América Móvil Plans Desktop Fiber Shift

América Móvil subsidiary Claro submitted a 24-month integration plan to Brazil's antitrust authority Cade for its acquisition of Desktop. The proposal outlines migrating customers from hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networks to Desktop's fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure. The plan also details the eventual shutdown of legacy coaxial networks in areas where customer transfers are completed.

The transaction, announced in March, involves purchasing 73.01% of Desktop's capital, valuing the company at 4 billion Brazilian reais. Anatel data from July showed Desktop had 1.19 million fixed broadband subscribers, while Claro held 10.8 million nationwide, including 4.6 million in São Paulo state. Combining both operations will create a regional base that surpasses market leader Vivo, which holds 5.2 million accesses in São Paulo.

Under the schedule, voluntary customer migrations will take place between months six and 18, with involuntary transfers planned as a backup between months 18 and 22. Regional HFC network shutdowns are slated between months 21 and 24. To comply with Anatel rules, Claro must also consolidate duplicate pole attachments into a single fixation point per utility pole within two years after closing.