telecom Italia, saw its share of the market rise marginally to 25.77% in March from 25.61% the month before.

Claro, the local unit of Mexico's America Movil, saw its share of the market rise to 24.09% from 24.06% the month before.

The number of cellphones in circulation in Brazil rose to 102.1 million in March from 101.2 million in February, Anatel said.

-By Alastair Stewart, Dow Jones Newswires; 5511 3145-1479; alastair.stewart@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 23rd April 2007