Phoenix Tower do Brasil expect 10-20% more BTS and lease-up in 2017-18

TowerXchange: Would you say that Brazil is moving towards a general recovery? And how is its telecom sector doing?

There are a number of factors that show that Brazil is going through a recovery process.

First of all, the GDP and the unemployment rate in the last three months are indicating that Brazil touched the ground and it will start an economic recovery. On the other hand, inflation is under control and the Central Bank is promoting continuous interest rates cuts. The recovery process will not be as fast as in other past crisis, but there is confidence that it will be solid and sustainable.

The telecom sector should follow this recovery and more growth is expected, especially in terms of broadband products.

TowerXchange: I know it’s been a tough couple of years but PTB has managed to do well for its customers across the country. What makes PTB different than its competitors?

During Q4 2015 and Q1 2016, the company went through a huge reengineering of both its processes and organisational structure in order to become more responsive and client focused.

On top of becoming one of the leading BTS players in the market, the company started two new promising business streams and got involved in both the DAS and small cells operations.

TowerXchange: How do you foresee the next 12-18 months in Brazil? How is the volume of build-to-suit (BTS) and lease-ups compared to last year?

We are optimistic about 2017 and 2018, we believe that there will be an increase of 10-20% in BTS and lease-up activities compared to 2016.

TowerXchange: Are there any initiatives at a government/ministerial/regulatory level that are helping the industry recover?

Some cities - like São Paulo - are making considerable efforts to improve and update the current licensing regulatory framework in order to offer a smoother and faster process. This kind of initiatives prompt investments and promote the overall industry growth.

TowerXchange: What is the current tower count of PTB in Brazil?

We are getting close to 1000 sites.