By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil’s telecom regulator Anatel has ordered Vivo (Telefônica Brasil S.A., VIVT3) to overhaul all of its fixed-broadband offers within 30 days after identifying practices it deemed misleading under the country’s new Consumer Rights Regulation (RGC), in force since September. The agency said the company inflated advertised speeds using conditional bonuses, enabled premature service restrictions for late payments, and embedded loyalty mechanisms into activation fees without clearly identifying them.
The review found that offers such as “Vivo Fibra 600 Mega” provided customers with only 0.172 Mbps of contracted speed — less than 1% of the headline figure — with the remaining 599.828 Mbps delivered as bonus capacity subject to conditions. Regulators say the structure violates transparency rules by blending temporary incentives into the core service.
Anatel also said Vivo allowed immediate removal of these bonuses in cases of late payment, making the service nearly unusable while charges remained intact, a practice that conflicts with Brazil’s mandatory 15-day notification window before suspension. A third practice flagged by the agency involves the so-called “bonified activation,” a 12-month fee waived only if the customer remains on the plan — a mechanism the regulator says effectively creates an undeclared loyalty period.
Vivo’s Response
Vivo told Brazil Stock Guide it is evaluating Anatel’s notification and reaffirmed its “commitment to regulatory compliance and transparency in all commercial practices.” The company said all offers “are structured in strict observance of current legislation, including the Consumer Defense Code and Anatel regulations,” adding that customers receive clear information in both advertising materials and contractual documents. The statement did not address specific points raised by the regulator regarding speed bonuses, suspension conditions or activation-fee structures.
Vivo is Brazil’s largest fixed-broadband provider and the anchor of the country’s fiber rollout. In its 3Q25 earnings call, Vivo reported strong momentum in fiber, with 7.6 million connected homes and double-digit FTTH growth. Executives highlighted record net additions, expanding coverage to 30.5 million homes, and rapid adoption of convergent packages such as Vivo Total, which now represent nearly 62% of fiber accesses. The company emphasized higher retention, low churn and the strategic importance of convergence as a driver of long-term monetization — without commenting on promotional structures or contract transparency.
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