Brazilian Telecommunications Corp. and the country's science, technology and innovation ministry (MCTI) have signed a technical cooperation agreement for implementing a digital cities project. The project, which is being jointly coordinated by MCTI and the communications ministry, intends to take high-end ICT solutions to integrate public services across more than 100 Brazilian municipalities. The goal is to develop a digital infrastructure that will serve key public administration departments, namely health, transport, emergency and security. The "Cidades Digitais" project is also expected to boost government-run digital and social inclusion programs, including national broadband plan PNBL.

Brazilian Telecommunications Corp. has partnered with Angola Cable to deploy a submarine fiber optic cable connecting Brazil and the African country. The fiber optic cable, measuring an estimated 6,000km, will link Brazil's Cear state capital Fortaleza and Angola's capital, Luanda. The infrastructure is due to be completed by the first half of 2014 - in time for the World Cup, which is being hosted by Brazil - and is designed to offer a cheaper alternative to private cable networks. The partnership is also part of the Brazilian government's broader strategy to have a network of undersea fiber optic cables connecting Brazil to Africa, Europe and the US. Telebras has also reportedly confirmed the beginning of initial talks with Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht to build the US and European stretches of the cable.

Brazilian Telecommunications Corp. will build a test center for developing the program PNBL. The BRL 3.2 million ($1.85 million) facility will focus on testing equipment for PNBL's network, with the goal of increasing efficiency and reducing costs. The ministry will contribute some BRL 1.0 million to the project, while company will provide the remaining BRL 2.2 million. Developed in partnership with the Pontif cia Universidade Cat lica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), the testing center will be located at the institution's industrial hub in the city of Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul state. PUC-RS will provide the space and the researchers. In addition, the government foresees national equipment suppliers testing their devices in the lab, under the policy of privileging local manufacturers on PNBL's network. The center is slated to become operational in 2012.