Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

A Band

Frequency ranges allotted to cellular telephony that will be utilized by public enterprises, such as the 27 companies within the Telebrás System. For cellular RBS, A band comprehends: 869 MHz to 870 MHz (A"); 870 MHz to 880 MHz (A"); and 890 MHz to 891.5 MHz (A"). For cellular RBS, A band is thus: 824 MHz to 825 MHz (A"); 825 MHz to 835 MHz (A"); and 845 MHz to 846.5 MHz (A").

ACB

Answered call billing.

Access

Set of physical or logical means whereby a user is connected to a telecommunications network

Accounting Policies Adopted in Brazil

Accounting policies established by Corporate Law, by the regulations issued by CVM and by the rules and pronouncements of IBRACON. With the enactment of Law No. 11,638/2007, new regulations and accounting technical pronouncements have been issued in line with international accounting standards by the Accounting Pronouncements Committee (CPC).

ACD

Automated Call Distribution - a means of assigning telephone calls to an answering position, used frequently in call centers.

ACR

Answered call rate.

Activation

Procedure followed by the telephone company that liberates operation of the mobile station.

Added Value

This is the difference in value that is added to a product by means of a new stage of production.

Adjuested Ebitda

The Company calculates the Adjusted EBITDA as the net income or loss before the net financial result, income tax and social contribution, depreciation and amortization, minority interest, and equity pick-up. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure recognized neither the accounting practices adopted in Brazil, by IFRS, nor by USGAAP, and it does not represent cash flow for the periods indicated and should not be considered as an operating performance indicator nor as a substitute for cash flow as a way to measure liquidity. Adjusted EBITDA does not have a standard meaning and the Company‘s calculation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to the EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA of other companies. The Company‘s management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is an important indicator to analyze a Company‘s operational economic performance since it is not affected (i) by fluctuations in interest rates, (ii) by changes in the tax burden from income tax and social contribution, and (iii) by the levels of depreciation and amortization, and is commonly used by investors and market analysts.

ADR

Acronym for American Depositary Receipts, a negotiable certificate traded on the New York stock exchange.

ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - digital technology developed to allow for data to be relayed over broadband at higher speeds than those permitted by conventional dial-up access, with the primary feature being the significantly higher speed at which data is sent and received when compared to the speed at which the same data is sent and received over the user‘s regular telephone line.

ADSL2

Data-transmission technology that allows connections via telephone lines at speeds greater than ADSL speeds, with a maximum theoretical download speed of 24 Mbps and upload speed of 1 Mbps, making it superior to its predecessor ADSL technology.

After Market

Name given to electronic trading that occurs at night, after the close of regular stock market trading. Only spot transactions can take place in this market.

AGM

Acronym for Annual General Meeting. This is the stockholders meeting where the corporation‘s board is obliged to convene periodically. At this meeting the company‘s results for the year are presented, the reports from the directors are voted on, and the board of directors is elected. It is mandatory that a general meeting be held up to four months after the closing of the fiscal year.

AICE

Special Class Individual Access [Acesso Individual de Classe Especial].

Amortization

Gradual reduction of a liability through regular payments, agreed previously between the creditor and debtor.

Analog

A means of data transmission whereby data is represented through a continuous, time-varying electric signal transferred over standard telephone lines. Word usually used to describe electronic devices that work with continuous variables of electronic signals. These variables are generally proportional (analogous) to other phenomena, for example, air-pressure variables caused by sound, as is the case with musical instruments.

Anatel

The Brazilian Telecommunications Agency [Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações] - agency under the auspices of the Brazilian Telecommunications Department that is authorized to regulate the telecommunications market and services in Brazil.

Antenna

The element used to broadcast cellular-telephone radio waves. This device is included in all portable and transportable telephones as well as automobiles.

ARPU

Average revenue per user.

Arrears

Delay in fulfillment of an obligation.

ATM

Asynchronous Transfer Mode - a set of broadband data-transmission protocols that permit various types of information to be transmitted over a network (for example, voice, data and video).

Auction of Shares

When a stock has a volume or value above normal, the stock exchange puts the shares up for auction, seeking to adjust its price.

Audit

Analytical review of the accounting records of a company or fund carried out independently by an auditor with no permanent link with the company. The more independent the study, the more credibility it will have in the market.

Average Call Duraction

Average time a call lasts. A call‘s average durations is calculated by dividing the total number of minutes on the line by the number of calls held.

Average Price

Medium price of a security calculated for a trading session.

Average Response Time

Statistic of ACD systems that gauges how much time, on average, a caller remains on hold until his/her call is answered by a live operator. This is an important reference statistic that is used in many call centers to measure the quality of the service provided at a given moment.