Brazil Ministry Earmarks US$44mn of Funttel for Research Projects

Brazil's communications ministry expects to allocate 80mn reais (US$44mn) of its telecoms investment fund Funttel to the financing of research in digital content production, wireless communications and software development, local IT news service TI Inside reported.

To select suitable beneficiaries, the ministry published two tenders in the country's official gazette on October 8.

"These tenders mark the beginning of a new phase in the management of Funttel. Our objective is to develop research and [promote] competitiveness in the local telecommunications industry," communications minister Hélio Costa said.

The deadline to present projects is October 25 while the winners will be announced on November 29.

In related news, Costa said that a project to provide broadband services in schools, currently being studied by the government, could be expanded to create a national network that would provide services to other sectors, local news service Agência Estado reported.

According to the minister, existing infrastructure should be used to create such a network. The ministry scheduled a meeting to discuss the project for October 10, he added.

Costa also promised recently that the ministry would finally start disbursing significant amounts of the 6bn-real universal access fund Fust. The government expects to spend 1bn reais of the fund in 2008 compared to some 10mn reais disbursed so far this year.

Posted to the site on 11th October 2007