As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 11, 2021

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

¨ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR

12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

x       ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended december 31, 2020

OR

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

¨ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number: 001-15256

Oi S.A. – In Judicial Reorganization

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Rua Humberto de Campos, 425

Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 22430-190

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Camille Loyo Faria

Investor Relations Officer
Rua Humberto de Campos, 425
8º andar
Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 22430-190
Tel: +55 21 3131-2918

invest@oi.net.br
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Preferred Shares, without par value, each represented by American Depositary Shares

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

The total number of issued and outstanding shares of each class of stock of Oi S.A. – In Judicial Reorganization as of December 31, 2020 was:

5,796,447,165 common shares, without par value

155,915,486 preferred shares, without par value

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities

Act.    Yes  x    No  ¨

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. x 

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.    ¨  Item 17    ¨  Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

Yes  x    No  ¨

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INFORMATION

All references herein to “real,” “reais” or “R$” are to the Brazilian real, the official currency of Brazil. All references to “U.S. dollars,” “dollars” or “US$” are to U.S. dollars.

Financial Statements

We maintain our books and records in reais. Our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, and the related notes thereto, which we refer to as our audited consolidated financial statements, are included in this annual report.

We have prepared our audited consolidated financial statements in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or the IASB, under the assumption that we will continue as a going concern and in compliance with the legal requirements applicable to a judicial reorganization. Our audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 have been audited in accordance with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, standards.

The RJ Proceedings are aimed at ensuring the continuation of our company as a going concern. This continuity was strengthened with: (1) the approval of the RJ Plan, as a result of which our borrowings and financing were novated and the related balances were recalculated under the terms and conditions of the RJ Plan; and (2) the approval of the RJ Plan Amendment. The continuity of our company as a going concern ultimately depends on the successful outcome of the RJ Proceedings and the realization of other forecasts of our company.

Our company has been successfully discharging the obligations set forth in the RJ Proceedings and even though there are no indications in this regard, we emphasize that these conditions and circumstances indicate, by their own nature, uncertainties that may affect the success of the RJ Proceedings and raised substantial doubts as to our ability to continue as a going concern. As at December 31, 2020 and after the implementation of the RJ Plan, total shareholders’ equity was R$7,769 million, loss for the year then ended was R$10,528 million, and working capital (consisting of current assets less current liabilities) totaled R$15,782 million. As at December 31, 2019 and after the implementation of the RJ Plan, total shareholders’ equity was R$17,797 million, loss for the year then ended was R$9,095 million, and working capital (consisting of current assets less current liabilities) totaled R$6,157 million.

As a result of our decision to dispose of certain businesses and/or isolated assets in connection with the RJ Plan Amendment, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. For additional information regarding our discontinued operations, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—V. Assets Held-For-Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

We are also required to prepare consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting practices adopted in Brazil, or Brazilian GAAP, which are based on:

Certain Defined Terms

General

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references to:

Judicial Reorganization

The following defined terms relate to our global judicial reorganization. For more information, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings.” Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references to:

Financial Restructuring

In June 2016, after considering the challenges arising from our economic and financial situation in connection with the maturity schedule of our financial debts, the threats to our cash flows represented by imminent attachments or freezing of assets in judicial lawsuits, and the urgent need to adopt measures that protect our company, we concluded that filing of a request for judicial reorganization (recuperação judicial) in Brazil would be the most appropriate course of action to: (1) preserve the continuity of our offering of quality services to our customers, within the rules and commitments undertaken with ANATEL; (2) preserve the value of our company; (3) maintain the continuity of our operations and corporate activities in an organized manner that protects the interests of our company, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders; and (4) protect our cash and cash equivalents.

On June 20, 2016, Oi, together with the other RJ Debtors, filed a joint voluntary petition for judicial reorganization pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law with the RJ Court, pursuant to an urgent measure approved by our board of directors.

On December 19 and 20, 2017, a GCM was held to consider approval of the RJ Plan. This GCM concluded on December 20, 2017 following the approval of the RJ Plan reflecting amendments to the RJ Plan presented at this GCM as negotiated during the course of this GCM.

On January 8, 2018, the RJ Court entered the Brazilian Confirmation Order, ratifying and confirming the RJ Plan, according to its terms, but modifying certain provisions of the RJ Plan. The Brazilian Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on February 5, 2018, the Brazilian Confirmation Date. Since then, the Brazilian Confirmation Order has been binding on all parties.

By operation of the RJ Plan and the Brazilian Confirmation Order, the unsecured claims against the RJ Debtors have been novated and discharged under Brazilian law and holders of such claims are entitled only to receive the recoveries set forth in the RJ Plan in exchange for their claims in accordance with the terms and conditions of the RJ Plan.

In January 2019, we completed a preemptive offering of Common Shares as contemplated by Section 6 of the RJ Plan under which we issued and sold 3,225,806,451 Common Shares for an aggregate purchase price of R$4,000 million.

The Brazilian Bankruptcy Law provides that the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors could be terminated on the second anniversary of the Brazilian Confirmation Date if the RJ Court determines that all obligations provided for in the RJ Plan have been satisfied based on the analysis of compliance with the RJ Plan.

On December 6, 2019, we filed a petition with the RJ Court requesting that the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors not be terminated on February 5, 2020, the second anniversary of the Brazilian Confirmation Date, in order to allow us to continue to execute the RJ Plan and remain focused on our strategic transformation. Notwithstanding the conclusion of the restructuring of the RJ Debtor’s financial debt in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions set forth in the RJ Plan, we presented to the RJ Court circumstances related to the complexity inherent to the magnitude of the RJ Proceedings and the ongoing reforms in the legal-regulatory environment, which we believe require additional measures yet to be implemented under the RJ Proceedings.

On February 27, 2020, the RJ Debtors filed a petition with the RJ Court requesting that we be permitted to submit to our creditors for their consideration and deliberation at a new general creditors’ meeting a proposed amendment to the RJ Plan designed to achieve greater operational and financial flexibility for our company to continue with investments and the fulfillment of our Strategic Plan.

On March 6, 2020, the RJ Court issued a decision granting our request to hold a new general creditors’ meeting to deliberate on a proposed amendment to the RJ Plan. At the new general creditors’ meeting, held on September 8, 2020, only creditors that held credits and had voting rights at the time of the original general creditors meeting and who continued to hold an interest in the debt obligations or equity securities of the Company on February 27, 2020 were entitled to vote.

On September 8, 2020, a GCM was held to consider approval of the RJ Plan Amendment. The creditors present at the GCM approved the RJ Plan Amendment pursuant to the requirements under the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law. On October 5, 2020, the RJ Court entered the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, which ratified and confirmed the RJ Plan Amendment. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on October 8, 2020, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date. The RJ Plan Amendment authorized us to carry out certain transactions, including, among other things, the following: (1) forming five UPIs for the disposal of certain businesses and/or isolated assets pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law; (2) improving the payment terms and conditions for a significant portion of small creditors as a way of reducing litigation and speeding up the settlement of these claims, as required by the RJ Court; (3) allowing the RJ Debtors to raise additional financing and other funding to allow them to maintain the necessary investments and pay their creditors; and (4) segregating some fiber optics assets and infrastructure through SPE InfraCo to create a more flexible and efficient corporate structure to accelerate investments in the expansion of our fiber optics network and allowing SPE InfraCo to have access to financial and capital markets and raise additional funds at lower costs.

The RJ Plan Amendment provides that the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors will terminate on May 30, 2022. Notwithstanding the terms of the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order stipulates that the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors will terminate 12 months from the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date, which term may be extended if additional time is required to implement the asset dispositions provided under the RJ Plan Amendment. Accordingly, as of the date of this annual report, the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors are scheduled to terminate on October 8, 2021. However, the RJ Debtors have filed an interlocutory appeal to overturn the provisions of the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order related to the termination of the RJ Proceedings. This appeal is pending judgment.

For more information regarding the RJ Proceedings, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings.”

Market Share and Other Information

We make statements in this annual report about our market share and other information relating to the telecommunications industry in Brazil. We have made these statements on the basis of information obtained from third-party sources and publicly available information that we believe are reliable, such as information and reports from ANATEL, among others. Notwithstanding any investigation that we may have conducted with respect to the market share, market size or similar data provided by third parties or derived from industry or general publications, we assume no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any such information.

Rounding

We have made rounding adjustments to reach some of the figures included in this annual report. As a result, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT WITH RESPECT TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report contains forward-looking statements. Some of the matters discussed concerning our business operations and financial performance include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, these statements are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made in light of information currently available to us.

Many important factors could cause our actual results to differ substantially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements, including, among other things:

Our forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results or other developments may differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements. As for forward-looking statements that relate to future financial results and other projections, actual results will be different due to the inherent uncertainty of estimates, forecasts and projections. Because of these uncertainties, potential investors should not rely on these forward-looking statements.

We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

PART I

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Selected Financial Information

The following selected financial data have been derived from our consolidated financial statements. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2018 have been derived from our consolidated financial statements that are not included in this annual report. We have not included selected financial data as of or for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 as such information cannot be provided on a reclassified basis without unreasonable effort or expense.

As a result of our decision to dispose of certain businesses and/or isolated assets in connection with the RJ Plan Amendment, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. For additional information regarding our discontinued operations, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—V. Assets Held-For-Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and “Presentation of Financial and Other Information.”

Oi has not paid any dividends and/or interest attributable to shareholders’ equity since January 1, 2015.

Risk Factors

You should consider the following risks as well as the other information set forth in this annual report when evaluating an investment in our company. In general, investing in the securities of issuers in emerging market countries, such as Brazil, involves a higher degree of risk than investing in the securities of issuers in the United States. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or those that we currently deem to be immaterial, may also materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. Any of the following risks could materially affect us. In such case, the market price of the Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs could be adversely affected.

For purposes of this “Risk Factors” section, we consider the risks relating to our discontinued operations and assets-held-for sale whose sale has not yet been completed, including UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo and UPI TVCo. For additional information regarding our discontinued operations and assets-held-for-sale, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—V. Assets Held-For-Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

Risks Relating to the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry and Regulatory Environment

The Brazilian telecommunications industry is highly regulated. Changes to these regulations have and may continue to adversely impact our business.

The Brazilian telecommunications industry is highly regulated by ANATEL. ANATEL regulates, among other things, rates, quality of service and universal service goals, as well as competition among telecommunications service providers. Changes in laws and regulations, grants of new concessions, authorizations or licenses or the imposition of additional universal service obligations, among other factors, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For more information, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—IX. Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry.”

We cannot predict whether ANATEL or the Brazilian government will adopt these or other telecommunications sector policies in the future, or the consequences of such policies on our business or the business of our competitors. In the event that any modification of the regulatory scheme or new regulations applicable to our company are adopted that increase the costs of compliance to our company, whether through capital expenditure requirements, increased service requirements, increased costs for renewal of our authorizations and licenses, increased exposure to regulatory penalties or otherwise, these modifications and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our concession agreements and authorizations contain certain obligations, and our failure to comply with these obligations may result in various fines and penalties being imposed on us by ANATEL.

Our local fixed-line and domestic long-distance concession agreements in Brazil contain terms reflecting the General Plan of Universal Service Goals (Plano Geral de Metas de Universalização), or the PGMU, the Quality Management Regulations (Regulamento de Gestão da Qualidade), or the RGQ, which was adopted by ANATEL in June 2013, and was partially superseded by the Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (Regulamento de Qualidade dos Serviços de Telecomunicações), or the RQUAL, in December 2019, and other regulations adopted by ANATEL, the terms of which could affect our financial condition and results of operations. Our local fixed-line concession agreements in Brazil also require us to meet certain network expansion, quality of service and modernization obligations in each of the Brazilian states in our service areas. In the event of noncompliance with ANATEL targets in any one of these states, ANATEL can establish a deadline for achieving the targeted level of such service, impose penalties and, in extreme situations, terminate the applicable concession agreement for noncompliance with our quality and universal service obligations. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—IX. Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry—Our Services—Continuing Operations—Fixed-Line Telephone Services.”

In addition, our authorizations to provide personal mobile services contain certain obligations requiring us to meet network scope and quality of service targets. If we fail to meet these obligations, we may be fined by ANATEL until we are in full compliance with our obligations and, in extreme circumstances, our authorizations could be revoked by ANATEL. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—IX. Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry—Our Services—Discontinued Operations—Mobile Telephone Services.”

On an almost weekly basis, we receive inquiries from ANATEL requiring information from us on our compliance with the various service obligations imposed on us by our concession agreements. If we are unable to respond satisfactorily to those inquiries or comply with our service obligations under our concession agreements, ANATEL may commence administrative proceedings in connection with such noncompliance. We have received numerous notices of commencement of administrative proceedings from ANATEL, mostly due to our inability to achieve certain targets established in the PGMU and the RGQ. For more information, see “Item 8. Financial Information—Legal Proceedings—Civil Claims Relating to Oi S.A. and Our Brazilian Operations—Administrative Proceedings.”

We cannot assure you that we will be able to convert our concessions into authorizations or renew our concessions in a timely or cost-effective manner.

On October 3, 2019, the President of Brazil signed Law No. 13,879, which amended the Brazilian General Telecommunications Law (Lei Geral das Telecomunicações), or the General Telecommunications Law, to allow, among other things, providers of fixed-line telecommunications services operating under a concession in the public regime to convert their concessions into authorizations to operate in the private regime and thereby eliminate a number of obligations currently imposed by the concession regime. In exchange, providers may be required to assume obligations to make additional investments in their networks, primarily related to the expansion of broadband services. The cost of the additional investments in exchange for the elimination of such obligations, would be subject to discussion between the parties, with ANATEL having the ability to make the final valuation. In addition, the new law permits providers to renew their concession for indefinite additional 20-year periods, whereas previously only one 20-year renewal period was allowed, provided that at least 30 months prior to each expiration date, the providers have complied with the obligations required of them under the applicable concession. Prior to the passage of Law No. 13,879, our concession agreements would have expired in 2025 without the possibility of renewal. In February 2020, ANATEL proposed regulations to implement Law No. 13,879, including the rules that will govern the conversion of concessions into authorizations. These proposed regulations were subject to a public consultation period that expired on April 30, 2020. On February 10, 2021, ANATEL published Resolution No. 741, which approved the Regulation for the Adaptation of Fixed Telephone Concessions to Authorizations. Despite the publication of the new regulation, ANATEL continues to analyze the method by which the conversions will take place in order to more accurately determine the cost of the conversion process. The conversion method is not expected to be approved until the second half of 2021. Once the new regulation is adopted, we expect that we will be able to convert our public regime concessions into private-regime authorizations or renew our concessions, which would otherwise expire on December 31, 2025. However, as of the date of this annual report, we have not decided which option to pursue and cannot predict the cost of pursuing any of these options. For more information about Law No. 13,879, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—IX. Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry—Public Regime—Amendments to the General Telecommunications Law” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry—Our Services—Fixed-Line Telephone Services.”

If we are not able to convert our concessions into authorizations or renew our concessions prior to the expiration of our existing concessions, we may be able to participate in competitive auctions for new concessions that the Brazilian government may choose to conduct. However, our existing fixed-line and domestic long-distance concession agreements will not entitle us to preferential treatment in these auctions, and we may not be able to secure new concessions for our existing service areas in any future auctions or such concessions may be on less favorable terms than our current concessions. In such cases, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

The mobile telecommunications industry and participants in this industry, including us, may be required to adopt an extensive program of field measurements of radio frequency emissions and be subject to further regulation and/or claims based on concerns regarding potential health problems and interfere with medical devices.

Media and other entities have suggested that the electromagnetic emissions from mobile handsets and base stations may cause health problems. If consumers harbor health-related concerns, they may be discouraged from using mobile handsets. These concerns could have an adverse effect on the mobile telecommunications industry and, possibly, expose mobile services providers to litigation. We cannot assure you that further medical research and studies will refute a link between the electromagnetic emissions of mobile handsets and base stations, including on frequency ranges we use to provide mobile services, and these health concerns. Government authorities could increase regulation on electromagnetic emissions of mobile handsets and base stations, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The expansion of our network may be affected by these perceived risks if we experience problems in finding new sites, which, in turn, may delay the expansion and may affect the quality of our services.

In July 2002, ANATEL enacted regulations that limit emission and exposure for fields with frequencies between 9 kHz and 300 GHz. In May 2009, Law No. 11,934 was enacted, which established the need for field measurements by telecommunications service providers of all radio-communication transmitting stations every five years with respect to emission and exposure to these fields. In September 2018, ANATEL published Resolution No. 700/2018, a regulation pursuant to Law No. 11,934 that makes field measurements mandatory by telecommunication service providers of all radio-communication transmission stations every five years beginning in 2019. In January 2019, ANATEL passed Act No. 458/2019 regarding the technical requirements of Resolution No. 700/2018. However, Act No. 458/2019 is not yet in full force because the measurement parameters have not yet been defined, and ANATEL has had difficulties implementing internal systems to monitor compliance. We are still evaluating the scope of the technical and financial impact of these new regulations on our company, as ANATEL has not yet defined all of the relevant technical requirements related to these regulations as of the date of this annual report.

Companies in the Brazilian telecommunication industry, including us, may be harmed by restrictions regarding the installation of new antennas for mobile services.

As of the date of this annual report, there are approximately 250 municipal laws in Brazil that limit the installation of new antennas for mobile service, which has been a barrier to the expansion of mobile networks. Those laws are meant to regulate issues related to zoning and the alleged effects of the radiation and radiofrequencies of the antennas. The federal law, that establishes new guidelines to create a consolidated plan for the installation of antennas was approved in 2015, however, it is still pending specific regulation. Despite the federal initiative, as long as the municipal laws remain unchanged, the risk of noncompliance with regulations and of having services of limited quality in certain areas continues to exist, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Additional antenna installation is also limited as a result of concerns that radio frequency emissions from base stations may cause health problems. See “—The mobile telecommunications industry and participants in this industry, including us, may be required to adopt an extensive program of field measurements of radio frequency emissions and be subject to further regulation and/or claims based on concerns regarding potential health problems and interfere with medical devices.”

The telecommunications industry is subject to frequent changes in technology. Our ability to remain competitive depends on our ability to implement new technology, and it is difficult to predict how new technology will affect our business.

Companies in the telecommunications industry must adapt to rapid and significant technological changes that are usually difficult to anticipate. The mobile telecommunications industry in particular has experienced rapid and significant technological development and frequent improvements in capacity, quality and data-transmission speed. We expect that new products and technologies will emerge and that existing products and technologies will be further developed. For example, ANATEL is expected to conduct auctions for radiofrequencies in the 5G spectrum during 2021. The advent of new products and technologies could have a variety of consequences. Our future success depends on our ability to anticipate and adapt in a timely manner to technological changes. Technological changes may render our equipment, services and technology obsolete or inefficient, which may adversely affect our competitiveness or require us to increase our capital expenditures in order to maintain our competitive position. These new products and technologies may reduce the price of our services by providing lower-cost alternatives and the creation of new digital services.

For example, personal mobility service providers in Brazil are experiencing increasing competition from over-the-top, or OTT, providers, which provide content (such as WhatsApp, Skype and YouTube) over an internet connection rather than through a service provider’s network. OTT providers are becoming increasingly competitive as customers shift from mobile voice and SMS communications to internet-based voice and data communications through computers and smartphone or tablet applications. In addition, as providers of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, we face more legal, regulatory and tax barriers than providers of OTT services, increasing our costs in relation to these provides and preventing us from being able to fully compete with them.

We may not obtain the expected benefits of our investments if more advanced technologies are adopted by the market. Even if we adopt new technologies in a timely manner as they are developed, the cost of such technology may exceed the benefit to us, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our level of competitiveness.

Our operations depend on our ability to maintain, upgrade and operate efficiently our accounting, billing, customer service, information technology and management information systems and to rely on the systems of other carriers under co-billing agreements.

Our success largely depends on the continued and uninterrupted performance of our controls, network technology systems and of certain hardware. Our technical infrastructure (including our network infrastructure for mobile telecommunications services) is vulnerable to damage or interruption from information and telecommunication technology failures, power loss, floods, windstorms, fires, terrorism, intentional wrongdoing, human error and similar events. Our controls are dependent, not exclusively, on these technological systems and are also subject to interruptions and failures. Unanticipated problems with our controls, or at our facilities, system failures, hardware or software failures, computer viruses or hacker attacks could affect the quality of our services and cause service interruptions. Any of these occurrences could result in reduced user traffic and reduced revenue and could harm our levels of customer satisfaction, our reputation and compliance with certain of our regulatory obligations.

Sophisticated information and processing systems are vital to our growth and our ability to monitor costs, render monthly invoices for services, process customer orders, provide customer service and achieve operating efficiencies. We cannot assure you that we will be able to operate successfully and upgrade our accounting, information and processing systems or that these systems will continue to perform as expected. We have entered into co-billing agreements with each long-distance telecommunications service provider that is interconnected to our networks in Brazil to include in our invoices the long-distance services rendered by these providers, and these providers have agreed to include charges owed to us in their invoices. Any failure in our accounting, information and processing systems, or any problems with the execution of invoicing and collection services by other carriers with whom we have co-billing agreements, could impair our ability to collect payments from customers and respond satisfactorily to customer needs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face various cyber-security risks that, if not adequately addressed, could have an adverse effect on our business.

We face various cyber-security risks that could result in business losses, including but not limited to contamination (whether intentional or accidental) of our networks and systems by third parties with whom we exchange data, equipment failures or unauthorized access to and loss of confidential customer, employee and/or proprietary data by persons inside or outside of our organization. We are also exposed to cyber attacks causing systems degradation or service unavailability, the penetration of our information technology systems and platforms by ill-intentioned third parties, and infiltration of malware (such as computer viruses) into our systems.

The risks of cyber attacks has been exacerbated as a result of measures that we have adopted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, principally the institution of a “work-from-home” policy for our employees. Because our managers and employees have access to our information systems from their remote locations, the demands on our security systems have increased. Although we have implemented measures to prevent unauthorized access to our systems through the compromise of these remote access points, we cannot assure you that perpetrators of cyber attacks will be prevented from accessing our information systems in all cases.

Cyber attacks against companies have increased in frequency, scope and potential harm in recent years. Further, the perpetrators of cyber attacks are not restricted to particular groups or persons. These attacks may be committed by company employees or third parties operating in any region, including jurisdictions where law enforcement measures to address such attacks are unavailable or ineffective. We may not be able to successfully protect our operational and information technology systems and platforms against such threats. Further, as cyber attacks continue to evolve, we may incur significant costs in the attempt to modify or enhance our protective measures or investigate or remediate any vulnerability.

The inability to operate our networks and systems as a result of cyber attacks, even for a limited period of time, may result in significant expenses to us and/or a loss of market share to other telecommunications providers. The costs associated with a major cyber attack could include expensive incentives offered to existing customers and business partners to retain their business, increased expenditures on cyber-security measures and the use of alternate resources, lost revenues from business interruption and litigation. If we are unable to adequately address these cyber-security risks, our operating network and information systems could be compromised, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Company

Our debt instruments contain covenants that could restrict our financing and operating flexibility and have other adverse consequences.

As of December 31, 2020, we had total outstanding borrowings and financing of R$41,519 million, excluding the fair value adjustment to our borrowings and financing and debt issuance costs, and R$26,344 million, after giving effect to the fair value adjustment and debt issuance costs. The level of our consolidated indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations. In particular, the terms of some of these debt instruments restrict or may restrict our ability, and the ability of our subsidiaries, to:

We are also subject to certain financial covenants under the instruments that govern our indebtedness, including our debt instruments with BNDES, that require Oi to maintain certain financial ratios, measured on a quarterly basis. Under these debt instruments, the creditor has the right to accelerate the debt if, at the date the financial covenants are tested, we are not in compliance with these ratios. Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, we are exempt from complying with these financial covenants until the earlier of financial settlement of the sale of UPI Mobile Assets or May 30, 2022. For more information, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Indebtedness—Long-Term Indebtedness.”

These covenants could limit our ability to plan for or react to market conditions or to meet our operational or capital needs, which could reduce future net operating revenue and adversely affect our cash flows and profitability. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, and we may have to curtail some operations to maintain compliance.

In addition, the failure of Oi and our restricted subsidiaries to comply with these covenants could result in a default under our debt agreements, which could permit the holders to accelerate our obligation to repay the debt and may be cross-defaulted to other debt. Our assets or cash flow may not be sufficient to fully repay borrowings under our outstanding debt agreements if accelerated upon an event of default, and there is no guarantee that we would be able to repay, refinance or restructure the payments on those debt agreements.

Under the RJ Plan (as amended by the RJ Plan Amendment), until February 5, 2023, we are required to allocate: (1) 100% of our net revenue from our sale of assets (except for the net revenue from our sale of UPI Mobile Assets and the sale of UPI InfraCo) in excess of US$200 million to investments in our activities; and (2) 100% of our net revenue from our sale of UPI Mobile Assets and the sale of UPI InfraCo in excess of R$6.5 billion to accelerate the payment of the total balance of unsecured credits held by certain unsecured creditors under the RJ Plan.

Beginning on February 6, 2023, we are required on an annual basis to allocate to the repayment of outstanding credits held by certain unsecured creditors under the RJ Plan and our debt with BNDES an amount equivalent to 70% of the amount by which (1) our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments at the end of each fiscal year exceeds (2) the greater of (a) 25% of our operating expenses and capital expenses for that fiscal year, and (b) R$5,000 million, subject to adjustment in the event that we conclude any capital increases. The cash required to make these repayments will reduce the amount available to us to make capital expenditures.

The RJ Plan permits us to borrow up to R$2 billion under new lines of credit, as described under “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” This debt may be denominated in reais or in foreign currencies. Accordingly, we may incur interest expenses and foreign exchange gains and losses in connection with this new debt. A significant increase in any of these interest rates could adversely affect our financial expenses and negatively affect our overall financial performance.

If the Brazilian Confirmation Order is overturned or modified, the RJ Debtors may be declared bankrupt under Brazilian law and liquidated.

On June 20, 2016, Oi, together with the other RJ Debtors, filed a joint voluntary petition for judicial reorganization pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law with the RJ Court, pursuant to an urgent measure approved by our board of directors. On December 19 and 20, 2017, a GCM was held to consider approval of the most recently filed judicial reorganization plan. This GCM concluded on December 20, 2017 following the approval of the RJ Plan reflecting amendments to the judicial reorganization plan presented at this GCM as negotiated during the course of this GCM. On January 8, 2018, the RJ Court entered the Brazilian Confirmation Order, ratifying and confirming the RJ Plan. The Brazilian Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on February 5, 2018, the Brazilian Confirmation Date. For more information with respect to the RJ Proceedings, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings.”

On September 8, 2020, a GCM was held to consider approval of the RJ Plan Amendment. The creditors present at the GCM approved the RJ Plan Amendment pursuant to the requirements under the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law. On October 5, 2020, the RJ Court entered the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, which ratified and confirmed the RJ Plan Amendment. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on October 8, 2020, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date.

The Brazilian Confirmation Order and the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, according to their terms, are currently binding on all parties, although they are subject to 16 pending appeals (five against the Brazilian Confirmation Order and 11 against the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order) with no suspensive effect attributed to those appeals. By operation of the RJ Plan, the Brazilian Confirmation Order and the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, provided that the Brazilian Confirmation Order and the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order are not overturned or altered as a result of the pending appeals filed against it by certain creditors, the unsecured claims against the RJ Debtors have been novated and discharged under Brazilian law and holders of such claims are entitled only to receive the recoveries set forth in the RJ Plan and the RJ Plan Amendment in exchange for their claims in accordance with the terms and conditions of the RJ Plan and the RJ Plan Amendment.

If the Brazilian Confirmation Order and the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order are overturned or modified and, as a result, the RJ Debtors are declared bankrupt, which under Brazilian law is generally followed by a liquidation of the debtors’ assets, the rights and guarantees of the creditors recognized by the RJ Court will be restored under the original terms as if the RJ Plan had never been approved, net of amounts validly received pursuant to the RJ Plan and the RJ Plan Amendment, in accordance with Brazilian Bankruptcy Law.

If we fail to meet the goals of our Strategic Plan, we may be required to further amend the RJ Plan to preserve our business.

Notwithstanding the good progress of the implementation of the measures set forth in the RJ Plan, which was ratified and confirmed by the RJ Court in January 2018, a series of unpredictable economic and financial factors adversely affected us and contributed to the worsening of our financial situation. These factors included the economic crisis that continues to affect the Brazilian economy, the slow pace at which certain regulatory changes to the Brazilian telecommunications industry have taken place and challenges by certain prepetition creditors. Accordingly, in 2020 we were required to amend the RJ Plan to achieve greater operational and financial flexibility for our company to continue with investments and the fulfillment of our Strategic Plan, which involves the transformation of our business model into two separate companies: (1) a consumer-focused company that will provide fixed-line telecommunications services to customers and businesses; and (2) an infrastructure company that will focus on a neutral network. This will allow us to focus on the use and rapid expansion of our extensive fiber-optic infrastructure, including our transportation networks (backbone, backhaul and data network) and primary and secondary access networks (dedicated links, metropolitan rings and FTTH access networks).

The RJ Plan Amendment authorizes us to carry out certain transactions, including, among other things, the following: (1) forming five UPIs for the disposal of certain businesses and/or isolated assets pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law; (2) improving the payment terms and conditions for a significant portion of small creditors as a way of reducing litigation and speeding up the settlement of these claims, as required by the RJ Court; (3) allowing the RJ Debtors to raise additional financing and other funding to allow them to maintain the necessary investments and pay their creditors; and (4) segregating some fiber optics assets and infrastructure through SPE InfraCo to create a more flexible and efficient corporate structure to accelerate investments in the expansion of our fiber optics network and allowing SPE InfraCo to have access to financial and capital markets and raise additional funds at lower costs.

If we are unable to meet the goals of our Strategic Plan, including but not limited to the sale of our UPIs and raising additional financing, we may be required to further amend the RJ Plan to preserve our business. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so.

We are subject to numerous legal and administrative proceedings, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to numerous legal and administrative proceedings. It is difficult to quantify the potential impact of these legal and administrative proceedings. We classify our risk of loss from legal and administrative proceedings as “probable,” “possible” or “remote.” We make provisions for probable losses but do not make provisions for possible and remote losses.

As of December 31, 2020, we had provisioned R$5,810 million for probable losses relating to various tax, labor and civil legal and administrative proceedings against us. As of December 31, 2020, we had claims against us of R$28,419 million in tax proceedings, R$299 million in labor proceedings and R$2,465 million in civil proceedings with a risk of loss classified as “possible” for which we had made no provisions. We are not required to disclose or record provisions for proceedings in which our management judges the risk of loss to be remote. However, the amounts involved in certain of the proceedings in which we believe our risk of loss is remote could be substantial. Consequently, our losses could be significantly higher than the amounts for which we have recorded provisions.

If we are subject to unfavorable decisions in any legal or administrative proceedings and the losses in those proceedings significantly exceed the amount for which we have provisioned or involve proceedings for which we have made no provision, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. Even for the amounts recorded as provisions for probable losses, a judgment against us would have an effect on our cash flow if we are required to pay those amounts. Unfavorable decisions in these legal proceedings may, therefore, reduce our liquidity and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For a more detailed description of these proceedings, see “Item 8. Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”

We have indemnification obligations with respect to the PT Exchange Agreement, the PT Portugal disposition and the sales of the UPIs that could materially adversely affect our financial position.

In the exchange agreement, or the PT Exchange Agreement, that we entered into with Pharol under which we transferred defaulted commercial paper of Rio Forte Investments S.A., or Rio Forte, to Pharol in exchange for the delivery to our company of Common Shares and Preferred Shares as described under “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—Major Shareholders—PT Option Agreement,” we agreed to indemnify Pharol against any loss arising from: (1) Pharol’s contingent or absolute tax or anti-trust obligations in relation to the assets contributed to our company in the Oi capital increase in connection with which we acquired PT Portugal from Pharol in May 2014; and (2) Pharol’s management activities, with reference to acts or triggering events occurring on or prior to May 5, 2014, excluding any losses incurred by Pharol as a result of the financial investments in the Rio Forte commercial paper and the acquisition of the Rio Forte commercial paper from Oi under the PT Exchange Agreement.

In the share purchase agreements under which we sold PT Portugal, PT Ventures, UPI Data Center and UPI Towers, we agreed to indemnify the respective purchasers for breaches of our representations and warranties under the respective share purchase agreement, subject to certain customary procedural and financial limitations.

There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to significant claims under these indemnification provisions and if we are subject to such claims under these indemnification provisions, we could be required to pay significant amounts, which would have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

We are subject to credit risks with respect to our customers. If we are unable to limit payment delinquencies by our customers, or if delinquent payments by our customers increase, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our business significantly depends on our customers’ ability to pay their bills and comply with their obligations to us. During 2020, we recorded provisions for estimated credit loss in the amount of R$134 million, or 1.4% of our net operating revenue from continuing operations, primarily due to subscribers’ delinquencies. As of December 31, 2020, our provision for doubtful accounts from continuing operations was R$1,034 million.

ANATEL regulations allow us to implement certain policies to reduce customer defaults, such as service restrictions or limitations on the types of services provided based on a subscriber’s credit record. If we are unable to successfully implement policies to limit delinquencies of our Brazilian subscribers or otherwise select our customers based on their credit records, persistent subscriber delinquencies and bad debt will continue to adversely affect our operating and financial results.

In addition, if the Brazilian economy declines due to, among other factors, a reduction in the level of economic activity, an increase in inflation or an increase in domestic interest rates, a greater portion of our customers may not be able to pay their bills on a timely basis.

We are dependent on key personnel and the ability to hire and retain additional personnel.

We believe that our success will depend on the continued services of our senior management team and other key personnel. Our management team is comprised of highly qualified professionals, with extensive experience in the telecommunications industry. The loss of the services of any of our senior management team or other key employees could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also depend on the ability of our senior management and key personnel to work effectively as a team.

Our future success also depends on our ability to identify, attract, hire, train, retain and motivate highly skilled technical, managerial, sales and marketing personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we cannot guarantee that we will successfully attract, assimilate or retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel. Failure to retain and attract the necessary technical, managerial, sales and marketing and administrative personnel could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The outcome of Operation Mine Map, a criminal investigation being conducted by Brazilian authorities that involves historical agreements of our company with certain entities, and any further investigations that may be commenced related to these agreements, could have a material adverse effect on our company.

On December 10, 2019, the Brazilian Federal Police launched Operation Mine Map (Operação Mapa da Mina). One of the main targets of Operation Mine Map was Fábio da Silva, son of former president Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva. The subject of the investigation includes payments made by us to two groups of companies, Gamecorp and Grupo Gol. Brazilian authorities allege that these payments were made in exchange for benefits from the Brazilian government. In connection with the investigation, our headquarters and some other buildings in the States of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and in Brasília were searched and documents were seized relating to our business with Gamecorp and Grupo Gol.

We have been cooperating with Brazilian authorities involved in Operation Mine Map and have provided information and documents. We have not been notified that we are a target of any investigation relating to Operation Mine Map. None of our current executive officers or members of our board of directors were involved in our historical relationships with Gamecorp and Grupo Gol.

We cannot predict when the Operation Mine Map investigation will be completed or the results of such investigation, including whether any litigation or enforcement action will be brought against us or the outcome or impact of any resulting litigation or enforcement action, nor can we predict any potential actions that may be taken by the relevant authorities. Any adverse development in the Operation Mine Map investigation could subject us to potential fines or penalties under applicable law, materially adversely affect our public reputation, and could have a material adverse effect on us, including: (1) threatening our ability to obtain new financing, which could impair our ability to operate our business; and (2) shifting management’s focus to these matters, which could harm our ability to meet our strategic objectives. Additionally, while we have taken, and are continuing to take, measures to enhance our compliance programs, which are intended to assist us in detecting and preventing bribery and corruption, there can be no assurance that these efforts will enable us to detect or prevent all such activities.

We could be adversely affected by violations of anti-corruption laws and regulations.

We are required to comply with Brazilian anti-corruption laws and regulations, including Brazilian Law No. 12,846/2013, or the Brazilian Anti-Corruption Law, as well as anti-corruption laws and regulations in other jurisdictions, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, or the FCPA.

The Brazilian Anti-Corruption Law, the FCPA and similar anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials or other persons for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Recent years have seen a substantial increase in anti-corruption law enforcement activity, with more frequent and aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, increased enforcement activity by non-U.S. regulators, and increases in criminal and civil proceedings brought against companies and individuals. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-corruption laws. We operate, through our businesses, in countries that are recognized as having governmental and commercial corruption. We cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees, the employees of any of our businesses, or third party intermediaries. In the event that we believe or have reason to believe that our employees or agents have or may have violated applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, we may be required to investigate or have outside counsel investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. Violations of these laws may result in criminal or civil sanctions, inability to do business with existing or future business partners (either as a result of express prohibitions or to avoid the appearance of impropriety), injunctions against future conduct, profit disgorgements, disqualifications from directly or indirectly engaging in certain types of businesses, the loss of business permits or other restrictions which could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Since December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, a novel strain of coronavirus referred to as COVID-19, has spread throughout the world. On January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was a global health emergency and on March 3, 2020, the World Health Organization categorized COVID-19 as a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous deaths and the imposition of local, municipal and national governmental “shelter-in-place” and other public health measures, border closures and other travel restrictions, causing unprecedented economic disruption in much of the world, including in Brazil.

As further described in “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Principal Factors Affecting Our Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” to date the COVID-19 pandemic has not had a material adverse effect on our business or results of our operations. However, there are still uncertainties regarding the duration and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including new virus strains and pandemic “waves” with an increase in the number of confirmed cases in Brazil, and the local, national and international response to the virus is still fluid and uncertain.

We cannot predict the full effect of the pandemic, and public health measures adopted to combat the pandemic in Brazil and internationally, on the Brazilian economy or on our employees, our business operations (including our retail operations, our network operations, our network maintenance programs and our expansion programs), our third-party vendors and the ability of our customers to pay for services on a timely basis. Federal, state and municipal governments in Brazil may announce further restrictions on the general population and we cannot predict what effect this will have on our operations and sales in the long term. We cannot predict the duration of the pandemic, the effectiveness of governmental or other measures taken to attempt to curb the pandemic, or the duration of any such measures. In addition, following the pandemic and the termination of any such governmental restrictions, the needs and preferences of our customers may be altered. None of the losses incurred or to be incurred by us as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether as a result of business interruption or inability to attract new customers, is covered by insurance currently held by us. As a result, any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which have materially adversely affected our ability to timely and accurately report our results of operations and financial condition. These material weaknesses have not been fully remediated as of the filing date of this annual report, and we cannot assure you that other material weaknesses will not be identified in the future.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, our management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 based on the criteria established in “Internal Control —Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, our management concluded that as of December 31, 2020, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective because material weaknesses existed. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. For more information about these material weaknesses, see “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.”

Although we have implemented and continue to implement measures designed to remediate these material weaknesses and, in the short term, to mitigate the potential adverse effects of these material weaknesses, our assessment of the impact of these measures has not been completed as of the filing date of this annual report, and we cannot assure you that these measures are adequate. Moreover, we cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not arise or be identified in the future.

As a result, we must continue our remediation activities and must also continue to improve our operational, information technology, and financial systems, infrastructure, procedures, and controls, as well as continue to expand, train, retain, and manage our employee base. Any failure to do so, or any difficulties we encounter during implementation, could result in additional material weaknesses or in material misstatements in our financial statements. These misstatements could result in a future restatement of our financial statements, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, or could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may generate negative market reactions, potentially leading to a decline in the price of our Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs.

Risks Relating to Our Operations

We face significant competition in the Brazilian market and increasing competition from other services, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We face increasing competition throughout Brazil from other telecommunications service providers in each of our core service businesses. In our Residential Services business, we compete with other fixed-line voice service providers, primarily Claro S.A., or Claro, a subsidiary of América Móvil S.A.B. de C.V., and Telefônica Brasil S.A., a subsidiary of Telefónica S.A., or Telefônica Brasil. In addition to Claro and Telefônica Brasil, our Residential Services business competes for broadband subscribers with a myriad of smaller local and regional broadband services providers. Finally, our Residential Services business competes for Pay-TV broadband subscribers with Claro and SKY Brasil Serviços Ltda., or SKY, and Telefônica Brasil. In our Personal Mobility Services business, we compete with Telefônica Brasil, Claro, and TIM Participações S.A., a subsidiary of Telecom Italia S.p.A., or TIM. In our Business to Business, or B2B, Services business, we compete with all of these competitors for small- and medium-sized enterprise, or SME, and corporate subscribers (including governmental entities) for our fixed-line and mobile services.

Our primary competitors, Telefônica Brasil, TIM and Claro are each controlled by multinational companies that may have more significant financial and marketing resources, and greater abilities to access capital on a timely basis and on more favorable terms, than our company.

As a result of competition from mobile services, we expect (1) the number of our fixed lines in service to continue to decline as some of our customers eliminate their fixed-line services in favor of mobile services, and (2) the use of existing fixed lines for making voice calls to decline, as customers replace fixed-line calls in favor of calls on mobile phones as a result of the emergence of “all-net” plans, which allow a customer to make calls to any fixed-line or mobile device of any operator for a flat monthly fee. The reduction in the number of our fixed lines in service has negatively affected and is likely to continue to negatively affect our net operating revenue and margins.

The primary drivers of competition in the broadband industry are stability and quality of the service, speed and price, with discounts typically offered in the form of bundled services. Claro and Telefônica Brasil each offer broadband services at higher speeds than ours and both offer integrated voice, broadband and Pay-TV services, typically as bundles, to the residential services market through a single network infrastructure. In addition, an increasing number of small local and regional providers are competing in the broadband space offering FTTH at competitive prices. Future offerings by our competitors that are aggressively priced or that offer additional services could have an adverse effect on our net operating revenue and our results of operations.

We offer Pay-TV services throughout the regions in which we provide residential services. The Pay-TV market in Brazil has been facing a steady drop in the number of subscribers since 2015 as a result of the financial crisis, piracy, and an increase in the cord-cutting effect resulting from more widespread use of OTT services in Brazil, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Go and others.

We and each of our principal competitors in the mobile telecommunications market offer Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), or 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), or 4G. Recently, we have begun to offer 5G services in certain cities using Non-Standalone technology. Although some competitors have deployed Dynamic Spectrum Sharing, or DSS, technology, we have not adopted this technology at this stage. Our competitors have a much larger coverage footprint (in terms of cities covered) than we do both in 3G and 4G. In addition, the cost of maintaining our revenue share in this market may increase and in the future we may incur higher advertising and other costs as we attempt to maintain or expand our market presence. As mobile interconnection, or MTR, tariffs have declined in recent years, a trend towards SIM card consolidation has developed, reversing the trend of customers using multiple SIM cards to participate in on-net calling plans offered by multiple service providers; this trend has resulted, and may continue to result in, a decline in the size of our customer base. Acquiring each additional personal mobility customer entails costs, including sales commissions and marketing costs. Recovering these costs depends on our ability to retain such customers. Therefore, high rates of customer churn could have a material adverse effect on the profitability of our Personal Mobility Services business. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the average monthly churn rate of our Personal Mobility Services business, representing the number of subscribers whose service was disconnected during each month, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, divided by the number of subscribers at the beginning of such month, was 3.28% per month. Our inability to compete effectively to maintain and increase our market share in this market could adversely affect our net operating revenue and profitability.

Our mobile subscribers are demanding higher quality and more data availability, which require higher investments in development, modernization, expansion and continuous improvement in service quality and customers’ experience. As discussed above, some of our competitors may have greater access to cheaper capital and the ability to invest in new technologies, including 4.5G, 5G DSS, CIoT (NB-IoT and/or Cat.M) and 700 MHz frequency. Oi is the only operator in the market that does not have a license for the 700 MHz frequency.

As a result of the increased availability of 4G mobile network technology, there has been an increase in the use of OTT services in Brazil, including instant internet messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, and services on smartphone applications such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. OTT applications are often free of charge, other than for data usage, accessible by smartphones, tablets and computers and allow their users to have access to potentially unlimited messaging and voice services over the internet, bypassing more expensive traditional voice and messaging services such as two-way short (or text) message services known as SMS, which have historically been, but are no longer a source of significant revenues. With the growing use of smartphones in Brazil, an increasing number of customers are using OTT application services as a substitute for traditional voice or SMS communications. As a result, we see the migration of traffic from voice to data and consequently the introduction of offers from almost all competitors of unlimited voice plans in their portfolio, accelerating the process of commoditization of voice service. These trends could have an adverse effect on the average revenue per unit, or ARPU, generated by our mobile customer base and our profitability.

We may be unable to implement our plans to expand and enhance our existing networks in Brazil in a timely manner or without unanticipated costs, which could hinder or prevent the successful implementation of our business plan and result in revenues and net income being less than expected.

Our business as a telecommunications services provider depends on our ability to maintain and expand our telecommunications services network. Our ability to achieve our strategic objectives depends in large part on the successful, timely and cost-effective implementation of our plans to expand and enhance our networks in Brazil. We believe that our expected growth will require, among other things:

We believe that these requirements will place significant demand on our managerial, operational and financial resources. Factors that could affect our implementation of our growth strategy include:

Although we believe that our cost estimates and implementation schedule are reasonable and have not been affected by factors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot assure you that the actual costs or time required to complete the implementation of these projects will not substantially exceed our current estimates, particularly if the COVID-19 pandemic increases in severity or extends over a prolonged period of time. Any significant cost overrun or delay could hinder or prevent the successful implementation of our business plan and result in revenues and net income being less than expected. Failure to manage successfully our expected growth could reduce the quality of our services, with adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We make investments based on demand forecasts that may become inaccurate due to economic volatility and may result in revenues that are lower than expected.

We make certain investments, such as the procurement of materials and the development of our network infrastructure, based on our forecasts of the amount of demand that customers will have for our services at a later date. However, any major changes in the Brazilian economic scenario may affect this demand and therefore our forecasts may turn out to be inaccurate. For example, economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health measures adopted in Brazil to combat this pandemic, economic crises that restrict credit to the population, and uncertainties relating to employment may result in a delay in the decision to acquire new products or services (such as broadband). As a result, it is possible that we may make larger investments based on demand forecasts than were necessary given actual demand at the relevant time, which may directly affect our cash flow.

Furthermore, improvements in economic conditions may have the opposite effect. For example, an increase in demand not accompanied by our investment in improved infrastructure may result in a possible loss of opportunity to increase our revenue or result in the degradation of the quality of our services.

We rely on strategic suppliers of equipment, materials and certain services necessary for our operations and expansion. If these suppliers fail to provide equipment, materials or services to us on a timely basis, we could experience disruptions, which could have an adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations.

We are in the process of vendor consolidation by using only on a few strategic and most representative technology suppliers around the world to provide us with equipment and materials that we need in order to expand and to operate our business in Brazil. In addition, we rely on a third-party provider of network maintenance services in certain regions where we operate. There are a limited number of suppliers with the capability of providing the mobile network equipment and fixed-line network platforms that our operations and expansion plans require or the services that we require to maintain our networks. In addition, because the supply of mobile network equipment and fixed-line network platforms requires detailed supply planning and this equipment is technologically complex, it would be difficult for our company to replace the suppliers of this equipment. Suppliers of cables that we need to extend and maintain our networks may suffer capacity constraints or difficulties in obtaining the raw materials required to manufacture these cables. As a result, we are exposed to risks associated with these suppliers, including restrictions of production capacity for equipment and materials, availability of equipment and materials, delays in delivery of equipment, materials or services, and price increases, many of which may be exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures in Brazil and internationally to combat the pandemic. If these suppliers or vendors fail to provide equipment, materials or services to us on a timely basis or otherwise in compliance with the terms of our contracts with these suppliers, we could experience disruptions or declines in the quality of our services, which could have an adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations, and we might be unable to satisfy the requirements contained in our concession and authorization agreements.

Certain essential equipment is subject to risks related to importation, and we acquire other essential equipment from a limited number of domestic suppliers, which may further limit our ability to acquire such essential equipment in a timely and cost effective manner.

The high growth in data markets in general, and broadband in particular, may result in a limited supply of equipment essential for the provision of such services, such as data transmission equipment and modems. The restrictions on the number of manufacturers imposed by the Brazilian government for certain essential equipment, mainly data transmission equipment and modems, and the geographical locations of non-Brazilian manufacturers of this essential equipment, pose certain risks, including:

If any of these risks materialize, they may result in our inability to provide services to our customers in a timely manner or may affect the prices of our services, which may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to respond to the trend towards consolidation in the Brazilian telecommunications market.

The Brazilian telecommunications market has been subject to consolidation. Mergers and acquisitions may change market dynamics, create competitive pressures and force small competitors to find partners, and may require us to adjust our operations, marketing strategies, and product portfolio. For example, in March 2015, Telefónica S.A., or Telefónica, acquired from Vivendi S.A., all of the shares of GVT Participações S.A., the controlling shareholder of Global Village Telecom S.A. This acquisition increased Telefónica’s share of the Brazilian telecommunications market, and we believe such trend is likely to continue in the industry as participants continue to pursue economies of scale. The entry of a new market participant with significant financial resources or potential changes in strategy by existing telecommunications service providers can change the competitive environment in the Brazilian market. We may be unable to keep pace with these changes, which could affect our ability to compete effectively and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Additional joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions among telecommunications service providers are possible in the future. If such consolidation occurs, it may result in increased competition within our market. We may be unable to adequately respond to pricing pressures resulting from consolidation in our market, adversely affecting our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may also consider engaging in merger or acquisition activity in response to changes in the competitive environment, which could divert resources away from other aspects of our business.

Our commitment to meet the obligations of our Brazilian employees’ pension plans, managed by Fundação Sistel de Seguridade Social and Fundação Atlântico de Seguridade Social may be higher than what is currently anticipated, and therefore, we may be required to make additional contributions of resources to these pension plans or to record liabilities or expenses that are higher than currently recorded.

As sponsors of certain private employee pension plans in Brazil, which are managed by Fundação Sistel de Seguridade Social, or Sistel, and Fundação Atlântico de Seguridade Social, or FATL, our subsidiaries cover the actuarial deficits of these pension benefit plans, which provide guaranteed benefits to our retirees in Brazil and guaranteed future benefits to our current Brazilian employees at the time of their retirement. As of December 31, 2020, our Brazilian pension benefit plans had an aggregate deficit of R$702 million. Our commitment to meet these deficit obligations may be higher than we currently anticipate, and we may be required to make additional contributions or record liabilities or expenses that are higher than we currently record, which may adversely affect our financial results. If the life expectancy of the beneficiaries should exceed the life expectancies included in the actuarial models, the level of our contributions to these plans could increase. If the managers of these plans should suffer losses on the investments of the assets of these plans, we would be required to make additional contributions to these plans in order for these plans to be able to provide the agreed benefits. Any increase in the level of our contributions to these plans as a result of an increase in life expectancy or a decline in investment returns could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. For a more detailed description of our Brazilian pension plans, see “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Employees—Employee Benefits—Pension Benefit Plans.”

As a result of the RJ Proceedings, certain of our unfunded obligations under our post-retirement plans were novated. As of December 31, 2020, we had recorded R$694 million on our balance sheet as “liability for pension benefits,” net of provision for unfunded status on our balance sheet, represented by the commitment under the terms of the RJ Plan related to the financial obligations agreement, entered into by Oi and FATL intended for the payment of the mathematical provision without coverage by the plan’s assets. For more information, see “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Employees—Employee Benefits—Pension Benefit Plans—Fundação Atlântico de Seguridade Social—TCSPREV Plan” and note 27 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

Risks Relating to Brazil

The Brazilian government has exercised, and continues to exercise, significant influence over the Brazilian economy. This influence, as well as Brazilian political and economic conditions, could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition and the market prices of our Common Shares, preferred shares and ADSs.

Oi is a Brazilian corporation, and substantially all of our operations and customers are located in Brazil. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations are substantially dependent on Brazil’s economy. The Brazilian federal government frequently exercises significant influence over the Brazilian economy and occasionally makes significant changes in policy and regulations. The Brazilian government’s actions to control inflation and implement macroeconomic policies have often involved, among other measures, changes in interest rates, changes in tax policies, wage and price controls, foreign exchange controls, currency devaluations, blocking access to bank accounts, imposing capital controls and limits on imports. We do not have any control over, and are unable to predict, which measures or policies the Brazilian government may adopt in the future. Our business, results of operations and financial condition and the market price of our Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs may be adversely affected by changes in government policies or regulations, especially those related to the telecommunications sector, such as changes in rates and competitive conditions, as well as general economic factors, including:

Uncertainty over whether the Brazilian federal government will implement changes to the policies, regulations or standards affecting these or other factors in the future may affect economic performance and contribute to economic uncertainty in Brazil and to heightened volatility in the Brazilian securities markets and securities issued abroad by Brazilian issuers, which may have an adverse effect on us and the trading price of our Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs.

Ongoing political instability has adversely affected the Brazilian economy, our business and results of operations and may adversely affect the market price of our Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs.

The Brazilian economy has been affected by political events in Brazil, which have also affected the confidence of investors and the public in general, adversely impacting the performance of the Brazilian economy and heightening the volatility of securities issued by Brazilian companies.

Brazilian markets have also experienced heightened volatility due to uncertainties derived from the ongoing investigations conducted by the Brazilian Federal Police and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (Ministério Público Federal), among which is Operation Car Wash (Operação Lava Jato). Such investigations have impacted the Brazilian economy and political environment. Numerous members of the Brazilian government and of the legislative branch, as well as senior officers of large state-owned and private companies, have been convicted of political corruption related to bribes by means of kickbacks on contracts granted by the government to several infrastructure, oil and gas and construction companies, among others. Profits of these kickbacks allegedly financed the political campaigns of political parties that were unaccounted for or not publicly disclosed, and served to further the personal enrichment of the recipients of the bribery schemes. As a result, a number of senior politicians, including former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, congressmen and officers of the major state-owned and private companies in Brazil, resigned and/or have been arrested, and numerous senior elected officials and other public officials are being investigated for unethical and illegal behavior.

The outcome of these investigations is uncertain, but they have already had an adverse impact on the image and reputation of the implicated companies, and on the general market perception of Brazil. The development of these investigations has and may continue to adversely affect us. We cannot predict whether the ongoing investigations will affect the market or will lead to heightened economic and political volatility in Brazil, nor whether new investigations against politicians and/or officers of private companies will occur in the future.

In addition, in October 2018, Brazilians elected federal congressmen, state congressmen, two-thirds of the total number of senators and governors, and the president, and the new elected officials took office at the beginning of 2019. Following a divisive presidential race, Congressman Jair Bolsonaro became Brazil’s president on January 1, 2019. Any continuation of such divisions could result in congressional deadlock, political unrest and massive demonstrations and/or strikes that could materially adversely affect our operations. Uncertainties in relation to the implementation by the administration of changes relating to monetary, tax and pension funds policies, as well as to the relevant legislation that must be passed to implement them, may contribute to economic instability. These uncertainties and new measures may increase market volatility of Brazilian securities issued abroad.

The President of Brazil has the power to determine policies and issue governmental acts related to the Brazilian economy that affect the operations and financial performance of companies, including us. We cannot predict which policies the president will adopt or if these policies or changes in current policies may have an adverse effect on us or the Brazilian economy.

The recent political and economic instability in Brazil has led to a negative perception of the Brazilian economy and an increased volatility in the Brazilian securities market, which may also adversely affect us and the market price of our Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs. 

Fluctuations in exchange rates may lead to substantial losses on our liabilities denominated in or linked to foreign currencies.

Since 1999, exchange rates for the real have been set by the market, i.e., a floating exchange rate system. Although long-term depreciation of the real is generally linked to the rate of inflation in Brazil, depreciation of the real occurring over shorter periods of time has resulted in significant variations in the exchange rate between the real, the U.S. dollar and other currencies. The exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Brazilian real has experienced significant fluctuations in recent years. During 2016, the real appreciated against the U.S. dollar by 16.5% and the real depreciated against the U.S. dollar by 1.5% in 2017, 17.1% in 2018, 4.0% in 2019 and 28.9% in 2020.

As of December 31, 2020, R$27,660 million, or 66.7%, of our total consolidated borrowings and financing was denominated in currencies other than the real, excluding the fair value adjustment to our borrowings and financing and debt issuance costs, and R$16,842 million, or 63.9%, of our total consolidated borrowings and financing was denominated in currencies other than the real, after giving effect to the fair value adjustment to our borrowings and financing and debt issuance costs. When the real depreciates against foreign currencies, we incur losses on our liabilities denominated in foreign currencies, such as our U.S. dollar-denominated PIK Toggle Notes, Oi Mobile’s non-convertible debentures and export credit facilities, and we incur gains on our monetary assets denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, as the liabilities and assets are translated into reais. On the other hand, when the real depreciates against foreign currencies, we incur gains on the balance of our fair value adjustment as a consequence of the gross debt balance, which partially offsets the negative impact on our borrowings and financings. If significant depreciation of the real were to occur when the value of such liabilities significantly exceeds the value of such assets, including any financial instruments entered into for hedging purposes, we could incur significant losses, even if the value of those assets and liabilities has not changed in their original currency. In addition, a significant depreciation in the real could adversely affect our ability to meet certain of our payment obligations. A failure to meet certain of our payment obligations could trigger a default under certain financial covenants in our debt instruments, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We have historically entered into derivative transactions to manage our foreign currency exchange rate risk. However, we may be limited in reducing our foreign-currency exposure using derivatives due to credit constraints. For more information, see “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.”

The significant depreciation of the real subsequent to December 31, 2020, is expected to have effects on our U.S. dollar-denominated indebtedness and interest expenses, negatively affecting our results of operations. Notwithstanding the adverse effects on the carrying amounts of our financial liabilities, we do not anticipate any substantial effect on our liquidity as there are few short-term payment obligations under our indebtedness, which we have hedged as described in “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.” However, a prolonged deterioration of the value of the real could adversely affect our ability to meet our payment obligations on our indebtedness when future amortization payments become due. A portion of our capital expenditures and operating leases require us to acquire assets or use third-party assets at prices denominated in or linked to foreign currencies, some of which are financed by liabilities denominated in foreign currencies, principally the U.S. dollar. We generally do not hedge exposures relating to our capital expenditures against risks related to movements of the real against foreign currencies. To the extent that the value of the real decreases relative to the U.S. dollar, it becomes more costly for us to purchase these assets or services, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Despite the 17.1% depreciation of the real during 2018, the slow recovery of the Brazilian economy limited inflation and allowed the Brazilian Central Bank to reduce the SELIC rate (the Brazilian Central Bank’s overnight rate) by 0.50% during 2018, ending 2018 at 6.5%. The SELIC rate declined further to 4.5% as of December 31, 2019 and 2.0% as of December 31, 2020. During 2020, the Brazilian economy was affected by the social distancing measures that were implemented in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed the Brazilian Central Bank to maintain an expansionist monetary policy despite the depreciation of the real of 28.9%. A prolonged deterioration of the value of the real could adversely affect our ability to implement our capital expenditure program and increase our operating costs, adversely affect our operating results and overall financial performance.

Appreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar may lead to a deterioration of the country’s current account and the balance of payments, as well as to a dampening of export-driven growth. Any such appreciation could reduce the competitiveness of Brazilian exports and adversely affect net sales and cash flows from exports. Depreciation of the real relative to the U.S. dollar could create additional inflationary pressures in Brazil by increasing the price of imported products, which may result in the adoption of deflationary government policies. The sharp depreciation of the real in relation to the U.S. dollar may generate inflation and governmental measures to fight possible inflationary outbreaks, including the increase in interest rates, which reduces the purchasing power of consumers and raises the cost in the credit market. Any such macroeconomic effects could adversely affect our net operating revenues and our overall financial performance.

If Brazil experiences substantial inflation in the future, our margins and our ability to access foreign financial markets may be reduced. Inflation and government measures to curb inflation may have adverse effects on the Brazilian economy, the Brazilian securities market and our business and results of operations.

In the past, Brazil has experienced extremely high rates of inflation. Inflation, policies adopted to curb inflationary pressures and uncertainties regarding possible future governmental intervention have had and are expected to continue to have significant negative effects on the Brazilian economy generally, and have contributed to economic uncertainty and heightened volatility in the Brazilian capital markets.

According to the Broad Consumer Price Index (Índice Nacional de Preços ao Consumidor Ampliado), or IPCA, published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística), the Brazilian consumer price inflation rates were 6.3% during 2016, 3.0% during 2017, 3.8% during 2018, 4.3% during 2019 and 4.5% during 2020. Brazil may experience high levels of inflation in the future and inflationary pressures may lead to the Brazilian government’s intervening in the economy and introducing policies that could harm our business and the price of our Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs.

As of the date of this annual report, fixed broadband and mobile service providers use the General Market Price Index — Internal Availability (Índice Geral de Preços — Disponibilidade Interna), or IGP-DI, to adjust their prices. The IGP-DI is an inflation index developed by the Fundação Getúlio Vargas, or FGV, a private organization. The IGP-DI index was 7.1% during 2018, 7.7% during 2019 and, as of the strong depreciation of the real during the year, 23.1% during 2020.

Since 2006, rates for fixed-line services have been indexed to the Telecommunication Services Index (Índice de Serviços de Telecomunicações), or IST, adjusted by a productivity factor, which is defined by ANATEL Resolution 507/2008. The IST is an index composed of other domestic price indexes (including the IPCA, the IGP-DI and the General Market Price Index (Índice Geral de Preços ao Mercado), or IGP-M, published by FGV, among others) that is intended to reflect the telecommunications industry’s operating costs. As a result, this index serves to reduce potential discrepancies between our industry’s revenue and costs, and thus reduce the apparent adverse effects of inflation on our operations. The productivity factor, pursuant to which ANATEL is authorized to adjust fee rates, is calculated based on a compensation index established by ANATEL to incentivize operational efficiency and to share related gains in earnings from fixed line services with customers through fee rate adjustments. The IST is calculated based on a 12-month period average. This may cause increases in our revenues above or below our costs (including salaries), with potentially adverse impacts on our profitability.

If Brazil experiences substantial inflation in the future, our costs may increase and our operating and net margins may decrease. Although ANATEL regulations provide for annual price increases for most of our services in Brazil, such increases are linked to inflation indices, discounted by increases in our productivity. During periods of rapid increases in inflation, the price increases for our services may not be sufficient to cover our additional costs and we may be adversely affected by the lag in time between the incurrence of increased costs and the receipt of revenues resulting from the annual price increases. Inflationary pressures may also curtail our ability to access foreign financial markets and may lead to further government intervention in the economy, including the introduction of government policies that may adversely affect the overall performance of the Brazilian economy.

Fluctuations in interest rates could increase the cost of servicing our debt and negatively affect our overall financial performance.

Our financial expenses are affected by changes in the interest rates that apply to our floating rate debt. As of December 31, 2020, we had, among other consolidated debt obligations, excluding the fair value adjustment to our borrowings and financing and debt issuance costs, R$13,596 million of borrowings and financing that were subject to variable interest rates, including R$9,339 million of borrowings and financing and debentures that were subject to the Interbank Certificate of Deposit (Certificado de Depósito Interbancário), or CDI, rate, an interbank rate, and R$4,257 million of borrowings and financing that were subject to the Long-Term Interest Rate (Taxa de Juros de Longo Prazo), or TJLP, a long-term interest rate. As of December 31, 2020, we had, among other consolidated debt obligations, after giving effect to the fair value adjustment to our borrowings and financing and debt issuance costs, R$9,442 million of borrowings and financing that were subject to variable interest rates, including R$5,185 million of borrowings and financing and debentures that were subject to the CDI rate, and R$4,257 million of borrowings and financing that were subject to the TJLP.

The TJLP includes an inflation factor and is determined quarterly by the National Monetary Council (Conselho Monetário Nacional). In particular, the TJLP and the CDI rate have fluctuated significantly in the past in response to the expansion or contraction of the Brazilian economy, inflation, Brazilian government policies and other factors. For example, the CDI rate decreased to 13.63% per annum as of December 31, 2016, 6.89% per annum as of December 31, 2017, 6.40% per annum as of December 31, 2018, 4.40% per annum as of December 31, 2019 and 1.90% per annum as of December 31, 2020.

The market value of securities issued by Brazilian companies is influenced by the perception of risk in Brazil and other countries, which may have a negative effect on the trading price of Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs and may restrict our access to international capital markets.

Economic and market conditions in other countries and regions, including the United States, the European Union and emerging market countries, may affect to varying degrees the market value of securities of Brazilian issuers. Although economic conditions in these countries and regions may differ significantly from economic conditions in Brazil, investors’ reactions to developments in these other countries may have an adverse effect on the market value of securities of Brazilian issuers, the availability of credit in Brazil and the amount of foreign investment in Brazil. Crises in the European Union, the United States and emerging market countries have at times resulted in significant outflows of funds from Brazil and may diminish investor interest in securities of Brazilian issuers, including our company. This could materially and adversely affect the market price of our securities, and could also make it more difficult for us to access the capital markets and finance our operations in the future on acceptable terms or at all.

Risks Relating to the Common Shares, Preferred Shares and ADSs

Holders of Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs may not receive any dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity.

According to Oi’s by-laws and the Brazilian Corporate Law, Oi must pay its shareholders at least 25% of Oi’s consolidated annual net income as dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity, as calculated and adjusted in accordance with the Brazilian Corporate Law. This adjusted net income may be capitalized, used to absorb losses or otherwise retained as allowed under the Brazilian Corporate Law and Oi’s by-laws and may not be available to be paid as dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity. Holders of Common Shares or Common ADSs may not receive any dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity in any given year due to the dividend preference of Preferred Shares. Additionally, the Brazilian Corporate Law allows a publicly traded company like Oi to suspend the mandatory distribution of dividends in any particular year if Oi’s board of directors informs Oi’s shareholders at the ordinary general shareholders’ meeting that such distributions would be inadvisable in view of Oi’s financial condition or cash availability and subject to approval of the general shareholders’ meeting. In addition, the members of Oi’s fiscal council must issue an opinion with respect to the suspension of the mandatory distribution of dividends and Oi’s board of directors must submit to the CVM the justification for such suspension.

Moreover, under the RJ Plan and the RJ Plan Amendment, Oi and the other RJ Debtors are prohibited from declaring or paying dividends, interest on shareholders’ equity or other forms of return on capital or making any other payment or distribution on or related to their shares (including any payment related to a merger or consolidation) until December 31, 2025. After December 31, 2025, Oi and the other RJ Debtors will be permitted to declare or pay dividends, interest on shareholders’ equity or other forms of return on capital or make any other payment or distribution on or related to their shares (including any payment related to a merger or consolidation) if Oi meets a certain financial ratio, as described under “Item 8. Financial Information—Dividends and Dividend Policy.” There shall not be any restriction to the distribution of dividends under the RJ Plan after the full payment of the Financial Credits (as defined in the RJ Plan). The restrictions of the payment of dividends and other distributions described in this paragraph are subject to certain exceptions, as described under “Item 8. Financial Information—Dividends and Dividend Policy.”

Holders of ADSs are not entitled to attend shareholders’ meetings and may only vote through the depositary.

Under Brazilian law, only shareholders registered as such in Oi’s corporate books may attend Oi’s shareholders’ meetings. All Common Shares and Preferred Shares underlying our ADSs are registered in the name of the depositary. Consequently, a holder of ADSs is not entitled to attend Oi’s shareholders’ meetings. Holders of ADSs may exercise the voting rights with respect to Common Shares and the limited voting rights with respect to Preferred Shares represented by our ADSs only in accordance with the applicable deposit agreement relating to the ADSs. There are practical limitations upon the ability of holders of ADSs to exercise their voting rights due to the additional steps involved in communicating with holders of ADSs. For example, Oi is required to publish a notice of Oi’s shareholders’ meetings in certain newspapers in Brazil. To the extent that holders of Common Shares or Preferred Shares are entitled to vote at a shareholders’ meeting, they will be able to exercise their voting rights by attending the meeting in person or voting by proxy. By contrast, holders of ADSs will receive notice of a shareholders’ meeting by mail from the depositary following Oi’s notification to the depositary of the shareholders’ meeting and Oi’s request that the depositary inform holders of ADSs of the shareholders’ meeting. To exercise their voting rights, holders of ADSs must instruct the depositary on a timely basis. This voting process will take longer for holders of ADSs than for holders of Common Shares or Preferred Shares. If the depositary fails to receive timely voting instructions for all or part of ADSs, the depositary will assume that the holders of those ADSs are instructing it to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote their ADSs, except in limited circumstances.

We cannot assure you that holders of ADSs will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that such holders can instruct the depositary to vote Common Shares or Preferred Shares underlying their ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions of the holders of ADSs or for the manner of carrying out those voting instructions. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise voting rights, and they will have no recourse if the Common Shares or Preferred Shares underlying their ADSs are not voted as requested.

Holders of Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs in the United States may not be entitled to participate in future preemptive rights offerings of Common Shares or Preferred Shares.

Under Brazilian law, if Oi offers to issue new shares in exchange for cash or assets as part of a capital increase, Oi generally must grant its shareholders the right to purchase a sufficient number of the offered shares to maintain their existing ownership percentage. Rights to purchase shares in these circumstances are known as preemptive rights. Oi may not legally be permitted to allow holders of Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs in the United States to exercise any preemptive rights in any future capital increase unless either (1) Oi files a registration statement with the SEC with respect to that offering of shares, as Oi did for its most recent capital increase, or (2) that offering of shares qualifies for an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. At the time of any future capital increase, Oi will evaluate the costs and potential liabilities associated with filing a registration statement with the SEC and any other factors that Oi considers important in determining whether to file such a registration statement. Oi is not obligated to file a registration statement in connection with any future capital increase, and Oi cannot assure the holders of Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs in the United States that it will file a registration statement with the SEC to allow them to participate in a preemptive rights offering. As a result, the equity interest of such holders in Oi may be diluted.

If holders of ADSs exchange them for Common Shares or Preferred Shares, they may risk temporarily losing, or being limited in, the ability to remit foreign currency abroad and certain Brazilian tax advantages.

The Brazilian custodian for the Common Shares and Preferred Shares underlying our ADSs has obtained an electronic registration number with the Brazilian Central Bank to allow the depositary to remit U.S. dollars abroad. ADS holders benefit from the electronic certificate of foreign capital registration from the Brazilian Central Bank obtained by the custodian for the depositary, which permits it to convert dividends and other distributions with respect to the Common Shares or Preferred Shares into U.S. dollars and remit the proceeds of such conversion abroad. If holders of our ADSs decide to exchange them for the underlying Common Shares or Preferred Shares, they will be required to appoint a Brazilian financial institution to act as their legal representative who shall be responsible, among other things, for keeping and updating the investors’ certificates of registrations with the Brazilian Central Bank, as provided in CMN Resolution No. 4,373. Investors will only be able to remit U.S. dollars abroad if the relevant new electronic certificate of foreign capital registration in connection with the Common Shares or Preferred Shares is previously obtained. If such investors fail to obtain or update the relevant certificates of registration, it may result in additional expenses and may cause delays in receiving distributions. See “Item 10. Additional Information—Exchange Controls.”

In addition, if holders of our ADSs exchange our ADSs for Common Shares or Preferred Shares, generally they may be subject to a less favorable tax treatment on the proceeds from any sale of, our Common Shares or Preferred Shares. See “Item 10. Additional Information—Taxation—Brazilian Tax Considerations.”

Holders of ADSs may face difficulties in serving process on or enforcing judgments against us and other persons.

Oi is incorporated as a corporation under the laws of Brazil and substantially all of Oi’s assets are located in Brazil. In addition, all of Oi’s directors and executive officers reside outside the United States and all or a significant portion of the assets of such persons may be located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for holders of ADSs to effect service of process within the United States or other jurisdictions outside Brazil upon such persons, or to enforce against such persons judgments of U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or the laws of such other jurisdictions.

Holders of Common Shares and Preferred Shares will be subject to, and holders of ADSs could be subject to, Brazilian income tax on capital gains from sales of Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs.

According to Article 26 of Brazilian Law No. 10,833/2003, if a holder not deemed to be domiciled in Brazil for Brazilian tax and regulatory purposes, or a Non-Brazilian Holder, disposes of assets located in Brazil, the transaction will be subject to taxation in Brazil, even if such disposition occurs outside Brazil or if such disposition is made to another Non-Brazilian Holder. Accordingly, on the disposition of Common Shares or Preferred Shares, which are considered assets located in Brazil, the Non-Brazilian Holder will be subject to income tax on the gains assessed, following the rules described under “Item 10. Additional Information—Taxation—Brazilian Tax Considerations—Taxation of Gains,” regardless of whether the transactions are conducted in Brazil or abroad and with a Brazilian resident or not. A disposition of our ADSs, however, involves the disposal of a non-Brazilian asset, which in principle should not be subject to taxation in Brazil. Nevertheless, in the event that the concept of “assets located in Brazil” is interpreted to include our ADSs, this tax law could result in the imposition of withholding taxes on the disposition of our ADSs made by Non-Brazilian Holders. Due to the fact that, as of the date of this annual report, Article 26 of Brazilian Law No. 10,833/2003 has no judicial guidance as to its application to ADSs, we are unable to predict which interpretation would ultimately prevail in Brazilian courts. See “Item 10. Additional Information—Taxation—Brazilian Tax Considerations —Taxation of Gains.”

Oi believes that it was not a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for its taxable year ended December 31, 2020. However, if Oi were characterized as a PFIC for its taxable year ended December 31, 2020, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to a U.S. investor who holds Common Shares or Preferred Shares or ADSs.

Oi will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, in any taxable year if either: (1) 50% or more of the fair market value of our gross assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) for the taxable year produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income, or (2) 75% or more of our gross income for the taxable year is passive income. As a publicly traded foreign corporation, Oi intends for this purpose to treat the aggregate fair market value of our gross assets as being equal to the aggregate value of our outstanding stock plus the total amount of our liabilities (“market capitalization”) and to treat the excess of the fair market value of our assets over their book value as a nonpassive asset to the extent attributable to our nonpassive income. Based on the market price of the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares and the composition of our assets, Oi believes that it was not a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for its taxable year ended December 31, 2020, or for the taxable year ended December 31, 2019. Nevertheless, because PFIC status is determined annually based on Oi’s income, assets and activities for the entire taxable year, it is not possible to determine whether Oi will be characterized as a PFIC for the taxable year ending December 31, 2021, or for any subsequent year, until after the close of the year. Furthermore, because Oi determines the value of its gross assets based on the Market Capitalization test, a decline in the value of its Common Shares and Preferred Shares may result in Oi becoming a PFIC. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that Oi will not be considered a PFIC for any taxable year.

If contrary to Oi’s belief, Oi were characterized as a PFIC for its taxable year ended December 31, 2020, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to a U.S. investor who holds Common Shares or Preferred Shares or ADSs with respect to any “excess distribution” received from Oi and any gain from a sale or other disposition of Common Shares or Preferred Shares or ADSs, and U.S. investors also may be subject to additional reporting obligations with respect to Common Shares or Preferred Shares or ADSs. In such case, Oi does not intend to provide the information necessary for a U.S. investor to make a qualified electing fund election with respect to the Common Shares or Preferred Shares or ADSs. See “Item 10. Additional Information—Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations – Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

If a United States person is treated as owning at least 10% of Oi’s shares, such holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

If a United States person is treated as owning (directly, indirectly or constructively) at least 10% of the value or voting power of Oi’s shares, such person may be treated as a “United States shareholder” with respect to each “controlled foreign corporation” in our group (if any). If United States shareholders own (or are treated as owning) more than 50% of the value or voting power of Oi’s shares, Oi would (and our non-U.S. subsidiaries could) be treated as controlled foreign corporations. In addition, if our group includes one or more U.S. subsidiaries, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries could be treated as controlled foreign corporations (regardless of whether we are treated as a controlled foreign corporation). A United States shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation may be required to report annually and include in its U.S. taxable income its pro rata share of “Subpart F income,” “global intangible low-taxed income” and investments in U.S. property by controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether we make any distributions. An individual that is a United States shareholder with respect to a controlled foreign corporation generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a United States shareholder that is a U.S. corporation. Failure to comply with these reporting obligations may subject you to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations with respect to your U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due from starting. We cannot provide any assurances that we will assist investors in determining whether any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries are treated as a controlled foreign corporation or whether such investor is treated as a United States shareholder with respect to any of such controlled foreign corporations or furnish to any United States shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with the aforementioned reporting and tax paying obligations. Certain of our shareholders may be United States shareholders. The determination of controlled foreign corporation status is complex and includes attribution rules, the application of which is not entirely certain. A United States investor should consult its advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to an investment in Oi’s Common Shares, Preferred Shares or ADSs.

Trading on over-the-counter markets may be volatile and sporadic, which could depress the market price of the Preferred ADSs and make it difficult for holders to resell Oi’s Preferred ADSs.

On June 21, 2016, the Preferred ADSs were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE. On June 23, 2016, OTC Markets Group, Inc. began publishing quotations for the Preferred ADS in the “pink sheets” under the trading symbol OIBRQ. Trading in stock quoted on over the counter markets is often thin, volatile, and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices due to many factors that may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. This volatility could depress the market price of the Preferred ADSs for reasons unrelated to operating performance. Moreover, the over the counter markets are not a stock exchange, and trading of securities on the over the counter markets is often more sporadic than the trading of securities listed on other stock exchanges such as the NYSE, the NASDAQ Stock Market or the American Stock Exchange. Accordingly, holders of Preferred ADSs may have difficulty reselling such securities.

ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

We are one of the principal integrated telecommunications service providers in Brazil with approximately 52.1 million revenue generating units, or RGUs, as of December 31, 2020 from continuing and discontinued operations, which included Residential Services, Personal Mobility Services and B2B Services.

We are in the process of implementing our Strategic Plan, the main objective of which is to transform our business model into two separate companies: (1) a consumer-focused company that will provide fixed-line telecommunications services to customers and businesses; and (2) an infrastructure company that will focus on a neutral network. This will allow us to focus on the use and rapid expansion of our extensive fiber-optic infrastructure, including our transportation networks (backbone, backhaul and data network) and primary and secondary access networks (dedicated links, metropolitan rings and FTTH access networks). We believe that through the implementation of our Strategic Plan, we will enable and support the high-speed connection needs of our residential, business, corporate and government customers and provide infrastructure services for other telecommunication service providers in Brazil, including in support of 5G services.  For additional information regarding our Strategic Plan, see “—II. Our Recent History and Development—Adoption of Strategic Plan.”

In order to implement our Strategic Plan and achieve greater operational and financial flexibility for our company, on February 27, 2020, the RJ Debtors filed a petition with the RJ Court requesting that we be permitted to submit to our creditors for their consideration and deliberation at a new general creditors’ meeting a proposed amendment to the RJ Plan. On September 8, 2020, our creditors approved the RJ Plan Amendment, which was ratified and confirmed by the RJ Court on October 5, 2020. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on October 8, 2020, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date. For additional information regarding the RJ Plan Amendment, see “—II. Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings—Extension of the Judicial Reorganization Proceedings.”

To further our Strategic Plan and pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, we formed or plan to form five UPIs for the disposal of certain of our businesses and/or isolated assets, as follows: (1) UPI Mobile Assets, which includes our mobile telephony and data operations; (2) UPI Towers and UPI Data Center, which includes our passive infrastructure; (3) UPI InfraCo, which includes our telecommunications network operation; and (4) UPI TVCo, which includes our Pay-TV business. Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment and the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law, our UPIs are separated from the assets, liabilities and rights of the RJ Debtors. We plan to sell our UPIs to ensure our ability to service our debt and generate the funds necessary to expand our fiber infrastructure and associated services, which is the key focus of our strategy. We expect that the divestment of our UPIs will allow us to maximize the business value of our investments by expanding our residential and business access services nationwide, exploit more efficiently our network components and create new business opportunities for the exploitation of these networks by offering them to other telecommunications service providers, as permitted by law.

As of the date of this annual report, we have entered into agreements to sell or completed the sale of UPI Data Center, UPI Towers and UPI Mobile Assets. In addition, we have accepted a binding proposal from a group of prospective buyers to acquire a majority interest in UPI InfraCo. For additional information, see “—II. Our Recent History and Development—Adoption of Strategic Plan.” For additional information regarding our UPIs, see “—V. Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

The assets and liabilities related to UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo, UPI Towers, and UPI Data Center are classified as held for sale since their carrying amounts are being recovered primarily through sale transactions rather than through continuous use. We consider the sale of these assets to be highly probable, considering how the divestment plan of these assets is unfolding. We have also classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. In addition, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. We do not consider the operations of UPI Towers to represent a separate line of business, and the revenues and expenses associated with these assets are presented under the full consolidation method in our statement of profit or loss.

If the sale of all of the UPIs as provided for by the RJ Plan Amendment is implemented, we will retain all activities, assets, rights and obligations not expressly transferred to the UPIs, including certain copper backhaul assets related to our transportation network, certain residential and B2B services, digital and IT services, field maintenance and installation operations and customer service operations. For additional information regarding our continuing operations, see “—IV. Continuing Operations.”

Our principal executive office is located at Rua Humberto de Campos No. 425, 8th floor–Leblon, 22430-190 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, and our telephone number at this address is (55-21) 3131-2918.

Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings

On June 20, 2016, Oi, together with the other RJ Debtors, filed a joint voluntary petition for judicial reorganization pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law with the RJ Court, pursuant to an urgent measure approved by our board of directors.

On December 19 and 20, 2017, a GCM to consider approving the RJ Plan was held following the confirmation that the required quorum of creditors of each of classes I, II, III, and IV was in attendance. As part of the RJ Plan, we negotiated the terms of a commitment agreement, which we refer to as the Commitment Agreement, with members of a diverse ad hoc group of holders of the bonds issued by Oi, Oi Coop and PTIF, which we refer to as the Ad Hoc Group, the International Bondholder Committee, a group of creditors in the Netherlands, which we refer to as the IBC, and certain other unaffiliated bondholders. Under the terms of the Commitment Agreement, such bondholders, which we refer to as the Backstop Investors, agreed to backstop our preemptive offering of Common Shares, subject to the terms and conditions of the Commitment Agreement. This GCM concluded on December 20, 2017 following the approval of the RJ Plan by a significant majority of creditors of each class present at this GCM, reflecting amendments to the RJ Plan presented at this GCM as negotiated during the course of this GCM.

On January 8, 2018, the RJ Court entered the Brazilian Confirmation Order, ratifying and confirming the RJ Plan, according to its terms, but modifying certain provisions of the RJ Plan. The Brazilian Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on February 5, 2018, the Brazilian Confirmation Date. Since then, the Brazilian Confirmation Order has been binding on all parties.

By operation of the RJ Plan and the Brazilian Confirmation Order, the unsecured claims against the RJ Debtors have been novated and discharged under Brazilian law and holders of such claims are entitled only to receive the recoveries set forth in the RJ Plan in exchange for their claims in accordance with the terms and conditions of the RJ Plan.

Extension of the Judicial Reorganization Proceedings

The Brazilian Bankruptcy Law provides that the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors may be terminated on the second anniversary of the Brazilian Confirmation Date if the RJ Court determines that all obligations provided for in the RJ Plan have been satisfied based on the analysis of compliance with the RJ Plan.

On December 6, 2019, the RJ Debtors filed a petition with the RJ Court requesting that the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors not be terminated on February 5, 2020, the second anniversary of the Brazilian Confirmation Date, in order to allow us to continue to execute the RJ Plan and remain focused on our strategic transformation. Notwithstanding the conclusion of the restructuring of the RJ Debtor’s financial debt in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions set forth in the RJ Plan, we presented to the RJ Court circumstances related to the complexity inherent to the magnitude of the RJ Proceedings and the ongoing reforms in the legal-regulatory environment, which we believe require additional measures yet to be implemented under the RJ Proceedings.

On February 27, 2020, we filed a petition with the RJ Court requesting that we be permitted to submit to our creditors for their consideration and deliberation at a new general creditors’ meeting a proposed amendment to the RJ Plan designed to achieve greater operational and financial flexibility for our company to continue with investments and the fulfillment of our Strategic Plan.

On March 6, 2020, the RJ Court issued a decision granting our request to hold a new general creditors’ meeting to deliberate on a proposed amendment to the RJ Plan. At the new general creditors’ meeting, held on September 8, 2020, only creditors that held credits and had voting rights at the time of the original general creditors meeting and who continued to hold an interest in the debt obligations or equity securities of the Company on February 27, 2020 were entitled to vote.

On September 8, 2020, a GCM was held to consider approval of the RJ Plan Amendment. The creditors present at the GCM approved the RJ Plan Amendment pursuant to the requirements under the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law. On October 5, 2020, the RJ Court entered the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, which ratified and confirmed the RJ Plan Amendment. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on October 8, 2020, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date.

The RJ Plan Amendment authorized us to carry out certain transactions, including, among other things, the following: (1) forming five UPIs for the disposal of certain businesses and/or isolated assets pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law; (2) improving the payment terms and conditions for a significant portion of small creditors as a way of reducing litigation and speeding up the settlement of these claims, as required by the RJ Court; (3) allowing the RJ Debtors to raise additional financing and other funding to allow them to maintain the necessary investments and pay their creditors; and (4) segregating some fiber optics assets and infrastructure through SPE InfraCo to create a more flexible and efficient corporate structure to accelerate investments in the expansion of our fiber optics network and allowing SPE InfraCo to have access to financial and capital markets and raise additional funds at lower costs.

The RJ Plan Amendment provides that the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors will terminate on May 30, 2022. Notwithstanding the terms of the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order stipulates that the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors will terminate 12 months from the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date, which term may be extended if additional time is required to implement the asset dispositions provided under the RJ Plan Amendment. Accordingly, as of the date of this annual report, the RJ Proceedings and the judicial supervision of the RJ Debtors are scheduled to terminate on October 8, 2021. However, the RJ Debtors have filed an interlocutory appeal to overturn the provisions of the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order related to the termination of the RJ Proceedings. This appeal is pending judgment.

For more information regarding the effects of the RJ Plan Amendment on our business and results of operations, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Principal Factors Affecting Our Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Effects of Confirmation of the RJ Plan Amendment on Our Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet.”

Pharol Settlement Agreement

On January 8, 2019, Oi and its subsidiaries Telemar and PT Participações entered into a settlement agreement with Bratel and Pharol, or the Pharol Settlement Agreement, which provides, among other things, for the termination of all then-existing litigation involving the parties in Brazil and abroad.

Under the Pharol Settlement Agreement Oi was required to: (1) pay Bratel an amount in U.S. dollars corresponding to €25 million, which under the Pharol Settlement Agreement was used by Pharol for the subscription of 85,721,774 Common Shares issued by Oi in our preemptive offering of Common Shares; and (2) upon confirmation of the Pharol Settlement Agreement by the RJ Court, (a) transfer to Bratel 32,000,000 Common Shares and 1,800,000 Preferred Shares of Oi held in treasury, (b) pay Pharol the annual fees related to certain obligations assumed by Oi with respect to proceedings of Pharol in Portugal, and (c) in case of a sale of at least 50% of the shares of Unitel indirectly held by Oi, deposit into an escrow account an amount necessary to guarantee the payment of any potential liabilities of Pharol in tax proceedings whose chance of loss is assessed as possible or probable.

Under the Pharol Settlement Agreement, on February 8, 2019, the member designated by Oi was elected to Pharol’s board of directors.

On February 28, 2019, the RJ Court confirmed the Pharol Settlement Agreement by a decision published in the Official Gazette on March 12, 2019. This decision became final on April 3, 2019.

During February 2019, we repurchased a total of 1,800,000 Preferred Shares over the B3 at prices ranging between R$1.42 and R$1.45 per Preferred Share, for an aggregate purchase price of R$2.6 million. These Preferred Shares were transferred to Pharol to satisfy the terms of the Pharol Settlement Agreement. Oi has satisfied the other terms of the Pharol Settlement Agreement applicable to our company and on April 4, 2019, all then-existing litigation involving the parties in Brazil and abroad was terminated.

Sale of Interest in CVTelecom

On May 21, 2019, PT Ventures sold all of the shares that it owned of Cabo Verde Telecom, S.A., or CVTelecom, a provider of fixed-line and mobile services in the Cabo Verde Islands, representing 40% of CVTelecom’s share capital, to the National Social Security Institute (Instituto Nacional de Previdência Social) and state-owned company, ASA – National Airport and Aerial Security Company (ASA – Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea, S.A.), for US$26 million. This sale generated a net gain of R$67 million.

In connection with the sale of the CVTelecom shares, PT Ventures entered into an agreement with the government of Cabo Verde for the definite termination of the arbitration proceedings pending before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and the International Chamber of Commerce that had been filed by PT Ventures against the government of Cabo Verde in March 2015.

Adoption of Strategic Plan

On July 16, 2019, we announced our plan to pursue strategic alternatives, with a focus on the improvement of our operational and financial performance with a sustainable business model, for the purpose of maximizing enterprise value, in the context of the RJ process. We refer to this strategic plan as our “Strategic Plan.” We developed our Strategic Plan in collaboration with a group of strategic advisors following an assessment of each of our business units focused on competitive advantages, effective capital allocation and anticipated funding needs to execute this plan.

At the time of its initial implementation, the principal elements of our Strategic Plan included:

Our Strategic Plan has evolved over time. Currently, our aim is to transform our business model into two separate companies: (1) a consumer-focused company that will provide fixed-line telecommunications services to customers and businesses; and (2) an infrastructure company that will focus on a neutral network. This will allow us to focus on the use and rapid expansion of our extensive fiber-optic infrastructure, including our transportation networks (backbone, backhaul and data network) and primary and secondary access networks (dedicated links, metropolitan rings and FTTH access networks). Our new Strategic Plan also includes the divestment of our mobile assets.

We have undertaken the following steps in furtherance of our Strategic Plan:

Sale of PT Ventures

On January 24, 2020, Africatel sold and transferred 100% of the share capital of PT Ventures to Sonangol for an aggregate purchase price of US$1 billion, of which US$61 million was paid to Africatel prior to the transfer of the shares, US$699 million was paid in cash on the closing date and US$240 million was paid in several installments between February 2020 and July 2020, by means of minimum monthly payments of US$40 million beginning in February 2020, totaling R$4.1 billion cash received in 2020. Pursuant to the Pharol Settlement Agreement, we deposited 34 million euros of the proceeds of this sale in an escrow account to cover losses relating to certain tax proceedings against Pharol.

The principal assets of PT Ventures included (1) a 25% stake in Unitel, (2) a 40% stake in Multitel Serviços de Telecomunicações Lda., (3) rights to dividends previously declared by Unitel, but not received by PT Ventures, and (4) all rights arising from a final award in the amount of approximately US$659 million in an arbitration proceeding initiated by PT Ventures against the other Unitel shareholders.

As a result of this transaction, we are no longer party to any litigation involving PT Ventures, Unitel or the other Unitel shareholders.

Sale of Non-Core Real Estate Assets

On February 21, 2020, we sold our property at Rua General Polidoro nº 99, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, to Alianza Gestão de Recursos Ltda. for R$120.5 million.

Throughout 2020, we also sold the following properties:

Sale of UPI Data Center

On December 11, 2020, following a hearing held in November 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a sale and purchase agreement, or the UPI Data Center SPA, to sell UPI Data Center to Titan Venture Capital e Investimentos Ltda., or Titan, for the amount of R$325 million. On March 12, 2021, after satisfying all contractual conditions precedent, the sale was completed, at which time all of the shares of SPE Data Center were transferred to Titan, which made a cash payment in the amount of R$250 million. The remaining amount is payable in installments in the form and terms provided for in the UPI Data Center SPA.

Sale of UPI Towers

On December 23, 2020, following a hearing held in November 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a sale and purchase agreement, or the UPI Towers SPA, to sell UPI Towers to Highline do Brasil II Infraestrutura de Telecomunicações S.A., or Highline, for the amount of approximately R$1.1 billion, subject to certain price adjustments as provided in the UPI Towers SPA. On March 30, 2021, after satisfying all contractual conditions precedent, the sale was completed, at which time all of the shares of SPE Towers were transferred to Highline, which made a cash payment in the amount of R$862 million. The remaining amount is subject to common price adjustments in the form and terms provided in the UPI Towers SPA.

Sale of UPI Mobile Assets

On January 28, 2021, following a hearing held in December 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a sale and purchase agreement, or the UPI Mobile Assets SPA, to sell UPI Mobile Assets to the telecom companies Telefônica Brasil S.A., TIM S.A., and Claro S.A. (collectively, the “Mobile Assets Buyers”) for the amount of R$16.5 billion, subject to certain conditions precedent, including regulatory authorizations. The UPI Mobile Assets SPA also provides for transition services to be provided by Oi to the Mobile Assets Buyers for a period of up to 12 months, and a long term “take or pay” agreement with Oi and certain of its subsidiaries for the performance of services of transmission capacity.

Partial Sale of UPI InfraCo – Binding Proposal

On February 4, 2021, the RJ Debtors entered into an exclusivity agreement with Globenet Cabos Submarinos S.A., or Globenet, BTG Pactual Economia Real Fundo de Investimento em Participações Multiestratégia, and other investment funds managed or controlled by companies belonging to the BTG Group, which we collectively refer to as the “InfraCo Prospective Buyers,” to negotiate the terms and conditions of our partial sale of shares representing a majority of the total capital stock of SPE InfraCo. Pursuant to the terms of the RJ Plan Amendment, we are required to maintain a significant interest in UPI InfraCo.

On April 12, 2021, RJ Debtors accepted a binding proposal from the InfraCo Prospective Buyers to purchase a portion of UPI InfraCo. Pursuant to the terms of the binding proposal, the InfraCo Prospective Buyers will acquire 57.9% of the voting and total capital stock of SPE InfraCo for consideration of approximately R$12.9 billion, which will take the form of: (1) cash payments for newly issued shares of SPE InfraCo; (2) cash payments for shares in SPE InfraCo held by us; and (3) the merger of Globenet with and into SPE InfraCo. The purchase price of the transaction is subject to earn-out and other adjustments based on certain performance indicators of SPE InfraCo, as agreed between us and the InfraCo Prospective Buyers in the binding proposal. The binding proposal gives the InfraCo Prospective Buyers the right to top any future bids that we may acquire in a competitive bidding process expected to be carried out in 2021 in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment.

Consent Solicitation for 10.000%/12.000% Senior PIK Toggle Notes due 2025

On February 18, 2021, Oi announced that it was soliciting consents, or the Consent Solicitation, from holders of its PIK Toggle Notes for the adoption of certain proposed amendments, or the Proposed Amendments, to the indenture governing the PIK Toggle Notes, dated as of July 27, 2018, or the PIK Toggle Notes Indenture.

The Proposed Amendments primarily seek to align certain provisions of the PIK Toggle Notes Indenture with the terms of RJ Plan Amendment in order to, among other things, increase the Company’s financial flexibility and operating efficiency, and include certain other changes as a result of discussion with holders of the PIK Toggle Notes.  The Consent Solicitation expired at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on May 5, 2021, or the Expiration Date. As of the Expiration Date, the Company received consents from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the PIK Toggle Notes. Promptly following the Expiration Date, the Company, the guarantors party thereto and the trustee executed the first supplemental indenture to the PIK Toggle Notes Indenture to implement the Proposed Amendments.

Offering of InfraCo Debentures

On February 18, 2021, in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, SPE InfraCo launched a private offering of secured convertible debentures, or the InfraCo Debentures, in the total amount of up to R$2,500 million. The InfraCo Debentures must be subscribed and paid-in by May 17, 2021 and will mature within 24 months from the issue date, except in the events of an early redemption or early maturity as provided for in the indenture governing the InfraCo Debentures. The InfraCo Debentures are convertible into redeemable preferred shares issued by SPE InfraCo, which represent a majority of SPE InfraCo’s voting shares. As provided for in the RJ Plan Amendment, Oi, through its subsidiaries Telemar and Oi Mobile, will hold a call option for all the preferred shares held by the InfraCo Debenture holders as a result of any conversion. The InfraCo Debentures bear interest at the IPCA rate plus 11% per annum. The InfraCo Debentures are secured by certain assets of SPE InfraCo. The issuance of the InfraCo Debentures is subject to certain conditions precedent.

Issuance of Oi Mobile Debentures

In February 2020, an investor subscribed for an aggregate amount of R$2,500 million of Oi Mobile’s non-convertible secured debentures, or the Oi Mobile Debentures. The Oi Mobile Debentures are guaranteed by Oi and Telemar and are secured by a pledge of cash flows from our receivables in an amount up to R$200 million per month and a first-priority lien on our right to use mobile frequencies. The Oi Mobile Debentures mature in January 2022 in the event that we raise more than R$5 billion from our divestments by July 31, 2020, and will amortize at a rate of R$100 million per month beginning in August 2020 through January 2022 in the event that we do not achieve this divestment target. The Oi Mobile Debentures bear PIK interest, capitalized monthly, through January 2021 at a rate of 12.66% per annum based on the daily U.S. dollar equivalent principal amount determined in accordance with the daily exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Brazilian real, and interest at a rate of 13.61% per annum, payable in cash, thereafter.

Changes to the Membership of Oi’s Board of Directors and Board of Executive Officers

Since January 1, 2020, there have been several changes to the composition of Oi’s board of directors and board of executive officers.

On January 31, 2020, Eurico de Jesus Teles Neto resigned as our chief executive officer. On the same date, Oi’s board of directors elected Rodrigo Modesto de Abreu to serve as our chief executive officer. Mr. Abreu had previously served as Oi’s Chief Operating Officer since September 2019 and as a member of Oi’s board of directors from September 2018 to September 2019.

On March 4, 2020, Oi’s board of directors appointed Claudia Quintella Woods to fill one of the vacancies on Oi’s board of directors. On March 13, 2020, Oi’s board of directors also appointed Armando Lins Netto to Oi’s board of directors, whose investiture was subject to ANATEL approval. On April 30, 2020, Oi’s Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders’ General Meeting ratified the appointment of Claudia Woods and Armando Lins Netto to the board. On June 3, 2020, ANATEL granted its consent for Armando Lins Netto to serve in the board of directors and his investiture became effective.

On October 16, 2020, an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting was convened to resolve upon the election of a new board of directors. In view of a request jointly submitted by certain shareholders whose combined holdings represent more than 5% of our capital stock, the election of the members of Oi’s board of directors took place through a multiple vote process. The following members were elected to serve a unified mandate with a term of office through our annual shareholders’ meeting on April 30, 2021: (1) Eleazar de Carvalho Filho; (2) Henrique José Fernandes Luz; (3) Marcos Bastos Rocha; (4) Marcos Grodetzky; (5) Maria Helena dos Santos Fernandes de Santana; (6) Paulino do Rego Barros Jr.; (7) Roger Solé Rafols; (8) Claudia Quintela Woods; (9) Armando Lins Netto; (10) Mateus Affonso Bandeira; and (11) Luis Maria Viana Palha da Silva.

The first nine members mentioned above already served on Oi’s board of directors and ANATEL had already granted its consent for their reelection. The investiture of Mateus Affonso Bandeira and Luis Maria Viana Palha da Silva was subject ANATEL’s consent, which was obtained on January 20, 2021.

At our annual shareholders’ meeting held on April 30, 2021, our shareholders elected to retain all but one of the members of Oi’s board of directors to serve a unified term through April 30, 2023. Mr. Marcos Bastos Rocha no longer serves Oi’s board of directors. Instead, Mr. Raphael Manhães Martins, a former member of Oi’s fiscal council, was elected to Oi’s board of directors. For information about the current members of Oi’s board of directors and board of executive officers, see “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees.”

Merger of Telemar with and into Oi

At an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting held on April 30, 2021, our shareholders voted to approve the merger of Telemar with and into Oi, as a result of which Oi issued 644,019,090 common shares in treasury. This merger became effective on May 3, 2021, with the transfer to Oi of Telemar’s concessions and authorizations to provide local, domestic long-distance and international long-distanced fixed-line telephone services (Serviço Telefônico Fixo Comutado - STFC) and national Multimedia Communication Service (Serviço de Comunicação Multimídia – SCM) authorizations to provide high speed data service.

Our principal operating subsidiary as of May 5, 2021 was Oi Mobile. For a complete list of our subsidiaries, see Exhibit 8.01 to this annual report.

Our Services

As part of our continuing operations, we provide the following services:

We have classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. In addition, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. For additional information regarding our discontinued operations, see “—V. Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

Residential Services

Our Residential Services business includes local and long-distance fixed-line voice services and broadband services provided to residential customers in our fixed-line concession service areas, comprising the entire territory of Brazil other than the State of São Paulo. We are the largest fixed-line telecommunications company in Brazil in terms of total number of lines in service as of December 31, 2020 based on our 9.5 million fixed lines in service as of December 31, 2020, with a market share of 49.3% of the total fixed lines in service in our service areas as of that date. We own the largest fiber optic network in Brazil, with more than 388,000 kilometers of installed fiber optic cable, distributed throughout Brazil. We offer a variety of high-speed broadband services. As of December 31, 2020, we had 4.1 million asymmetric digital subscriber line, or ADSL, subscribers, representing 64.5% of our residential fixed line customers as of that date.

We offer our residential services as bundles, as well as on an a la carte basis. In the Residential Services business, we view the household, rather than an individual, as our customer, and our offerings, particularly our bundled offerings, are designed to meet the needs of the household as a whole.

Fixed-Line Voice Services

Local fixed-line services include installation, monthly subscription, metered services, collect calls and supplemental local services. Metered services include local calls that originate and terminate within a single local area and calls between separate local areas within specified metropolitan regions, which we refer to as local calls. ANATEL has divided our fixed-line service areas into approximately 4,400 local areas.

Calls within Brazil that are not classified as local calls are classified as domestic long-distance calls. We provide domestic and international long-distance services for calls originating from fixed-line devices in our fixed-line service areas.

Under our concession agreements, we are required to offer two local fixed-line plans to users: the Basic Plan per Minute (Plano Básico de Minutos) and the Mandatory Alternative Service Plan (Plano Alternativo de Serviços de Oferta Obrigatória), to which a small percentage of our residential customers subscribe. A large majority of our residential customers subscribe to one of a variety of alternative fixed-line plans that we offer, which are designed to meet our customers’ usage profiles, including our bundled services plans. We continually monitor customer usage profiles and preferences and periodically revise our alternative fixed-line plans and promotions in order to better service the needs of our residential customers.

Broadband Services

We offer fixed broadband services through xDSL technologies and FTTH, with speeds ranging from 1 megabit per second, or Mbps, to 500 Mbps. We offer broadband services to our residential customers as mostly as part of bundled plans with our traditional fixed-line services. Customers pay a fixed monthly subscription fee, irrespective of their actual connection time to the internet.

As of December 31, 2020, our network covered 87.3% of the municipalities in our fixed-line service areas, reaching a total of more than 4.5 million fixed broadband customers, of which 2.1 million have FTTH connections and 2.4 million have copper wire connections, and our national fiber network reached approximately 9.1 million homes through FTTH. As of December 31, 2020, we offered FTTH in 134 municipalities, an increase of 48 municipalities as compared to December 31, 2019. We continue to strategically invest in our broadband network in areas that we believe have the greatest potential for sales and growth.

As with our traditional fixed-line services, we continually monitor customer usage profiles and preferences and periodically revise our broadband plans and promotions in order to better service the needs of our residential customers, to encourage our existing broadband customers to migrate to plans offering higher speeds and to attract new customers to our broadband services.

B2B Services

In our B2B Services business, we serve small and medium sized enterprises, or SMEs, corporate and governmental customers and other telecommunications providers. We offer a variety of services to our SME, corporate and governmental customers, including our core fixed-line, broadband and mobile services, as well as our value-added services, advanced voice services and commercial data transmission services. For our corporate customers, we also offer information technology services, such as network management and security, storage, Smartcloud, anti-distributed denial of service and machine-to-machine products, which enable communication between a product and its control center or database (such as a car and its GPS navigation system), in order to expand our revenue sources from corporate customers beyond voice services, increase customer loyalty and ensure greater revenue predictability. We also provide specialized wholesale services, consisting of data network services and facilities, interconnection, national and international voice traffic transit and roaming.

Our B2B Services business provides voice, broadband, Pay-TV, data transmission and other telecommunications services to small and medium sized enterprises, or SMEs, corporation and governmental agencies throughout Brazil. We also provide wholesale interconnection, network usage (interconnection) services and traffic transportation services to other telecommunications providers.

Services for SMEs

We offer SME services similar to those offered to our residential and personal mobility customers, including fixed-line and mobile voice services, and fixed-line and mobile broadband services. We also launched FTTH plans for SMEs. In addition, we offer SMEs:

In general, our sales team works with our SME customer to determine that customer’s telecommunications needs and negotiates a package of services and pricing structure that is best suited to its needs.

Services for Corporate Customers

We offer corporate customers all of the services offered to our SME customers. In addition, we provide a variety of customized, high-speed data transmission services through various technologies and means of access to corporate customers. Our principal data transmission services for corporate customers are:

We provide these services at data transmission speeds of 2 Mbps to 100 Gbps.

We also offer information technology infrastructure services to our corporate customers, seeking to offer them end-to-end solutions through which we are able to provide and manage their connectivity and information technology needs. For example, we offer Oi SmartCloud, a suite of data processing and data storage services that we perform through our five cyber data centers located in Brasília, São Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre. In addition, we provide hosting, collocation and IT outsourcing services, permitting our customers to outsource their IT infrastructures to us or to use these centers to provide backup for their IT systems.

We also offer the following five major service groups through Oi SmartCloud:

We also offer various services based on IT applications:

In order to provide complete solutions to our corporate clients, we have entered into service agreements for the joint supply of international data services with a number of important international data services providers. These commercial relationships with international data services providers are part of our strategy of offering telecommunications services packages to our customers.

Wholesale Services

We are responsible for providing services over the local access network and over the long distance network. Our portfolio includes specialized services, consisting interconnection, national and international voice traffic transit and infrastructure sharing.

Interconnection

As part of our wholesale services, we provide interconnection services to users of other network providers. The interconnection is a link between compatible telecommunications networks which permits that a fixed or mobile service user of one network can adequately communicate with the users of a network from another provider. All providers of telecommunication services (fixed or mobile) are required to provide interconnection upon request to any other telecommunication collective service provider. The interconnection agreements are negotiated according to the General Rules on Interconnection (Regulamento Geral de Interconexão), established by ANATEL.

Voice Traffic Transit

We offer national and international voice traffic transit that meets all our customers’ expectations and satisfies the dynamic needs of the telecommunications market. Direct interconnections with the major national and international telecommunication carriers, as well as most small carriers, ensure high-quality voice traffic transit in Brazil.

Roaming

We provide Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM, roaming in Brazil to national and international mobile operators. Our roaming agreements enables mobile users to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive SMS as well as access internet service while traveling outside the geographical coverage area of their own home network by using our mobile network.

Marketing and Distribution

We focus our marketing efforts on the upselling to our existing clients while strengthening the “Oi” brand through our convergent services offerings and promotion of our Minha Oi smartphone application, which allows our pre-paid customers to freely switch between their data and voice allowances. We also engage in digital marketing and multiple customer relationship management (CRM) marketing programs to support our B2B Services business.

We strive to increase the visibility of our brand and provide a consistent branding message. In the year ended December 31, 2020, we adjusted our brand strategy and placed greater emphasis on marketing our fiber services. In addition, we developed a new strategy for addressing our corporate clients, which now focuses on providing products and infrastructure to address the needs of large corporations, including ACT solutions, outsourcing, and cybersecurity.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we increased our investment in advertising, with a focus on digital advertising, with the goal of improving traffic to our digital channels and generating sales in other channels. In addition to digital advertising, we used traditional advertising mediums, such as cable and network television and radio to increase our presence and the reach of our branding. In addition, we developed a detailed communications strategy to grow sales of our FTTH services.

To grow our customer base, we use proprietary media tools including telemarketing, e-mail and text messages. We also developed a branded content strategy, combining sponsorships of events, athletes and influencers to increase brand awareness and demonstrate our credibility.

Distribution Channels

We distribute our services through channels focused on: (1) residential customers; and (2) business and corporate customers.

Residential Services

Our distribution channels for residential customers are focused on sales of fixed-line services, including voice, broadband services and Oi TV, and post-paid mobile services. As of December 31, 2020, the principal distribution channels that we used for sales to residential customers were:

B2B Services

We have established separate distribution channels to serve SME and corporate customers. As of December 31, 2020, the principal distribution channels that we use to market our services to SMEs were:

We market our entire range of services to corporate customers through our own direct sales force which meets with current and prospective corporate customers to discuss the business needs of these enterprises and design solutions intended to address their communications needs. Our client service model focuses on post-sale service and we regularly discuss service needs and improvements through calls and meetings with our customers. As of December 31, 2020, our corporate sales team, excluding post-sale service personnel, was composed of approximately 231 employees operating in 6 regional offices.

Rates, Billing and Collection

Rates

Our rates for certain services, including basic local fixed-line and domestic long-distance plans, interconnection, EILD and SLD services, are generally subject to regulation by ANATEL. The rates for other telecommunications services, such as broadband services, IP services and frame relay services are market oriented but may still be subject to ANATEL regulation. Furthermore, the rates for DTH and IP TV services are not subject to ANATEL regulation.

For more information about the regulations applicable to our rates, see “—IX. Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry.”

Billing and Collection

We send each of our Residential Services customers a monthly bill covering all the services provided during the prior monthly period. Customers are grouped in billing cycles based on the date their bills are issued. Each bill separately itemizes service packages, local calls, long-distance calls, calls terminating on a mobile network, toll-free services and other services such as call waiting, voicemail and call forwarding. Payments of Residential Services bills are due within an average of 15 days after the billing date. We charge late-payment interest at a rate of 1% per month plus a one-time late charge of 2% of the amount outstanding. We have agreements with several banks for the receipt and processing of payments from our Residential Services customers. A variety of businesses, such as lottery houses, drugstores and grocery stores, accept payments from our Residential Services customers as agents for these banks.

We are required to include in our monthly Residential Services bills charges incurred by our customers for long-distance services provided by other long-distance service providers upon the request of these providers. We have billing agreements with each long-distance telecommunications service provider that interconnects with our networks under which we bill our customers for any long-distance calls originated on our network that are carried by another long-distance service provider and transfer the balance to the relevant provider after deducting any access fees due for the use of our network.

ANATEL regulations permit us to restrict outgoing calls made by a Residential Services customer 15 days after we send the customer a past due notice, restrict incoming calls received by a Residential Services customer 30 days after the restriction on outgoing calls is imposed, and disconnect a Residential Services customer after 30 days after the restriction on incoming calls is imposed. The disconnection process thus comprises several stages, including customer notification regarding the referral of their delinquency to credit bureaus, before the Residential Services customer may be ultimately disconnected due to non-payment. Notices range from voice messages to active calls for negotiation with the customer. Our collection system enables us to access delinquent subscribers’ accounts according to their payment profile. This profile takes into consideration, among other things, the length of subscription, the outstanding balance of the account and the longest payment delays.

Competition

The Brazilian telecommunications industry is highly competitive. The competitive environment is significantly affected by key trends, including technological and service convergence, market consolidation and combined service offerings by service providers.

Residential Services

We are a leading provider of residential services in our fixed-line service areas. Based on information available from ANATEL, as of December 31, 2020, we had a market share of 49.0% of the total fixed lines in service in our service areas (including the number fixed lines provided to our B2B Services customers). Our principal competitors for fixed-line services in our service areas are Claro and Telefônica Brasil.

We face competition from other telecommunications services providers, particularly from mobile telecommunications services providers, which has led to traffic migration from fixed-line traffic to mobile traffic and the substitution of mobile services in place of fixed-line services.

In addition, we face competition from providers of cable television services, particularly Claro and Telefônica Brasil, which provide local fixed-line services and broadband services (in many areas at higher speeds than our offerings) to residential customers through their cable network in municipalities in our service areas that have the highest concentration of purchasing power.

Telefônica Brasil has been increasing its competitive activities through traditional fixed-line networks in our fixed-line service areas, expanding its fiber optic network in high-income residential areas and increasing its services to low- and medium-size businesses.

The decrease in interconnection rates has led to decreases in market prices for telecommunications services by enabling telecommunications service providers that use the local fixed-line networks of incumbent fixed-line providers, such as our company, to offer lower prices to their customers for fixed-line services, such as voice and broadband. Although regional broadband service providers do not have the same national footprint as our company, they have established networks in the regions in which they operate and often have a market share of approximately 15% of broadband customers.

The primary providers of subscription television services in the regions in which we provide Residential Services are SKY, which provides DTH services, and Claro, which provides DTH service under the “Claro TV” brand and Pay-TV services using coaxial cable under the “Net” brand.

B2B Services

The competitive landscape we face relating to the fixed-line and mobile services we provide to our B2B customers are similar to those relating to the fixed-line and mobile services we provide to our residential and personal mobility customers.

In recent years, there has been a shift among corporate and SME services providers toward value-added services. With the exception of the Oi Mais Empresas application and web service, our value-added products and services for the SME segment are substantially similar to those offered by our competitors; and we rely on client service and customer satisfaction to maintain existing customers and attract new customers. Our principal competitors for both core and value-added services for SME and corporate customers are Claro, Telefônica Brasil and TIM, as well as smaller niche companies.

Property, Plant and Equipment

As of December 31, 2020, the net book value of our property, plant and equipment from continuing operations was R$24,135 million. As of December 31, 2020, of the net book value of our property, plant and equipment, (1) transmission and other equipment, primarily data communication equipment, network systems and infrastructure (including alternating and direct current supply equipment) and motor-generator groups, represented 41.1%; (2) infrastructure, primarily consisting of metallic and fiber-optic cable networks and lines, underground ducts, posts and towers, represented 30.7%; (3) right of use – leases, primarily consisting of communications towers, real estate, stores, vehicles, and sites (physical spaces), represented 12.1%; (4) work in progress represented 8.1%; (5) buildings represented 5.6%; (6) automatic switching equipment, consisting of trunking and switching stations (including local, tandem and transit telephone exchanges), represented 1.3%; and (7) other fixed assets represented 1.2%.

All Brazilian property, plant and equipment that are essential in providing the services described in our fixed-line concession agreements are considered “reversible assets,” which means that, should our fixed-line concession agreements expire or terminate without being renewed, these assets will automatically revert to ANATEL. There are no other encumbrances that may affect the utilization of our property, plant and equipment. For more details, see note 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

Intellectual Property

We hold several material intellectual property assets, including patents and trademarks registered with the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial), or BPTO. Our main trademark used in Brazil, “Oi,” is registered with the BPTO in several classes, which allows us to use this trademark in a variety of markets in which we operate, including in connection with our fixed-line, broadband and fiber optic internet services (internet and television).

Operating Agreements

Fixed-Line Tower Leases

We have also entered into three operating lease agreements with owners of fixed-line communications towers to lease space to install equipment related to the delivery of our fixed-line services on an aggregate of approximately 6,400 fixed-line communications towers.

The monthly payments under our operating lease agreements reflect a base rental amount specified in the agreement, adjusted annually by the positive variation of IPCA.

The operating lease agreements for space on fixed-line communications towers have 20-year terms expiring between April 2033 and July 2033 and are renewable for additional 20-year terms.

Satellite Network

We have deployed a range of satellite-based services to comply with our public service obligations to the rural and remote areas of Brazil, including the Amazon rainforest region. These satellite services include internet access and access to corporate data applications. The satellite network comprises satellite earth stations located in less-populated rural areas, as well as hub stations in the cities of Brasília, Manaus, Belém, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Velho, Boa Vista, Macapá, Santarém, and Marabá. Our fiber optic backbone connects all these hub stations. The integration of the land-based segment of our satellite network allows us to provide fixed-line to our subscribers in any location in our fixed-line service areas.

Network Maintenance

Our external plant and equipment maintenance, installation and network servicing are performed by our wholly-owned subsidiary Serede Serviços de Rede S.A., or Serede, as well as one third-party service provider, Telemont. We employ our own team of technicians for our internal plant and equipment maintenance.

Insourced Network Maintenance

In May 2013 and June 2013, we insourced our installation, operations, and corrective and preventive maintenance services in connection with our fixed-line telecommunications services, mobile telecommunications services, data transmission services (including broadband access services), satellite services, buildings, access ways and towers. These services had previously been provided by Nokia Solutions and Networks do Brasil Telecomunicações Ltda. and Alcatel-Lucent Brasil S.A.

In June 2016, we acquired 100% of the capital stock of A.R.M. Engenharia and changed its corporate name to Rede Conecta – Serviços de Rede S.A. In November 2018, Rede Conecta merged into Serede. Through Serede we perform installation, operation and corrective and preventive maintenance in connection with our external plant and associated equipment, public telephones, and fiber optic and data communication networks (including broadband access services).

Outsourced Network Maintenance

In October 2017, we entered into services agreements with Telemont for installation, operation, and corrective and preventive maintenance in connection with our external plant and associated equipment, public telephones, and fiber optic and data communication networks (including broadband access services) in the States of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Acre, Rondônia and Goiás and the Federal District. The total estimated payments under this contract, which expires in October 2025, are approximately R$6.1 billion.

Research and Development

We conduct independent innovation, research and development in areas of telecommunications services but historically we have not independently developed new telecommunications technologies. We depend primarily on suppliers of telecommunications equipment for the development of new technology.

As a result of our decision to dispose of certain businesses and/or isolated assets in connection with the RJ Plan Amendment, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

As of December 30, 2020, our assets held-for-sale included our UPIs, our operations in Africa and other non-core real estate assets. As of December 31, 2020, we recorded total assets of R$20,772 million and total liabilities of R$9,195 million related to our assets held-for-sale.

UPIs

To further our Strategic Plan and pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, we created five UPIs for the disposal of certain of our businesses and/or isolated assets, as follows: (1) UPI Mobile Assets, which includes our mobile telephony and data operations; (2) UPI Towers and UPI Data Center, which includes our passive infrastructure; (3) UPI InfraCo, which includes our telecommunications network operation; and (4) UPI TVCo, which includes our Pay-TV business. Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment and the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law, our UPIs are separated from the assets, liabilities and rights of the RJ Debtors.

As of the date of this annual report, we have entered into agreements to sell or completed the sale of UPI Data Center, UPI Towers and UPI Mobile Assets. In addition, we have accepted a binding proposal from a group of prospective buyers to acquire a majority interest in UPI InfraCo. For additional information, see “—II. Our Recent History and Development—Adoption of Strategic Plan.”

The assets and liabilities related to UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo, UPI Towers, and UPI Data Center are classified as held for sale since their carrying amounts are being recovered primarily through sale transactions rather than through continuous use. We consider the sale of these assets to be highly probable, considering how the divestment plan of these assets is unfolding. We have also classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. We do not consider the operations of UPI Towers to represent a separate line of business, and the revenues and expenses associated with these assets are presented under the full consolidation method in our statement of profit or loss.

As of December 31, 2020, we recorded total assets of R$20,625 million and total liabilities of R$9,153 million related to our UPIs held-for-sale. As of December 31, 2020, the net book value of our property, plant and equipment associated with our UPIs was R$17,298 million.

UPI Mobile Assets

Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, UPI Mobile Assets holds 100% of the capital stock of SPE Mobile Assets. SPE Mobile Assets will hold assets relating to our Personal Mobility business in Brazil, including our mobile client base, our authorizations to provide mobile telephone services and certain mobile network equipment and information technology systems.

On January 28, 2021, following a hearing held in December 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed the UPI Mobile Assets SPA to sell UPI Mobile Assets to the telecom companies Telefônica Brasil S.A., TIM S.A., and Claro S.A. (collectively, the “Mobile Assets Buyers”) for the amount of R$16.5 billion, subject to certain conditions precedent, including regulatory authorizations. The UPI Mobile Assets SPA also provides for transition services to be provided by Oi to the Mobile Assets Buyers for a period of up to 12 months, and a long term “take or pay” agreement with Oi and certain of its subsidiaries for the performance of services of transmission capacity.

Overview of Our Personal Mobility Services

Our Personal Mobility Services business offers mobile telecommunications services throughout Brazil. Our mobile network covers areas in which approximately 94% of the Brazilian population lives and works. In addition, we provide network usage (interconnection) services. Based on our 36.7 million mobile subscribers as of December 31, 2020, we had a 15.8% market share of the Brazilian mobile telecommunications market as of that date.

We offer pre-paid and post-paid mobile voice and data communications plans, including: Pré da Oi plans for the pre-paid market; Pós da Oi plans for the post-paid market; and Oi Controle as a hybrid solution. Since our 4G network expansion, we have greater capacity to meet the growing demand for data, and have focused on increasing the migration of users from 2G and 3G to 4G by encouraging sales of 3G/4G smartphones and by including more data allowances in our new mobile offers.

Pre-Paid Plans

Pre-paid customers activate their cellular numbers through the purchase and installation of a SIM card in their mobile handsets. We offer pre-paid voice and data bundles through our Pré da Oi portfolio. Our Pré da Oi portfolio includes a range of all-net voice minutes for calls within Brazil and data allowances (ranging from 1 GB to 15 GB of 4G mobile data) for flat fees. Customers choose the amount of time they have to use their voice and data allowances, ranging from seven to 31 days. Using the Minha Oi application on their smartphones, customers can freely switch between their data and voice allowances depending on their individual needs using a pre-determined exchange rate. Our pre-paid customers are able to add credits to their accounts through point-of-sale machines, ATMs, Apple and Android applications installed on their mobile devices such as Minha Oi using a credit card or Caixa Tem debit credit. These credits are valid for a fixed period of time following activation and can be extended when additional credits are purchased.

Post-Paid Plans

Customers of our post-paid plans are billed on a monthly basis for contracted services used during the previous month, in addition to any fees for special services. Our Pós da Oi Digital portfolio offers unlimited text messages, unlimited minutes for calls to any operator in Brazil and two mobile data plans (8 GB and 100 GB) with no usage restrictions, plus no data traffic charge for major social networks and video to apps, which vary according to the data plan, and include, among others: YouTube, Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. On our premium plan, customers can include up to four additional lines and manage or share their data plan through our self-serve application, Minha Oi. Our plan subscription also includes Oi Play bundled with video streaming services. To increase our value proposition, in addition to mobile voice and data services, we bundle premium content and services including newspapers, magazines and e-books.

Hybrid Plans

Our hybrid plans present strategic value for our company because they combine the advantages of pre-paid offerings, such as the absence of bad debt and a favorable impact on working capital, with advantages of post-paid offerings, such as a heavier consumption profile and higher ARPUs. We improve our revenues and market share through the offer of hybrid plans by consolidating customer recharges in our hybrid plans’ SIM cards and by improving the mix of offerings to the post-paid market.

We offer the Oi Controle portfolio of plans for customers who wish to combine the cost savings of our post-paid plans with the self-imposed limits of our pre-paid plans. Oi Controle subscribers have similar benefits as the Pós da Oi customers, such as data packages with no usage restrictions, unlimited text messaging and unlimited all-net voice minutes for calls within Brazil, combined with the ability of Pré da Oi customers to freely switch between their data and voice allowances depending on their individual needs using a pre-determined exchange rate using the Minha Oi application on their smartphones.

Value-Added Services

In 2020, we continued to accelerate our digital transformation process, which included restructuring our value-added services under the following categories: (1) films and series; (2) education; (3) health; (4) written media; and (5) utilities. Within each category, we highlight the following value-added services:

Films and Series

Education

Health

Written Media

Utilities

Our value-added services are developed by third-party application or content providers and offered to our customers.

Marketing and Distribution

As with our residential services, we focus our personal mobility marketing efforts on the upselling to our existing clients while strengthening the “Oi” brand through our convergent services offerings and promotion of our Minha Oi smartphone application, which allows our pre-paid customers to freely switch between their data and voice allowances.

We strive to increase the visibility of our brand and provide a consistent branding message. In the year ended December 31, 2020, we adjusted our brand strategy and placed greater emphasis on marketing our post-paid mobile packages.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we increased our investment in advertising, with a focus on digital advertising, with the goal of improving traffic to our digital channels and generating sales in other channels. In addition to digital advertising, we used traditional advertising mediums, such as cable and network television and radio to increase our presence and the reach of our branding.

To grow our customer base, we use proprietary media tools including telemarketing, e-mail and text messages. We also developed a branded content strategy, combining sponsorships of events, athletes and influencers to increase brand awareness and demonstrate our credibility.

Our distribution channels for personal mobility customers are focused on sales of mobile services to post-paid customers and pre-paid customers, including mobile broadband customers. As of December 31, 2020, the principal distribution channels that we used for sales of our pre-paid Personal Mobility Services were:

Rates, Billing and Collection

Rates

Under our current authorizations, we are allowed to set prices for our mobile service plans, provided that such amounts do not exceed a specified inflation adjusted cap. For more information about the regulations applicable to our rates, see “—IX. Regulation of the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry.”

Billing and Collection

We bill our post-paid Personal Mobility Services customers on a monthly basis and itemize charges in the same manner as we bill our Residential Services customers. In addition, the monthly bills also provide details regarding minutes used and roaming charges. Payments are due within an average of 15 days after the billing date. We charge late-payment interest at a rate of 1% per month plus a one-time late charge of 2% of the amount outstanding. As with our Residential Services business, we have agreements with several banks for the receipt and processing of payments from our post-paid Personal Mobility Services customers. A variety of businesses, such as lottery houses, drugstores and grocery stores, accept payments from our post-paid Personal Mobility Services customers as agents for these banks.

ANATEL regulations permit us to restrict outgoing calls made and text messages sent by a post-paid Personal Mobility Services customer 15 days after we send the customer a past due notice, restrict incoming calls and text messages received by a post-paid Personal Mobility Services customer 30 days after the restriction on outgoing calls and text messages is imposed, and cancel services to a post-paid Personal Mobility Services customer after 30 days after the restriction on incoming calls is imposed. The cancellation process thus comprises several stages, including customer notification regarding the referral of their delinquency to credit bureaus, before services to the post-paid Personal Mobility Services customer may be ultimately cancelled due to non-payment. Notices range from text messages to active calls for negotiation with the customer. Our collection system enables us to access delinquent subscribers’ accounts according to their payment profile. This profile takes into consideration, among other things, the length of subscription, the outstanding balance of the account and the longest payment delays. We have also implemented an information tool to assist with account management that is designed to warn subscribers of high outstanding amounts due and unpaid.

Customers of our pre-paid Personal Mobility Services can only use a paid service if they have enough active credits in their accounts to do so. In order to acquire credits, customers must recharge their SIM cards in one of our many points of sales. Services are charged directly from the customer’s accounts and are free of bad-debt risk.

Competition

The mobile telecommunications services market in Brazil is characterized by intense competition among providers of mobile telecommunications services. We compete primarily with Telefônica Brasil, which markets its mobile services under the brand name “Vivo,” TIM and Claro, each of which provides services throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2020, based on information available from ANATEL (which includes B2B Services subscribers), we had a market share of 15.7% of the total number of mobile subscribers in Brazil.

We believe that in the medium-term, personal mobility service providers in Brazil will experience increasing competition from OTT providers, as customers shift from mobile voice and SMS communications to internet-based voice and data communications through computers and smartphone or tablet applications such as WhatsApp, Viber and Skype.

Technology

Mobile devices access our GSM, or 2G, mobile networks on frequencies of 900 MHz/1800 MHz, our 3G mobile networks on frequencies of 2100 MHz and our 4G/4.5G mobile networks on frequencies of 1800 MHz/2600 MHz. Our 2G access points use General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), which allows speeds in the range of 115 kilobytes per second (kbps), and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution, or EDGE, which allows speeds in the range of 230 kbps, to send and receive data signals. Our 3G access points use High Speed Packet Access, or HSPA, and HSPA+, which allows speeds in the range of 42.2 Mbps, to send and receive data signals. Our 4G access points use 10+10 MHz and 2x2 and 4x4 multiple-input multiple-output, or MIMO, depending on the site configuration, which allows speeds in the range of 75 Mbps (2x2 MIMO configuration sites) and 300 Mbps (4x4 MIMO and carrier aggregation configuration sites), to send and receive data signals. Although currently the majority of voice signals are sent and received through our 2G and 3G access points are routed to our aggregation networks, we are initiating Voice over LTE (VoLTE) that will enable 4G routes voice signal over 4G access points, allowing offering new type of services based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem, or IMS, platform. Our mobile networks have unique data core and are fully integrated with our fixed-line data networks.

UPI Towers

Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, UPI Towers holds 100% of the capital stock of SPE Towers. SPE Towers holds certain of our passive infrastructure, including: (1) 637 mobile communications towers and rooftop antennae; and (2) cables and antennae used to propagate mobile telephone signals in 222 indoor sites.

On December 23, 2020, following a hearing held in November 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed the UPI Towers SPA to sell UPI Towers to Highline do Brasil II Infraestrutura de Telecomunicações S.A., or Highline, for the amount of approximately R$1.1 billion, subject to certain price adjustments as provided in the UPI Towers SPA. On March 30, 2021, after satisfying all contractual conditions precedent, the sale was completed, at which time all of the shares of SPE Towers were transferred to Highline, which made a cash payment in the amount of R$862 million. The remaining amount is subject to common price adjustments in the form and terms provided in the UPI Towers SPA.

UPI Data Center

Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, UPI Data Center holds 100% of the capital stock of SPE Data Center. SPE Data Center holds our five cyber data centers located in Brasília, São Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.

On December 11, 2020, following a hearing held in November 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a the UPI Data Center SPA to sell UPI Data Center to Titan Venture Capital e Investimentos Ltda., or Titan, for the amount of R$325 million. On March 12, 2021, after satisfying all contractual conditions precedent, the sale was completed, at which time all of the shares of SPE Data Center were transferred to Titan, which made a cash payment in the amount of R$250 million. The remaining amount is payable in installments in the form and terms provided for in the UPI Data Center SPA.

UPI InfraCo

Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, UPI InfraCo holds 100% of the capital stock of SPE InfraCo. SPE InfraCo will hold infrastructure and fiber assets relating to our access and transportation networks.

On February 4, 2021, the RJ Debtors entered into an exclusivity agreement with Globenet Cabos Submarinos S.A., or Globenet, BTG Pactual Economia Real Fundo de Investimento em Participações Multiestratégia, and other investment funds managed or controlled by companies belonging to the BTG Group, which we collectively refer to as the “InfraCo Prospective Buyers,” to negotiate the terms and conditions of our partial sale of shares representing a majority of the total capital stock of SPE InfraCo. Pursuant to the terms of the RJ Plan Amendment, we are required to maintain a significant interest in UPI InfraCo.

On April 12, 2021, RJ Debtors accepted a binding proposal from the InfraCo Prospective Buyers to purchase a portion of UPI InfraCo. Pursuant to the terms of the binding proposal, the InfraCo Prospective Buyers will acquire 57.9% of the voting and total capital stock of SPE InfraCo for consideration of approximately R$12.9 billion, which will take the form of: (1) cash payments for newly issued shares of SPE InfraCo; (2) cash payments for shares in SPE InfraCo held by us; and (3) the merger of Globenet with and into SPE InfraCo. The purchase price of the transaction is subject to earn-out and other adjustments based on certain performance indicators of SPE InfraCo, as agreed between us and the InfraCo Prospective Buyers in the binding proposal. The binding proposal gives the InfraCoProspective Buyers the right to top any future bids that we may acquire in a competitive bidding process expected to be carried out in 2021 in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment.

Following the partial sale of UPI InfraCo, SPE InfraCo will become our associated company.

UPI TVCo

Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, UPI TVCo holds 100% of the capital stock of SPE TVCo. SPE TVCo will hold assets relating to our Pay-TV services in Brazil.

Overview of Our Pay-TV Services

We offer Pay-TV services under our Oi TV brand. We deliver Pay-TV services throughout our fixed-line service areas using direct to home, or DTH, satellite technology. We also deliver Pay-TV services through our fiber optic network (internet protocol Pay-TV, or IPTV) in all the cities where we have deployed FTTH. As of December 31, 2020, we had 1.3 million residential Pay-TV subscribers, representing 20.2% of our residential fixed line customers of that date.

We offer Pay-TV services to our residential customers as part of bundled plans with our traditional fixed-line services or add-on channels. We offer several packages of Pay-TV channels at different price points and offer subscribers to each of these packages the option to purchase additional channels such as HBO, Telecine, Star Premium and nationwide known sports products Premiere and Combate.

As with our traditional fixed-line services, we continually monitor customer usage profiles and preferences and periodically revise our Pay-TV plans and promotions in order to better service the needs of our residential customers and to attract new customers to our Pay-TV services.

We provide our DTH services through satellite uplinks that receive, encode and transmit the television signals to satellite transponders through our own facilities in Barra da Tijuca near Rio de Janeiro. As of December 31, 2020, we leased transponders to provide DTH services from SES New Skies with 1.296 GHz of capacity on the SES-6 satellite in Ku band.

Through our FTTH network, we offered IPTV services in 133 cities in more than 26 states as of December 31, 2020. For subscribers of our Oi TV services, through our DTH or FTTH networks, we also offer OTT services, which provide customers with access to different content on different devices (mobile phones, tablets and computers).

Other Assets Held-for-Sale

Operations in Africa

We own 86% of the share capital of Africatel, which indirectly owns 51% of the share capital of CST – Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicações, S.A.R.L., or CST, a provider of fixed and mobile services in São Tomé and Principe, that was established in 1989 and provides fixed-line and mobile telecommunications services under the terms of a 20-year license granted in 2007. On October 20, 2020, Africatel entered into an agreement to sell its shares in CST.

As a result of this agreement, we record the assets and liabilities of CST as held-for sale, although we do not record CST as discontinued operations in our income statement due to the immateriality of the effects of CST on our results of operations. As of December 31, 2020, we recorded total assets of R$100 million and total liabilities of R$42 million related to our African assets held-for-sale.

As of the date of this annual report, Africatel’s sale of CST’s shares is subject to approval by the government of São Tomé and Príncipe.

As part of our Strategic Plan, our board of directors has authorized our management to take the necessary measures to sell the remainder of our African and Asian operations, consisting primarily of Directel—Listas Telefónicas Internacionais, Lda., a Portuguese entity with subsidiaries in Angola, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, and Kenya that publish telephone directories and operate related data bases in those countries, and Timor Telecom, S.A., a company that provides telecommunications, multimedia and IT services in Timor Leste in Asia.

Real Estate Assets

As part of our Strategic Plan, our board of directors has authorized our management to take the necessary measures to dispose of certain non-core real estate assets. As of December 31, 2020, we recorded total assets of R$47 million related to our non-core real estate assets held-for-sale.

Joint Venture

We own 19.04% of the share capital of Hispamar Satélites S.A., or Hispamar, a Spanish-Brazilian enterprise created in November 1999 by Hispasat S.A., or Hispasat (the leading satellite telecommunications provider in the Iberian Peninsula), and our company. Hispamar operates the Amazonas 2 and Amazonas 3 satellites. In December 2002, we entered into an agreement with Hispasat that granted and transferred to Hispamar the rights to exploit geostationary orbital position 61 degrees west, and we acquired a minority equity stake in Hispamar.

In 2009, the Amazonas 2 satellite was launched and this satellite commenced commercial operations in early 2010. This satellite provides both C and Ku band transponders and on-board switching, with an expected useful life of 15 years. The Amazonas 2 satellite is owned by a subsidiary of Hispasat and Hispamar has been granted the right to operate and lease all of the transponder’s space segment on this satellite.

In 2013, the Amazonas 3 satellite was launched and commenced commercial operations. This satellite provides both C and Ku band transponders, with an expected useful life of 15 years. The Amazonas 3 satellite is owned by Hispamar, which operates and leases all of the transponder’s space segment on this satellite.

Associated Company

We own 50% of Companhia AIX de Participações S.A., or AIX. AIX provides infrastructure services to our company and is engaged in the construction of ductwork for the installation of fiber optic cables along highways in the State of São Paulo.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we modernized our core network, with a focus on infrastructure improvements and enhancing our customers’ experience, by making strategic investment decisions that allow us to do more with less and we invested in our FTTH network. As a result, we expanded our fiber optic backbone, which enhanced our data traffic capabilities for fixed and mobile networks, to keep up with the growing demand. In addition, our performance on ANATEL’s network quality metrics improved.

The following table sets forth our capital expenditures for the periods indicated with respect to our continuing and discontinued operations.

Our principal capital expenditures relate to a variety of projects designed to expand and upgrade our transmission networks, our broadband access networks (fixed and mobile), our service platforms (data, video and voice), our information technology systems and our telecommunications services infrastructure.

Data Transmission Equipment Programs

We are engaged in a long-term program to upgrade portions of our fixed-line access networks with optical fiber networks based on GPON. The implementation of this technology permits us to provide broadband with speeds up to 200 Mbps to residential customers and up to 1 Gbps to commercial customers.

In our access networks, we have been engaged in a program of deploying FTTH technology to support our “triple play” services, using a GPON network engineered to support IPTV, high speed internet (currently speeds up to 200 Mbps), and VoIP services.

We have acquired and installed data communications equipment to convert elements of our networks that used ATM and SDH protocols to MPLS protocol over optical fiber, which supports IP and permits the creation of VPNs through our Metro Ethernet networks. We also deployed an optical switching layer based on optical transport network technology in order to provide more efficient use of our DWDM capacity, fast restorations, and IP routers traffic offloading.

We have been implementing a new broadband data communications network architecture, which we refer to as the Single Edge project. This architecture enables Oi to offer access network services such as mobile, broadband, IPTV, and corporate customer links in a single platform, which eliminates the need for individual management of each type of access network, expedites the resolution of network problems and minimizes maintenance and operation costs.

In addition to expanding our IP backbone capacity, we are continuing to simplify our transport network architecture through the adoption of the single-edge concept, which means using one single router to join our commercial, mobile and residential functions that would otherwise require many specialized routers. We believe that this network simplification will reduce both capital and operational expenditures.

Mobile Services Network Programs

4G Network

We offer 4G services using LTE network technology and have been deploying our 4G network since 2012. In compliance with our obligations under our LTE authorizations, in 2016, we extended our LTE network to cities with over 100,000 inhabitants, adding 284 new cities to our LTE network, and in 2017, we extended our LTE network to cities with less than 100,000 inhabitants, adding 813 cities to our LTE network.

In 2018, we began deploying 4.5G services by using carrier aggregation with 1800 MHz spectrum refarming and MIMO 4x4 in 27 municipalities in the first phase of the project. It has allowed us to offer best user experience and aligning our network to main operators in Brazil.

3G Network

We have undertaken a project to upgrade a portion of our mobile networks to enable us to increase the capacity of our mobile network. We have deployed new radio base stations and transceivers to improve our 3G coverage and quality in areas we already serve, reducing the level of signal congestion in these areas, and to expand our 3G service to municipalities in Brazil to which we have not historically provided 3G service.

Voice Transmission Network Programs

We are engaged in a program of investing in new equipment for our switching stations to support next-generation networks, which we believe will permit us to offer new value-added services to our fixed-line customers. We believe that our investment in next-generation networks will:

As part of this program, we have deployed an IMS core that will facilitate our convergent voice and broadband offerings. The IMS core not only provides control for the VoIP resource but also integrated access control and authentication for all services, significantly improving automation and speed for customer provisioning.

We have also undertaken a program of removing and replacing smaller switching stations and integrating these operations with other switching stations to promote efficiency in our operations.

Information Technology Services Programs

We are investing in the expansion of supply in our cloud computing services in data centers, particularly in the State of São Paulo, in order to support the growing demand from our corporate customers. Our cloud computing services enable us to provide our customers with integrated telecommunications and information technology solutions.

Telecommunications Services Infrastructure Programs

We are investing in several structural projects in order to improve and modernize our business support systems and operational support systems, or OSS, and consolidate duplicative systems resulting from integrating previously acquired companies, thereby optimizing our capital and operational expenditure investments. Based on the Telemanagement Forum frameworks and best practices, our main projects are unified customer relationship management; network provisioning services; order management; consolidation of network inventory; network planning, project and construction; network fault management; performance management; customer experience management; API management and digital self-care, among others.

One of the primary projects connected to the OSS is related to assurance and quality. In January 2017, we completed the transition from a network centric monitoring system to a customer-focused approach and thereby our network operations have migrated from network operations centers to service operations centers which provide more efficient and customer-based support.

In December 2016, we completed a project to improve fulfillment by speeding up service creation and provisioning, reducing costly human intervention and increasing overall customer quality of experience through automation of the fulfillment processes.

Our Brazilian networks are comprised of physical and logical infrastructures through which we provide fully integrated services, whether fixed-line or mobile, voice, data or image, thereby optimizing available resources. We monitor our networks remotely from our centralized national network operations center in Rio de Janeiro. Network operating and configuration platforms, located at the network operations center, perform failure monitoring, database and configuration management, security management and performance analysis for each network.

We are in the process of determining which of our technology assets will remain as part of our continuing operations and which will be transferred to SPE InfraCo.

Access Networks

Our Brazilian access networks connect our customers to our aggregation and transportation networks. We have a large number of network access points, including twisted copper pair wires to residences and commercial buildings, fiber optic lines to residences and commercial buildings, wireless transmission equipment and Wi-Fi hotspots. Our fixed-line networks are fully digitalized.

Voice and data signals that originate through fixed-line access points are routed through Multi-service Access Nodes (MSANs), or Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs) to our aggregation and transportation networks. The analog voice signals are split from the data signals, which are transmitted using ADSL or very high bitrate digital subscriber line, or VDSL, technology, allowing us to offer broadband and analog voice on a single copper wire pair. Our network supports next generation ADSL and VDSL technologies. ADSL2+ allows data transmission at speeds of up to 20 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. VDSL2 allows data transmission at speeds of up to 35 Mbps downstream and 3.5 Mbps upstream. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 91% of our fixed-line network supported ADSL2+ or VDSL2 and we provided ADSL2+ or VDSL2 services in approximately 4,700 municipalities.

We are engaged in a long-term program to upgrade portions of our fixed-line access networks with optical FTTH networks based on gigabit passive optical network, or GPON, technology to support our FTTH triple-play services. The implementation of this technology permits us to provide broadband with speeds up to 200 Mbps to residential customers and up to 1 Gbps to commercial customers. As of December 31, 2020, our FTTH network reached more than 9.07 million homes passed, and approximately 2.1 million homes connected. We expect to reach more than 14.8 million homes passed and an additional 1.6 million homes connected by the end of 2021.

Aggregation Networks

Voice and data signals sent through our access network are routed through our aggregation networks to digital switches which connect voice calls and route digital signals to their destinations. In the past, we used ATM protocol to transport digital signals through our access network from non-residential customers that required dedicated bandwidth to our switching stations. In response to changing customer needs, we converted elements of our network that use ATM and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy, or SDH, protocols which permit us to offer dedicated bandwidth to our customers to MPLS protocol, which supports IP and permits the creation of VPNs through our MetroEthernet networks. We invested in aggregation networks based on Ethernet over MPLS (Metro Ethernet) and MPLS - Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) to increase the bandwidth of our networks to support the traffic demands of our 4G, B2C and B2B clients and to replace our legacy SDH networks. Those access networks are still operational. In last 5 years, we have invested in aggregation networks based on Packet OTN, or POTN, to increase the network capacity, mainly in large metropolitan areas where the density of access point results in increased demand. Our aggregation networks are fully integrated to management systems and provide:

We have plans to deploy a new access/aggregation network model based on IP technology. The new end-to-end IP access/aggregation network is based on IP/Segment Routing technology and MEF 3.0 services over EVPN. The new end-to-end IP network will be integrated to the IP/MPLS backbone and will allow connectivity services all over the country.

Since 2016, we have been working to establish a new network model based on NFV and SDN which is compliant with ETSI architecture. This new approach is part of our digital transformation strategy of network, services and automation. The first two Telco Data Centers (Private Cloud) became operational in the second half of 2021. With the end-to-end IP network we intend to deploy our MEC infrastructures to deploy service closer to our customers.

Transportation Networks

We have a nationwide long-distance backbone, consisting of our optical fiber network that covers more than 2,370 municipalities, connecting the Federal District and all state capitals in Brazil. Our fiber network supports high capacity DWDM systems that can operate with up to 80 channels at 10, 100 and 200 Gbps. Our optical network is complemented by microwave links and satellite transport to reach smaller cities and towns.

In 2015, we completed the implementation of a new Optical Transport Network/DWDM, or OTN/DWDM network, with 100 Gbps links, that connect 11 state capitals, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and Belo Horizonte. This new OTN/DWDM network spreads over approximately 30,000 km of optical cables. In the first half of 2018, we completed the extension of the OTN/DWDM network, with 100 Gbps links, to an additional seven state capitals and spread over an additional 18,000 km of optical cables. In 2020 we extended our OTN/DWDM network, with 100 Gbps links, to reach 26 state capitals and spread over 65,400 km of optical cables. In addition, in 2019, we began to expand our OTN/DWDM network using 200 Gbps links, having deployed some routes using this technology, among them a route between the cities of Goiânia and Brasília. As demand increases, more expansions of our 200 Gbps network will be implemented and we will begin to replace our existing 100 Gbps links with 200 Gbps links where technically feasible. We are planning to improve the capacity of our OTN/DWDM in the national backbone to 400/800Gbps channels in the near future.

We employ automatic traffic protection to improve the reliability of our network and increase its traffic capacity. The network is fully supervised and operated by management systems that allow rapid response to customer service requests and reduce the recovery time in case of failure.

We operate an internet backbone network and a fully IP-routed network, which provides a backbone for all internet-dedicated services and VPN offerings through access routers, for customer aggregation, configured as single edge routers (i.e., offering various types of services aggregation over a single box), allowing us to reduce capital and operation expenses. Our internet backbone connects to the public internet via national peering links and international links that we maintain in the United States.

Our transportation network is directly interconnected to the national and international long-distance networks of all long-distance service providers operating in Regions I, II and III and all mobile services providers in Regions I, II and III.

Business and Operational Support Systems

Our Residential Services are highly automated on all levels, including customer support, workforce management and network and service activation. We have implemented a digital transformation in order to open new channels of communication with our customers through the launch of a number of self-service applications, which our customers are increasingly using for a variety of purposes. The tools available include self-care diagnostics for FTTH/3 Play Services (High Speed Broadband Internet, VOIP and Video) and chatbots, among others. Development of new support systems, tools and processes, such as the use of chatbots, will allow us to become more service and customer centric.

Overview

Our business, including the nature of the services we provide and the rates we charge, is subject to comprehensive regulation under the General Telecommunications Law, and a comprehensive regulatory framework for the provision of telecommunications services promulgated by ANATEL. As part of our continuing operations, we provide fixed-line, domestic and international long-distance and data transmission services (continuing operations) and mobile telecommunications and Pay-TV (discontinued operations) under concessions, authorizations and licenses that were granted by ANATEL and allow us to provide specified services in designated geographic areas, as well as set forth certain obligations with which we must comply.

ANATEL is an administratively independent and financially autonomous regulatory agency that was established in July 1997 pursuant to the General Telecommunications Law and ANATEL Regulation (Regulamento da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações). ANATEL oversees our activities and enforces the General Telecommunications Law and the regulations promulgated thereunder. ANATEL is required to report on its activities to the Brazilian Ministry of Communications (Ministério das Comunicações), and has authority to propose and to issue regulations that are legally binding on telecommunications service providers. ANATEL also has the authority to grant concessions and licenses for all telecommunications services, other than broadcasting services. In addition, ANATEL is authorized to direct and control the provision of services, the shareholding structure of service providers, to apply penalties and to declare the expiration of the concession and authorizations and the return of assets from the concessionaire to the government authority upon termination of the concession. Any regulation or action proposed by ANATEL is subject to a period of public comment, which may include public hearings, and ANATEL’s decisions may be challenged administratively before the agency itself or through the Brazilian judicial system.

The current regulatory framework for the Brazilian telecommunications industry was adopted in 1998. Under the General Telecommunications Law and ANATEL regulations, the right to provide telecommunications services is granted either through a concession under the public regime (as discussed below) or an authorization under the private regime (as discussed below). A concession is granted for a fixed period of time following a public auction and is generally renewable. An authorization is granted for an indeterminate period of time and public auctions are held for some authorizations. These concessions and authorizations allow service providers to provide specific services in designated geographic areas, set forth certain obligations with which the service providers must comply and require equal treatment of customers by the service providers.

The three principal providers of fixed-line telecommunications services in Brazil, Telefônica Brasil, Claro and our company, provide these services under the public regime. In addition, CTBC (also known as Algar) and Sercomtel, which are secondary local fixed-line telecommunications service providers, operate under the public regime. All of the other providers of fixed-line telecommunications services and all providers of personal mobile services and data transmission services in Brazil operate under the private regime.

On October 3, 2019, the President of Brazil signed Law No. 13,879, which amended the General Telecommunications Law to allow, among other things, providers of fixed-line telecommunications services operating under a concession in the public regime to convert their concessions into authorizations to operate in the private regime and thereby eliminate a number of substantial obligations currently imposed by the concession regime. In February 2020, ANATEL proposed regulations to implement Law No. 13,879, including the rules that will govern the conversion of concessions into authorizations. These proposed regulations were subject to a public consultation period that expired on April 30, 2020. On February 10, 2021, ANATEL published Resolution No. 741, which approved the Regulation for the Adaptation of Fixed Telephone Concessions to Authorizations. Despite the publication of the new regulation, ANATEL continues to analyze the method by which the conversions will take place in order to more accurately determine the cost of the conversion process. The conversion method is not expected to be approved until the second half of 2021. For more information, see “—Public Regime—Amendments to the General Telecommunications Law” and “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry and Regulatory Environment—We cannot assure you that we will be able to convert our concessions into authorizations or renew our concessions in a timely or cost-effective manner.”

Public Regime

Overview

Providers of public regime services are subject to more obligations and restrictions than providers of private regime services. Under Brazilian law, providers of public regime services are subject to certain requirements with respect to services such as network expansion and network modernization. Under their concession agreements, public regime service providers are required to comply with the provisions of the PGMU, which was most recently updated in January 2021. For more information about the PGMU and our obligations thereunder, see “—General Plan of Universal Service Goals (PGMU).”

In addition, public regime service providers, as well as private regime service providers, are required to comply with the provisions of: (1) the RGQ, which was adopted by ANATEL in June 2013 and was partially superseded by the RQUAL in December 2019; and (2) the General Plan on Competition Targets (Plano Geral de Metas de Competição), or PGMC, which was adopted by ANATEL in November 2012 and updated in July 2018. For more information about the RGQ, the RQUAL and the PGMC see “—Our Services—Fixed-Line Telephone Services—General Plan on Quality Goals (RGQ),” “—Other Regulatory Matters—Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (RQUAL)” and “—Other Regulatory Matters—General Plan on Competition Targets (PGMC),” respectively.

The rates that public regime service providers may charge customers are subject to ANATEL supervision. Another distinctive feature of public concessions is the right of the concessionaire to maintain certain economic and financial standards, which are calculated based on the rules set forth in the concession agreements and were designed based on a price cap model. For more information, see “—Our Services—Fixed-Line Telephone Services—Rate Regulation.”

Concessions are granted for 20 years. Whereas prior to the passage of Law No. 13,897, only one 20-year renewal period was allowed, the new law permits providers to renew their concession for indefinite additional 20-year periods, provided that at least 30 months prior to each expiration date, the providers have complied with the obligations required of them under the applicable concession. ANATEL may terminate the concession of any public regime service provider upon the occurrence of certain events described below under “—Termination of a Concession.” The modification right permits ANATEL to impose new terms and conditions in response to changes in technology, competition in the marketplace and domestic and international economic conditions. ANATEL is obligated to engage in public consultation in connection with each of these potential modifications.

General Plan of Universal Service Goals (PGMU)

The PGMU sets forth the principal network expansion and modernization obligations of the public regime providers. The PGMU was most recently updated on January 28, 2021 by Decree No. 10,610/2021, which replaced Decree No. 9,619/2018, which had been effective since December 21, 2018. The provisions of the new PGMU are applicable for the period from 2021 to 2025.

Public regime providers are subject to network expansion requirements under the PGMU, which are revised by ANATEL from time to time. No subsidies or other supplemental financings are anticipated to finance our network expansion obligations. Our failure to meet the network expansion and modernization obligations established by the PGMU or in our concession agreements may result in fines and penalties of up to R$50 million for each non-compliance with an obligation or rule as verified in an administrative process, as well as potential revocation of our concessions.

The PGMU requires the following, among other things:

The 2021 PGMU also eliminated the obligation to build wireless access facilities required by the 2018 PGMU. In addition, the 2021 PGMU provides that the infrastructure already in place shall be maintained until the end of the concession.

The value of the obligations currently imposed by the PGMU and, therefore, the cost of the additional investments in exchange for the elimination of such obligations, is subject to discussion between the parties, with ANATEL having the ability to make the final valuation.

Termination of a Concession

ANATEL may terminate the concession of any public regime service provider upon the occurrence of any of the following:

In the event a concession is terminated, ANATEL is authorized to administer the provider’s properties and its employees in order to continue rendering services.

Service Restrictions

Public regime service providers are subject to certain restrictions on alliances, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions with other public regime providers, including:

In September 2011, Law No. 12,485 became effective, which creates a new legal framework for subscription television services in Brazil, and determines, among other provisions to:

Amendments to the General Telecommunications Law

On October 3, 2019, the President of Brazil signed Law No. 13,879, which amended the General Telecommunications Law. Law No. 13,879 will allow providers of fixed-line telecommunications services operating under a concession in the public regime to convert their concessions into authorizations to operate in the private regime and thereby eliminate a number of substantial obligations currently imposed by the concession regime, including the inability of providers to sell certain property, plant and equipment used to provide fixed-line telephone services. In exchange, providers may be required to assume obligations to make additional investments in their networks, primarily related to the expansion of broadband services. The cost of the additional investments in exchange for the elimination of such obligations, would be subject to discussion between the parties, with ANATEL having the ability to make the final valuation. In addition, the new law permits providers to renew their concession for indefinite additional 20-year periods, whereas previously only one 20-year renewal period was allowed, provided that at least 30 months prior to each expiration date, the providers have complied with the obligations required of them under the applicable concession. In February 2020, ANATEL proposed regulations to implement Law No. 13,879, including the rules that will govern the conversion of concessions into authorizations, such as the methodology for calculating the cost of investments that providers will need to undertake as well as deadlines to complete the conversions. A draft of the new form of authorization agreement was also provided. These proposed regulations were subject to a public consultation period that expired on April 30, 2020. In this way ANATEL has published on DOU of February, 10, 2021 the Resolution nº 741, which approves the Regulation for the Adaptation of STFC Concessions to Authorizations. Despite of the new regulation, ANATEL still analyzing the migration balance methodology, which is essential to the cost calculation of the migration process. These methodology is expected to be approved by ANATEL by the second semester of 2021. See “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry and Regulatory Environment—We cannot assure you that we will be able to convert our concessions into authorizations or renew our concessions in a timely or cost-effective manner.”

Private Regime

Providers of private regime services, although not generally subject to the requirements concerning continuity and universality of service and network modernization, are subject to certain network expansion and quality of service obligations set forth in their respective authorizations and applicable regulation.

For example, private regime service providers are required to comply with the provisions of the RGQ and the PGMC. For more information about the RGQ and the PGMC, see “—Our Services—Fixed-Line Telephone Services—General Plan on Quality Goals (RGQ)” and “—Other Regulatory Matters—General Plan on Competition Targets (PGMC),” respectively.

Our Services

Continuing Operations

Fixed-Line Telephone Services

Regulatory Overview

We provide the majority of our fixed-line telephone services (Serviço Telefônico Fixo Comutado - STFC) in accordance with concession agreements under the public regime. For more information about the regulations applicable to public regime telephone service providers, see “—Public Regime.”

Our Concessions and Authorizations

The following table sets forth certain details of our concessions and authorizations to provide local, domestic long-distance and international long-distanced fixed-line telephone services:

______________

Each of our concession agreements:

In addition, each of our concession and authorization agreements:

On October 3, 2019, the President of Brazil signed Law No. 13,879, which amended the General Telecommunications Law to allow, among other things, providers of fixed-line telecommunications services operating under a concession in the public regime to convert their concessions into authorizations to operate in the private regime and thereby eliminate a number of substantial obligations currently imposed by the concession regime. In addition, the new law permits providers to renew their concession for indefinite additional 20-year periods, whereas previously only one 20-year renewal period was allowed, provided that at least 30 months prior to each expiration date, the providers have complied with the obligations required of them under the applicable concession. Prior to the passage of Law No. 13,879, our concession agreements would have expired in 2025 without the possibility of renewal. In February 2020, ANATEL proposed regulations to implement Law No. 13,879, including the rules that will govern the conversion of concessions into authorizations. These proposed regulations are subject to a public consultation period that expired on April 30, 2020. In this way ANATEL has published on DOU of February, 10, 2021 the Resolution nº 741, which approves the Regulation for the Adaptation of STFC Concessions to Authorizations. Despite of the new regulation, ANATEL still analyzing the migration balance methodology, which is essential to the cost calculation of the migration process. These methodology is expected to be approved by ANATEL by the second semester of 2021. Once these regulations are adopted, we expect that we will be able to migrate our public regime concessions into private-regime authorizations or renew our concessions, which would otherwise expire on December 31, 2025. However, as of the date of this annual report, we have not decided which option to pursue and cannot predict the cost of pursuing any of these options. For more information about Law No. 13,879, see “—Public Regime—Amendments to the General Telecommunications Law.”

In addition, in connection with the consideration of revisions to the concession agreements under the public regime, in January 2017, ANATEL proposed revisions to the terms of the PGO, in line with the provisions of PLC 79 (the bill that preceded Law No. 13, 789). However, despite the passage of Law No. 13,789, we cannot predict when and to what extent ANATEL will revise the PGO.

We cannot assure you that the implementation of Law No. 13,879 or any future amendments to our concession agreements (including renewals) or the PGO will not impose requirements on our company that will require us to undertake significant capital expenditures or will not modify the rate-setting procedures applicable to us in a manner that will significantly reduce the net operating revenue that we generate from our Brazilian fixed-line businesses. If the migration of our concessions to the private regime or the amendments to our concession agreements have these effects, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. See “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry and Regulatory Environment—Our concession agreements in Brazil are subject to periodic modifications by ANATEL, and we cannot assure you that the modifications to these concession agreements will not have adverse effects on our company” and “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry and Regulatory Environment—We cannot assure you that we will be able to convert our concessions into authorizations or renew our concessions in a timely or cost-effective manner.”

Rate Regulation

Under their concession agreements, public regime service providers are required to offer basic local fixed-line plans to users. Rates for the basic long-distance services plan originated and terminated on fixed lines vary in accordance with certain criteria. The concession agreements establish a price-cap mechanism for annual rate adjustments for basic service plans and basic domestic long-distance plans based on formulas set forth in each provider’s concession agreement. The formula provides for two adjustments to the price cap based on the local rate basket, the long-distance rate basket and the use of a price index. The price cap is first revised upward to reflect increases in inflation, as measured by an index, then ANATEL applies a productivity discount factor, or Factor X, which reduces the impact of the rate readjustment provided by the index.

Factor X is equal to (1) 50% of the increase in the productivity rate of public regime providers, plus (2) 75% of a factor calculated by ANATEL that is designed to reflect cost optimization targets for the telecommunications industry as a whole. If the weighted average productivity rate is negative, ANATEL will not allow an annual adjustment in excess of the IST.

A provider may increase rates for individual services within the local rate basket or the long-distance rate basket by up to 5% more than the IST so long as the rates for other services in that rate basket are reduced to the extent necessary to ensure that the weighted average increase for the entire rate basket does not exceed the permitted annual rate adjustment.

A provider may also offer alternative plans in addition to the basic service plan. Alternative plans must be submitted for ANATEL’s approval. The rates offered under the alternative plans may be adjusted annually based on the IST.

Local Rates. Our revenues from local fixed-line services consist mainly of monthly subscription charges, charges for local calls and charges for the activation of lines for new subscribers or subscribers that have changed addresses. Monthly subscription charges are based on the plan to which the customer subscribes and whether the customer is a residential, commercial or trunk line customer.

Under our concession agreements, we are required to offer two local fixed-line plans to users: the Basic Plan per Minute and the Mandatory Alternative Service Plan. In addition to the Basic Plan per Minute and the Mandatory Alternative Service Plan, we are permitted to offer non-discriminatory alternative plans to the basic service plans. The rates for applicable services under these plans must be submitted for ANATEL approval prior to offering those plans to our customers. Historically, ANATEL has generally not raised objections to the terms of these plans.

On an annual basis, ANATEL increases or decreases the maximum rates that we are permitted to charge for our basic service plans. In addition, we are authorized to adjust the rates applicable to our alternative plans annually by no more than the rate of inflation, as measured by the Telecommunications Services Index (Índice de Serviços de Telecomunicações – IST), or IST. Discounts from the rates set in basic service plans and alternative service plans may be granted to customers without ANATEL approval.

Local Fixed Line-to-Mobile Rates (VC-1) and Mobile Long Distance Rates (VC-2 and VC-3). When one of our fixed-line customers makes a call to a mobile subscriber of our company or another mobile services provider that terminates in the mobile registration area in which the call was originated, we charge our fixed-line customer per-minute charges for the duration of the call based on rates designated by ANATEL as VC-1 rates. In turn, we pay the mobile services provider a per-minute charge based on rates designated by ANATEL as mobile termination, or MTR, rates for the use of its mobile network in completing the call. Rates for long-distance calls that originate or terminate on mobile telephones are based on whether the call is an intrasectorial long-distance call, which is charged at rates designated by ANATEL as VC-2 rates, or an intersectorial long-distance call, which is charged at rates designated by ANATEL as VC-3 rates. If the caller selects one of our carrier selection codes for the call, we receive the revenues from the call and must pay interconnection fees to the service providers that operate the networks on which the call originates and terminates. VC-1, VC-2 and VC-3 rates, collectively, the “VC Rates” vary depending on the time of the day and day of the week, and are applied on a per-minute basis. On an annual basis, ANATEL may increase or decrease the maximum VC Rates that we are permitted to charge.

Fixed Line-to-Fixed-Line Long Distance Rates. If a caller selects one of our carrier selection codes for a long-distance call that originates and terminates on fixed-line telephones, we receive the revenues from the call and must pay interconnection fees to the service providers that operate the networks on which the call originates and terminates. Rates for these long-distance calls are based on the physical distance separating callers (which are categorized by four distance ranges), time of the day and day of the week, and are applied on a per-minute basis for the duration of the call. On an annual basis, ANATEL increases or decreases the maximum domestic fixed line-to-fixed line long-distance rates that we are permitted to charge.

For more information about the rates applicable to our fixed-line services, see “—Rates, Billing and Collection—Rates.”

General Plan on Quality Goals (RGQ)

The RGQ for fixed-line voice services was approved by ANATEL in December 2012 and became effective in June 2013. Each fixed-line service provider operating under the public regime or the private regime must comply with the provisions of the RGQ. All costs related to compliance with the quality goals established by the RGQ must be borne exclusively by the service provider. The RGQ establishes minimum quality standards with regard to:

These quality standards are measured according to the definitions and quality indicators established by ANATEL. The indicators, as well as their respective methods of collection, calculation and other quality requirements, are defined in specific regulations published by ANATEL.

ANATEL measures the performance of fixed-line service providers in each individual state in which they operate. As a result, the performance of fixed-line service providers in any particular state may not meet one or more quality performance targets even if such service provider’s overall performance is satisfactory. For cases in which there are indications of performance or conduct other than those established in the regulations, ANATEL establishes a noncompliance process called Procedure for Determination of Non-Compliance to Obligations (Procedimento de Apuração de Descumprimento de Obrigações – PADO) in detriment to the provider. Therefore, fixed-line service providers, including us, could be subject to fines or penalties as a result of the failure to meet the quality performance targets in one or more particular area codes.

In November 2017, ANATEL submitted the RQUAL, a proposal to review the methods by which the quality standards for fixed-line services, personal mobility services, multimedia communications services and subscription television services are measured, for public consultation. In December 2019, ANATEL approved the RQUAL, which immediately superseded certain provisions of the RGQ obligations. However, the majority of the provisions of the RQUAL are not expected to be implemented until 2022, as provided for in the regulation. For more information, see “—Other Regulatory Matters—Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (RQUAL).”

Multimedia Communication Services

Our Authorizations

We have national Multimedia Communication Service (Serviço de Comunicação Multimídia – SCM) authorizations, which superseded our prior Telecommunications Network Transportation Services (Serviço de Rede de Transporte de Telecomunicações) authorizations, permitting us to provide high speed data service.

The Multimedia Communication Services authorizations became effective in May 2003 and cover the same geographical areas as our concession and personal communication service agreements. In April 2008, in connection with the amendments to our fixed-line services concessions, we agreed to provide internet service free of charge until December 31, 2025 to all urban schools in the areas of our concession agreements.

Rate Regulation

A significant portion of our revenues from commercial data transmission services are generated by monthly charges for EILD services, which are based on contractual arrangements for the use of part of our networks. Under ANATEL regulations, we are required to make publicly available the forms of agreements that we use for EILD services, including the applicable rates, and are only permitted to offer these services under these forms of agreements. ANATEL publishes reference rates for these services and if one of our customers objects to the rates that we charge for these services, that customer is entitled to seek to reduce the applicable rate through arbitration before ANATEL.

ANATEL is expected to publish new reference rates for these services in 2021 reflecting a methodology that takes into consideration all long-run incremental costs, updated to current values, of providing a particular service and the unit costs of such service based on an efficient network considering our existing regulatory obligations.

Broadband services, IP services and frame relay services are market oriented but may still be subject to ANATEL regulation.

Quality Regulation

In June 2011, the President of Brazil issued Executive Decree No. 7,512/11, which mandated ANATEL to take the necessary regulatory measures to establish quality standards for broadband internet services. In compliance with such decree, on October 31, 2011, ANATEL published Resolution 574/2011 approving the Multimedia Communication Service Quality Management Regulations (Regulamentação de Gestão da Qualidade do Serviço de Comunicação Multimídia), which identify network quality indicators and establish performance goals for multimedia communications service providers, including broadband internet service providers, with more than 50,000 subscribers. Such providers will be required to collect representative data using dedicated equipment installed at the site of each network connection and be subject to periodic measurements to ensure their compliance with such regulation, including:

To increase transparency, customers must be provided with specialized software at no cost to measure their own network quality, although such customer-generated measurements will be included in official calculations.

In January 2018, ANATEL adopted new models for measuring the quality of fixed broadband networks using automated processes that collect data from multiple data points. To measure our fixed broadband network quality, we have implemented the HDM platform. This new method allows us to better manage the quality of our network, allowing us to identify corrective actions and more efficiently direct investments in our network.

Nevertheless, the performance of fixed broadband service providers in any particular state may not meet one or more quality performance targets even if such service provider’s overall performance is satisfactory. For cases in which there are indications of performance or conduct other than those established in the regulations, ANATEL establishes a noncompliance process called Procedure for Determination of Non-Compliance to Obligations (Procedimento de Apuração de Descumprimento de Obrigações – PADO) in detriment to the provider. Therefore, fixed broadband service providers, including us, could be subject to fines or penalties as a result of the failure to meet the quality performance targets in one or more particular states.

In November 2017, ANATEL submitted for public consultation the RQUAL, a proposal to review the methods by which the quality standards for fixed-line services, personal mobility services, multimedia communications services and subscription television services are measured. In December 2019, ANATEL approved the RQUAL, which immediately superseded certain provisions of the existing quality regulation applicable to multimedia communications service providers. However, the majority of the provisions of the RQUAL are not expected to be implemented until 2022, as provided for in the regulation. For more information, see “—Other Regulatory Matters—Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (RQUAL).”

Discontinued Operations

Mobile Telephone Services

Regulatory Overview

In September 2000, ANATEL adopted regulations that established operating rules for providers under the personal mobile service (Serviço Móvel Pessoal - SMP) regime. The regulations permitted ANATEL to grant authorizations to provide mobile telecommunications services under the personal mobile service regime. For purposes of the personal mobile service regulations, Brazil is divided into three service regions covering the same geographic areas as the concessions for fixed-line telecommunications services.

Auction of 3G Spectrum. In preparation for auctions of spectrum in Bands F, G, I and J (2.1 GHz), the use of which allows personal mobile services providers to offer 3G services to their customers, ANATEL issued regulations that divide the Brazilian territory into nine regions for purposes of operations using these frequency bands. In December 2007, ANATEL auctioned radiofrequency licenses to operate on each of these frequency bands in each of the nine regions and the related licenses to use these frequency bands. In this auction, we acquired the radio frequency licenses necessary to offer 3G services in eight of the nine regions delineated by ANATEL for 3G services (corresponding to Regions I, II and III under the personal mobile services regime, other than an area in Region III that consists of 23 municipalities in the interior of the State of São Paulo that includes the city of Franca and surrounding areas).

Authorizations to Use 450 MHz Band and 2.5 GHz Band. In preparation for auctions of the 450MHz band and 2.5 GHz band, the use of which allows personal mobile services providers to offer 4G services to their customers, ANATEL issued regulations that divided the Brazilian territory into three regions for purposes of providing personal mobile services. In June 2012, ANATEL auctioned radio frequency licenses to operate and the related licenses to use the frequency bands in the following manner: (1) four national lots for 2.5 GHz bands, each accompanied by a regional band of 450 MHz, and (2) 132 regional lots for 2.5GHz bands, including “P” band radiofrequencies. In this auction, we acquired (1) one of the national lots for 2.5 GHz and the corresponding regional lot of 450MHz to provide rural broadband services in the States of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District, and (2) 11 regional lots for “P” band radiofrequencies. Since that time, we have waived our right to use and/or chosen not to renew our “P” band authorizations.

Network Sharing. In 2013, ANATEL and Brazil’s national competition regulator (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica), or CADE, approved the 2013 RAN Sharing Agreement between TIM and Oi, which has been implemented, for the construction, implementation and mutual assignment of network tools to support personal mobile services (voice and broadband) in the 2.5 GHz band, among others, in order to ensure compliance with the scope of 4G commitments.

In 2014, TIM and Oi agreed to negotiate the joint construction, implementation and reciprocal assignment of elements of their respective 2G and 3G network infrastructures, which was approved by ANATEL and CADE.

In 2015, ANATEL and CADE approved the 2015 RAN Sharing Agreement between Telefônica Brasil, TIM and Oi, which has been implemented, for the construction, implementation and mutual assignment of network tools to support personal mobile services (voice and broadband) in the 2.5 GHz band, among others, in order to ensure compliance with the scope of commitments. With respect to the latter agreement, ANATEL rejected the proposal to conduct RAN sharing in conurbations because it detected interference in the service. As a result, ANATEL will not allow RAN sharing in municipalities experiencing interference until a solution has been found.

In 2018, ANATEL and CADE approved an amendment to the 2013 RAN Sharing Agreement between TIM and Oi, which has been implemented, to update the technology covered by the agreement and to permit infrastructure sharing in the 1800 MHz spectrum technology.

Our Authorizations

We hold radiofrequency spectrum authorizations to provide 2G, 3G and 4G services in Regions I, II and III. The majority of these authorizations grant us permission to use the applicable radio spectrum for 15 years from the date of the authorization agreement under which they are granted and are renewable for additional 15-year terms. Upon renewal of any of these authorizations and on every second anniversary of such renewal, we will be required to pay an amount equal to 2.0% of our prior year’s net operating revenue from personal mobile services. The initial terms of one of our radio frequency spectrum authorizations expired in 2016 and was extended for an additional 15-year term. Following the passage of Law No. 13,879 in October 2019, mobile telephone service providers may renew their radiofrequency spectrum authorizations indefinitely without undergoing new auctions. However, there is doubt as to whether this new framework will be applicable for authorizations in effect at the time of the law was changed. As a result, we cannot be certain that we will be able to renew our existing authorizations indefinitely without undergoing new auctions.

The following table sets forth certain information about our authorizations to provide mobile telephone services:

______________

Our authorization agreements are also subject to network scope and contains service performance obligations set forth in these authorization agreements, under which we are required to service all municipalities in Brazil with a population in excess of 100,000 habitants.

Under our 3G authorizations, as of the date of this annual report we are also required to (1) provide service to 459 municipalities that did not have mobile services at the time these licenses were granted with either 2G or 3G mobile telecommunications services, (2) provide 3G service to 50% of all of the municipalities with a population between 30,000 and 100,000, and (3) provide 3G service to 60% of the municipalities, including 684 specified municipalities, covered by these licenses with a population less than 30,000.

Under our 4G authorizations, as of the date of this annual report we were also required to provide 4G service in (1) all municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more and (2) 60% by December 31, 2018 and 100% by December 31, 2019 of the municipalities covered by these licenses with a population less than 30,000; provided, however, that for the latter, we may comply with this obligation by providing service with transmission rates equal to or greater than those set for the 1.9/2.1 GHz (3G) bands.

In 2012 we acquired 450 MHz license on the 4G services auction, which requires us to, in 964 municipalities in the States of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District: (1) provide voice services in the 450 MHz or other spectrum granted to us and data services at minimum upload speeds of 256 kbps and download speeds of 1 Mbps and a minimum monthly allowance of 500 MB in rural areas; (2) provide unlimited data services at minimum upload speeds of 256 kbps and download speeds of 1 Mbps to rural schools in those municipalities; and (3) make our fixed-line network available to other telecommunications service providers to allow them to comply with their obligations under the PGMU.

As of the date of this annual report, although we believe that we are in compliance with the network scope and service performance obligations set forth in these licenses, ANATEL is debating our compliance with certain obligations to provide services under the 450 MHz spectrums. Since we did not have all of the necessary systems in place to support the use of the 450 MHz spectrum using land frequencies by the required deadline, we have been meeting our coverage obligations in certain areas using satellites. If ANATEL makes a final decision that we have not been meeting our obligations, our authorizations to use 450 MHz frequencies may be terminated. As of the date of this annual report, ANATEL’s determination regarding this matter is suspended by court order.

For most obligations, a municipality is considered “serviced” when the covered service area contains at least 80% of the urban area in the municipality. Our failure to meet these targets may result in the imposition of penalties established in ANATEL regulations and, in extreme circumstances, in termination of our authorizations to use those radiofrequencies by ANATEL. As of the date of this annual report, although we believe that we are in compliance with the network scope and service performance obligations set forth in these authorization agreements, ANATEL has not yet made its final determination with respect to our compliance with certain obligations to provide services under the 450 MHz/900 MHz/1800 MHz/2100 and 2500 MHz spectrums. Furthermore, we have obtained judicial protection under the RJ Proceedings to forego renewal of many of the performance guarantees we would have otherwise been required to maintain with respect to the obligations under discussion.

Our 4G radio frequency authorizations also impose minimum investment obligations in domestic technologies. At least 65% of the cost of all goods, services, equipment, telecommunications systems and data networks that we purchase to meet our 4G service obligations must be developed in Brazil. As of the date of this annual report, ANATEL has recognized that our obligations to use domestic technology have not been met in the past due to the unavailability of such products in Brazil, and has consequently not sanctioned us. This minimum requirement will increase to 70% by December 31, 2022.

Roaming

Under the PGMC, a mobile services provider with significant market power, such as our company, must offer roaming services to other mobile services providers without significant market power at the maximum rate that the mobile services provider with significant market power is permitting ANATEL to offer such services to its retail customers.

In March 2017, ANATEL began a pilot program with the four principal mobile services providers, including our company, to share infrastructure costs to expand the existing voice roaming agreements to voice and data roaming services to 35 municipalities with fewer than 30,000 residents. As a result of this program, which is ongoing and is in the process of expansion to include additional mobile service providers and additional municipalities with fewer than 30,000 residents, the providers began or resumed discussions about voice and data roaming tariffs and the timeline to implement the requirements of the program. As of the date of this annual report, certain providers, including our company, have entered into bilateral agreements regarding these matters, and new municipalities count on roaming coverage, increasing satisfaction to our clients.

Rate Regulation

Mobile telecommunications service in Brazil is offered on a “calling-party-pays” basis under which a mobile subscriber pays only for calls that he or she originates (in addition to roaming charges paid on calls made or received outside the subscriber’s home registration area). A mobile subscriber receiving a collect call is also required to pay mobile usage charges.

Our revenues from mobile services consist mainly of charges for local and long-distance calls and data packages paid by our pre-paid and post-paid mobile subscribers and monthly subscription charges paid by our post-paid plan subscribers. Monthly subscription charges are based on a post-paid subscriber’s service plan. If one of our mobile subscribers places or receives a call from a location outside of his or her home registration area, we are permitted to charge that customer the applicable roaming rate. We charge for all mobile calls made by our pre-paid customers, and for mobile calls made by our post-paid customers in excess of their allocated monthly number of minutes, on a per-minute basis. Rates under our mobile plans may be adjusted annually by no more than the rate of inflation, as measured by the IGP-DI.

Quality Regulation

Our personal mobile services authorizations impose obligations on us to meet quality of service standards.

To restructure the process of assessing the quality of mobile service, with the inclusion of processes and measurement of indicators to check the quality of mobile broadband and the quality perceived by the user, ANATEL published Resolution 575/2011, approving the Regulation for the Management of Quality of Provision of Personal Mobile Service (Regulamento de Gestão da Qualidade da Prestação de Serviço Móvel Pessoal), or SMP-RGQ.

The SMP-RGQ provides for the assessment of the network connection and their respective data transmission rate, assessing aspects of availability, stability and connection speed for the data network. Targets are defined as 80% of speed hired (on average per month) by users and 40% of the instant speed, according to the definitions of Resolution 575/2011.

In January 2018, ANATEL adopted a new model for measuring the quality of mobile broadband networks through the use of smartphones, replacing the previous model that required data from volunteers and often led to statistically insignificant results. The new model, which we have adopted by collecting user data directly from smartphones using the Minha Oi application, allows us to better manage the quality of our network, allowing us to identify corrective actions and more efficiently direct investments in our network.

As a result, the performance of mobile telephony service providers in any particular state may not meet one or more quality performance targets even if such service provider’s overall performance is satisfactory. For cases in which there are indications of performance or conduct other than those established in the regulations, ANATEL establishes a noncompliance process called Procedure for Determination of Non-Compliance to Obligations (Procedimento de Apuração de Descumprimento de Obrigações – PADO) in detriment to the provider. Therefore, mobile telephony service providers, including us, could be subject to fines or penalties as a result of the failure to meet the quality performance targets in one or more particular area codes.

In November 2017, ANATEL submitted for public consultation the RQUAL, a proposal to review the methods by which the quality standards for fixed-line services, personal mobility services, multimedia communications services and subscription television services are measured. In December 2019, ANATEL approved the RQUAL, which immediately superseded certain provisions of the SMP-RGQ obligations. However, the majority of the provisions of the RQUAL are not expected to be implemented until 2022, as provided for in the regulation. For more information, see “—Other Regulatory Matters—Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (RQUAL).”

Subscription Television Services

Regulatory Overview

The framework established by Law No. 12,485 of 2011 increased the availability and lowered the price of subscription television services in Brazil, through increased competition among providers, and improved the quality, speed and availability of broadband internet services as a result of the expected proliferation of fiber optic cables used to transmit cable television.

In March 2012, ANATEL adopted new regulations under which the authorizations to provide various existing subscription television services have been consolidated into authorizations to provide a newly-defined service called Conditional Access Service (Serviço de Acesso Condicionado – SeAC). Under these regulations, authorizations to provide Conditional Access Service apply to private telecommunications services, the receipt of which are conditioned on payment by subscribers, for the distribution of audiovisual contents in the form of packages, individual channels and channels with required programming, by means of any communications technology, processes, electronic means or protocols. An authorization granted by ANATEL to provide Conditional Access Service will be valid for the entire Brazilian territory; however, the provider must indicate in its application for an authorization the localities that it will service.

Our Authorizations

In November 2008, we entered into a 15-year authorization agreement with ANATEL that governs our use of satellite technology to provide DTH satellite television services throughout Brazil. Under this authorization, we are required to furnish equipment to certain public institutions, to make channels available for broadcasting by specified public institutions, and to comply with quality of service obligations set forth in applicable ANATEL regulations.

In December 2012, ANATEL granted our request to convert our DTH authorization agreement into a Conditional Access Service authorization allowing us to provide nationwide subscription television services through any technology, including satellite, wireline, optical fiber and coaxial cable. The Conditional Access Service authorization agreement authorized us to offer the services to be governed by such agreement, including IP TV, and has no termination date. In accordance with Law No. 12,485/11, which approved the Conditional Access Service regime, our Conditional Access Service authorization prohibits us from creating television content or owning more than 30% of a company that creates content. We are also required to carry a certain percentage of Brazilian programming, including open channels and public access channels.

Rate Regulation

The rates and prices for DTH and IP TV services are not subject to ANATEL regulation and are market-driven.

Quality Regulation

The quality of service on Pay-TV is monitored by ANATEL. These quality standards are measured according to the definitions and quality indicators established by Resolution 411/2005. The indicators, as well as their respective methods of collection, calculation and other quality requirements, measures the performance of Pay-TV service providers in each individual geographic area in which they operate. As a result, the performance of Pay-TV service providers in any particular geographic area may not meet one or more quality performance targets even if such service provider’s overall performance is satisfactory.

For cases in which there are indications of performance or conduct other than those established in the regulations, ANATEL establishes a noncompliance process called Procedure for Determination of Non-Compliance to Obligations (Procedimento de Apuração de Descumprimento de Obrigações – PADO) in detriment to the provider. Therefore, Pay-TV service providers, including us, could be subject to fines or penalties as a result of the failure to meet the quality performance targets in each geographic area in which they operate.

In November 2017, ANATEL submitted for public consultation the RQUAL, a proposal to review the methods by which the quality standards for fixed-line services, personal mobility services, multimedia communications services and subscription television services are measured. In December 2019, ANATEL approved the RQUAL, which immediately superseded certain provisions of the existing quality regulation applicable to subscription television service providers. However, the majority of the provisions of the RQUAL are not expected to be implemented until 2022, as provided for in the regulation. For more information, see “—Other Regulatory Matters—Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (RQUAL).”

Other Regulatory Matters

Consumer Protection Regulation

In March 2014, ANATEL published a regulation approving the General Regulation on Telecommunications Customers Rights (Regulamento Geral de Direitos do Consumidor de Serviços de Telecomunicações, or the “RGC”), a single regulation for the telecommunications sector with general rules for customer service, billing, and service offers, which are applicable to fixed, mobile, broadband and Pay-TV customers. This regulation establishes a period ranging from 120 days to 24 months from the date of publication for entering into compliance with the new rules. Most of the new rules that expand the rights of those who use the telecommunications services entered into force on July 8, 2014. Our failure to comply with this regulation may result in various fines and penalties being imposed on us by ANATEL.

At the end of 2020, ANATEL began the process of revising this regulation by submitting a proposal for a new regulation which will be subject to public review and comment through April 2021. The proposed text of the new regulation eases some of the restrictions of the RGC, but places new restrictions on, among others, contracting services, customer service and billing requirements. The new regulation is unlikely to be published before December 2021.

Oi, together with the main Brazilian telecommunications operators, created the Telecommunications Self-Regulation System (SART) with the goal of establishing common rules and procedures to be followed by all participating companies in practices including telemarketing, collections, products and customer service, which are the areas considered most critical in the relationship between providers and customers, and which historically generate the largest volume of complaints with ANATEL and the consumer protection bureau, Procons (Procuradoria de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor). The aim of SART is to provide ANATEL and Procons with means by which to solve common issues for consumers and companies in order to lessen regulatory burdens and improve these companies’ relationship with the public. The aim is to participate in the drafting of the rules and regulations applicable to telecommunications companies in order to produce legislation that is more effective and efficient, reducing costs for all parties involved and improving consumer relations.

Interconnection Regulations

Under the General Telecommunications Law, all telecommunications service providers are required, if technically feasible, to make their networks available for interconnection on a non-discriminatory basis whenever a request is made by another telecommunications service provider. Interconnection permits a call originated on the network of a requesting fixed-line or personal mobile services provider’s network to be terminated on the fixed-line or personal mobile services network of the other provider. ANATEL has adopted the General Rules on Interconnection (Regulamento Geral de Interconexão) to implement these requirements.

Interconnection Regulations Applicable to Fixed-Line Service Providers

Our revenues from the use of our local fixed-line networks by other telecommunications services providers consist primarily of payments at rates designated by ANATEL as TU-RL rates from:

Fixed-line service providers are not permitted to charge other fixed-line service providers for local fixed-line calls originating on their local fixed-line networks and terminating on the other provider’s local fixed-line networks.

Our revenues from the use of our long-distance networks consist primarily of payments at rates designated by ANATEL as TU-RIU rates from other long-distance carriers that use a portion of our long-distance networks to complete calls initiated by callers that have not selected us as the long-distance provider.

TU-RL and TU-RIU rates vary depending on the time of the day and day of the week and are subject to price caps established by ANATEL. The price cap for interconnection rates varies from service provider to service provider based on the retail prices of each service provider and are adjusted annually by ANATEL at the same time that rates for local and long-distance calls are adjusted. Fixed-line service providers must offer the same TU-RL and TU-RIU rates to all requesting providers on a nondiscriminatory basis.

The maximum TU-RL and TU-RIU rates that ANATEL has permitted us to charge have declined significantly since 2016. In December 2018, ANATEL published the maximum fixed reference rates, including TU-RL and TU-RIU, for 2020 through 2023, using a methodology that takes into consideration all long-run incremental costs, updated to current values, of providing a particular service and the unit costs of such service based on an efficient network considering our existing regulatory obligations.

Interconnection Regulations Applicable to Personal Mobile Services Providers

Our revenues from the use of our mobile networks by other telecommunications services providers consist primarily of payments on a per-minute basis from (1) local fixed-line, long-distance and mobile services providers to complete calls terminating on our mobile networks, and (2) long-distance service providers for the transfer to their networks of calls originating on our mobile networks.

The terms and conditions of interconnection to our mobile networks, including the rates charged to terminate calls on these mobile networks, which are designated by ANATEL as MTR rates, the commercial conditions and technical terms and conditions, may be freely negotiated between us and other mobile and fixed-line telecommunications service providers, subject to compliance with regulations established by ANATEL relating to traffic capacity and interconnection infrastructure that must be made available to requesting providers, among other things.

Personal mobile services providers must offer the same MTR rate to all requesting providers on a nondiscriminatory basis. ANATEL must determine that the intercompany agreements meet certain formal requirements before they become effective. These agreements may be rejected if they are contrary to the principles of free competition and the applicable regulations. If the providers cannot agree upon the terms and conditions of the interconnection agreements, ANATEL may determine terms and conditions by arbitration. Since no agreement with fixed-line service providers could be reached regarding MTR rates when we began offering personal mobile services, ANATEL set the initial MTR rates.

In December 2018, ANATEL published the maximum fixed reference rates for 2020 through 2023, using a methodology that takes into consideration all long-run incremental costs, updated to current values, of providing a particular service and the unit costs of such service based on an efficient network considering our existing regulatory obligations.

Quality of Telecommunications Services Regulation (RQUAL)

In November 2017, ANATEL submitted for public consultation the RQUAL, a proposal to review the methods by which the quality standards for fixed-line services, personal mobility services, multimedia communications services and subscription television services are measured. In December 2019, ANATEL approved the RQUAL, which established a new quality management model and immediately superseded certain provisions of the quality regulations then in existence. In addition, the RQUAL provides standardized rules regarding communications and reimbursement to users impacted by service interruptions.

Pursuant to the new model, telecommunications services providers will be evaluated on the basis of three indices: (1) service quality; (2) perceived quality; and (3) user complaints. Providers will be given annual grades, ranging from “A” (best) to “E” (worst), at the national, state and municipal levels. Customers whose providers receive “E” grades will be able to break their contracts without paying a fine regardless of the length of the contract or remaining term. The RQUAL will also replace the existing sanctioning regime. Providers will no longer automatically receive fines for not complying with quality targets. The RQUAL also provides for the replacement of the automatic sanctioning rules (fines for non-compliance with targets), by the adoption of specific measures and appropriate to the specific case, in order to guarantee the improvement of quality standards.

The RQUAL provides for the creation of a technical quality group, including representatives from ANATEL and various service providers, and a quality assessment support entity, with the aim of creating a manual that defines the technical parameters that will comprise the quality indicators and establishes the criteria for service interruptions and reimbursements. ANATEL’s board of directors will then be required to approve the manual, which is expected to become effective in 2022. At that time, the prior quality regulations applicable to telecommunications services providers, including the RGQ, among others, will be revoked and fully superseded by the RQUAL.

General Plan on Competition Targets (PGMC)

The PGMC, which was approved by ANATEL, became effective in November 2012 and was updated in July 2018, contemplates the creation of one entity to manage information about telecommunications networks, act as an intermediary in contracts between telecommunications providers and supervise the offering of wholesale data traffic services. The PGMC also addresses a variety of other matters relating to both fixed-line and mobile service providers, including criteria for the evaluation of telecommunications providers to determine which providers have significant market power and price regulations applicable to wholesale products, including EILD services, passive pipeline and subduct infrastructure, fixed line interconnection services, mobile interconnection services, roaming, high-speed data, and infrastructure for data transmitted through copper wires at speeds of 12 Mbps or less. The evaluation framework also takes into account the providers’ market position in several retail markets in which we participate. Under this framework, municipalities are categorized according to degree of competition present: competitive, moderately competitive, potentially competitive and not competitive. ANATEL then regulates companies based on the degree of competition present in each municipality.

The PGMC imposes stricter restrictions on providers that are deemed to have significant market power in a particular geographic area, ranging from a neighborhood within a municipality to the entire national territory. In order to determine whether a provider has significant market power, ANATEL established criteria that consider:

As of the date of this annual report, Oi is considered to be a service provider with significant market power in most of the cities in Brazil, except in the mobile interconnection market, where Oi has significant market power only in Region I.

Infrastructure Sharing

Prior to the adoption of the PGMC, ANATEL had established rules for partial unbundling of the local fixed-line networks of the public regime service providers, which we refer to as “line sharing,” and which (1) limited the rates service providers can charge for line sharing, and (2) addressed related matters such as co-location space requirements. Co-location means that a service provider requesting unbundling may place its switching equipment in or near the local exchange of the service provider whose network the requesting service provider wishes to use and may connect to the network at this local exchange.

The PGMC requires public regime service providers that have significant market power, such as our company, to share their fixed-line network infrastructure with other providers, including their local fixed-line access networks. Providers that are deemed to have significant market power must share their fixed access network infrastructure for transmission of data through copper wires at transmission rates of up to 12 Mbps. Providers with significant market power must also share their passive infrastructure with other service providers at prices determined by bilateral negotiations between the providers.

In addition, infrastructure sharing is governed by the Regulation of Infrastructure Sharing (Regulamento de Compartilhamento de Infraestrutura), which requires that all owners of infrastructure (who may or may not be telecommunications service providers) share their excess capacity with telecommunications service providers.

Ownership and Corporate Governance Restrictions

Over the years, ANATEL has initiated several internal proceedings to monitor our financial situation and to evaluate our ability to continue to perform our obligations under our concession agreements. In light of the approval of the RJ Plan by the creditors on December 20, 2017, and its subsequent ratification and confirmation by the RJ Court, ANATEL began to monitor our operating and financial positions based on the effectiveness of the RJ Plan. In addition, in connection with the RJ Proceedings, ANATEL gained expanded powers regarding our ownership and corporate governance decisions. In March 2019, ANATEL determined it would continue to monitor us in 2019, and imposed measures related to transparency, corporate governance, and financial performance. On February 10, 2020, ANATEL decided that it would no longer need to continue its monitoring activities with respect to the RJ Plan, having concluded that our short-term liquidity risk had been extinguished. Accordingly, ANATEL revoked the extraordinary obligations imposed on us since the approval of the RJ Plan. However, as it does with every telecommunications services provider whose services it regulates, ANATEL continues to monitor us, including our ability to perform our obligations under our concession agreements, in the ordinary course.

Regulatory Agenda 2020-2021

ANATEL’s Regulatory Agenda for 2021-2022, which was approved on December 4, 2020, includes a study on the 700MHz, 2.3GHz, 3.3GHz – 3.4GHz, 3.5GHz and 26GHz radiofrequencies in preparation for the 5G spectrum auctions ANATEL expects to hold in 2021.

Environmental and Other Regulatory Matters

As part of our day-to-day operations, we regularly install ducts for wires and cables and erect towers for transmission antennae. We may be subject to federal, state and/or municipal environmental licensing requirements due to the installation of cables along highways and railroads, over bridges, rivers and marshes and through farms, conservation units and environmental preservation areas, among other places. As of the date of this annual report, we have been required to obtain environmental licenses for the installation of transmission towers and antennae in several municipalities with no expected impact on our operations. However, there can be no assurances that other state and municipal environmental agencies will not require us to obtain environmental licenses for the installation of transmission towers and antennae in the future or that such a requirement would not have a material adverse effect on the installation costs of our network or on the speed with which we can expand and modernize our network.

We must also comply with environmental legislation regarding the management of solid waste. According to resolutions adopted by the National Environmental Council (Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente), companies responsible for the treatment and final disposal of solid industrial waste, special waste and solid urban waste are subject to environmental licensing. Should the waste not be disposed of in accordance with standards established by environmental legislation, the company generating such waste may be held jointly and severally liable with the company responsible for waste treatment for any damage caused. Also, in all states where we operate, we have implemented management procedures promoting the recycling of batteries, transformers and fluorescent lamps.

In addition, we are subject to ANATEL regulations that impose limits on the levels and frequency of the electromagnetic fields originating from our telecommunications transmissions stations.

We believe that we are in compliance with ANATEL standards as well as with all material environmental legislation and regulations.

Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 added Section 13(r) to the Exchange Act. Section 13(r) requires an issuer to disclose in its annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC whether the issuer or any of its affiliates has knowingly engaged in certain activities, transactions or dealings with the Government of Iran, relating to Iran or with designated natural persons or entities involved in terrorism or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction during the period covered by the annual or quarterly report. Disclosure is required even when the activities were conducted outside the United States by non-U.S. entities and even when such activities were conducted in compliance with applicable law.

We have roaming agreements with MTN Irancell, Mobile Company of Iran and Rightel Communications, each of which is an Iranian mobile phone operator. Pursuant to such roaming agreements, our customers are able to roam in these mobile phone operators’ networks (outbound roaming) and customers of MTN Irancell, Mobile Company of Iran and Rightel Communications are able to roam in our network (inbound roaming). For outbound roaming, we pay roaming fees for use of their network by our customers, and for inbound roaming, we receive roaming fees for use of our network. During 2020, we recorded revenues of R$1,032.07 and expenses of R$0.11 in connection with these roaming agreements.

We do not maintain any bank accounts in Iran. All payments in connection with our international roaming agreements are effected through our bank accounts in London.

The purpose of all of these agreements is to provide our customers with coverage in areas where we do not own networks. For that purpose, we intend to continue maintaining these agreements.

We also provide telecommunications services in the ordinary course of business to the Embassy of Iran in Brasilia. In 2020, we recorded gross revenues of approximately R$6,365 from these services. As one of the primary providers of telecommunications services in Brasilia, we intend to continue providing such services, as we do to the embassies of many other nations.

Not applicable.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and as of and for the three years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 which were prepared in accordance with IFRS, and the related notes, and are included in this annual report, as well as with the information presented under the sections entitled “Presentation of Financial and Other Information” and “Item 3. Key Information—Selected Financial Information.”

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in “Cautionary Statement with Respect to Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors.”

Overview

We are one of the principal integrated telecommunications service providers in Brazil with approximately 52.1 million revenue generating units, or RGUs, as of December 31, 2020 from continuing and discontinued operations, which included Residential Services, Personal Mobility Services and B2B Services.

We are in the process of implementing our Strategic Plan, the main objective of which is to transform our business model into two separate companies: (1) a consumer-focused company that will provide fixed-line telecommunications services to customers and businesses; and (2) an infrastructure company that will focus on a neutral network. This will allow us to focus on the use and rapid expansion of our extensive fiber-optic infrastructure, including our transportation networks (backbone, backhaul and data network) and primary and secondary access networks (dedicated links, metropolitan rings and FTTH access networks). We believe that through the implementation of our Strategic Plan, we will enable and support the high-speed connection needs of our residential, business, corporate and government customers and provide infrastructure services for other telecommunication service providers in Brazil, including in support of 5G services.  For additional information regarding our Strategic Plan, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Adoption of Strategic Plan.”

In order to implement our Strategic Plan and achieve greater operational and financial flexibility for our company, on February 27, 2020, we filed a petition with the RJ Court requesting that we be permitted to submit to our creditors for their consideration and deliberation at a new general creditors’ meeting a proposed amendment to the RJ Plan. On September 8, 2020, our creditors approved the RJ Plan Amendment, which was ratified and confirmed by the RJ Court on October 5, 2020. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order was published on October 8, 2020 in the Official Gazette. For additional information regarding the RJ Plan Amendment, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings—Extension of the Judicial Reorganization Proceedings.”

To further our Strategic Plan and pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, we formed or plan to form five UPIs for the disposal of certain of our businesses and/or isolated assets, as follows: (1) UPI Mobile Assets, which includes our mobile telephony and data operations; (2) UPI Towers and UPI Data Center, which includes our passive infrastructure; (3) UPI InfraCo, which includes our telecommunications network operation; and (4) UPI TVCo, which includes our Pay-TV business. Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment and the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law, our UPIs are separated from the assets, liabilities and rights of the RJ Debtors. We plan to sell our UPIs to ensure our ability to service our debt and generate the funds necessary to expand our fiber infrastructure and associated services, which is the key focus of our strategy. We expect that the divestment of our UPIs will allow us to maximize the business value of our investments by expanding our residential and business access services nationwide, exploit more efficiently our network components and create new business opportunities for the exploitation of these networks by offering them to other telecommunications service providers, as permitted by law.

As of the date of this annual report, we have entered into agreements to sell or completed the sale of UPI Data Center, UPI Towers and UPI Mobile Assets. In addition, we have accepted a binding proposal from a group of prospective buyers to acquire a majority interest in UPI InfraCo. For additional information, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Adoption of Strategic Plan.” For additional information regarding our UPIs, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—V. Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

The assets and liabilities related to UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo, UPI Towers, and UPI Data Center are classified as held for sale since their carrying amounts are being recovered primarily through sale transactions rather than through continuous use. We consider the sale of these assets to be highly probable, considering how the divestment plan of these assets is unfolding. We have also classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. In addition, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. We do not consider the operations of UPI Towers to represent a separate line of business, and the revenues and expenses associated with these assets are presented under the full consolidation method in our statement of profit or loss.

If the sale of all of the UPIs as provided for by the RJ Plan Amendment is implemented, we will retain all activities, assets, rights and obligations not expressly transferred to the UPIs, including certain copper backhaul assets related to our transportation network, certain residential and B2B services, digital and IT services, field maintenance and installation operations and customer service operations. For additional information regarding our continuing operations, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—IV. Continuing Operations.”

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded consolidated net operating revenue of R$18,776 million (consisting of R$9,284 million from continuing operations and R$9,491 million from discontinued operations) and a consolidated net loss of R$10,528 million (consisting of a loss of R$10,535 million from continuing operations and a profit of R$7 million from discontinued operations).

Our results of operations and financial condition have been and will be significantly influenced in future periods by the RJ Proceedings as described under “Item 4. Information on the Company—Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings” and our divestment of our UPIs, including the UPI Mobile Assets, as described under “Item 4. Information on the Company—Our Recent History and Development—Adoption of Strategic Plan.” In addition, our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 and our financial condition as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 have been influenced, and our future results of operations and financial condition will continue to be influenced, by a variety of factors, including:

We expect that our financial condition and liquidity will be influenced by a variety of factors, including:

Financial Presentation and Accounting Policies

Presentation of Financial Statements

We have prepared our audited consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB under the assumption that we will continue as a going concern and in compliance with the legal requirements applicable to a judicial reorganization. Our audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 have been audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

The RJ Proceedings are aimed at ensuring the continuation of our company as a going concern. This continuity was strengthened with: (1) the approval of the RJ Plan, as a result of which our borrowings and financing were novated and the related balances were recalculated under the terms and conditions of the RJ Plan; and (2) the approval of the RJ Plan Amendment. The continuity of our company as a going concern ultimately depends on the successful outcome of the RJ Proceedings and the realization of other forecasts of our company.

Our company has been successfully discharging the obligations set forth in the RJ Proceedings and even though there are no indications in this regard, we emphasize that these conditions and circumstances indicate, by their own nature, uncertainties that may affect the success of the RJ Proceedings and raised substantial doubts as to our ability to continue as a going concern. As at December 31, 2020 and after the implementation of the RJ Plan, total shareholders’ equity was R$7,769 million, loss for the year then ended was R$10,528 million, and working capital (consisting of current assets less current liabilities) totaled R$15,782 million. As at December 31, 2019 and after the implementation of the RJ Plan, total shareholders’ equity was R$17,797 million, loss for the year then ended was R$9,095 million, and working capital (consisting of current assets less current liabilities) totaled R$6,157 million.

As a result of our decision to dispose of certain businesses and/or isolated assets in connection with the RJ Plan Amendment, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. For additional information regarding our discontinued operations, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—V. Assets Held-For-Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

Business Segments and Presentation of Segment Financial Data

We use operating segment information for decision-making. We have identified only one operating segment that corresponds to the telecommunications business in Brazil.

The Telecommunications in Brazil segment includes our telecommunications business in Brazil. In addition to our telecommunications business in Brazil, we conduct other businesses that individually or in aggregate do not meet any of the quantitative indicators that would require their disclosure as reportable business segments. These businesses are conducted primarily by CST, Directel, and Timor Telecom, which provide fixed and mobile telecommunications services and publish telephone directories in Africa and Asia, and which have been consolidated in our financial statements since May 2014.

Within our Telecommunications in Brazil segment, our management assesses revenue generation from continuing operations based on customer segmentation into the following categories:

Within our Telecommunications in Brazil segment, we also generate a small portion of our revenue from long-distance calls that originate from mobile devices and terminate on fixed-line telephones in our concession areas.

As a result of our decision to sell our UPIs, we now account for the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets (including the sale of mobile telephony services to postpaid (subscription) and prepaid customers that include voice services and data communication services), UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. We do not consider the operations of UPI Towers to represent a separate line of business, and the revenues and expenses associated with these assets are presented under the full consolidation method in our statement of profit or loss. In addition, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our critical accounting policies and estimates are described in note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements. In preparing our audited consolidated financial statements in conformity with IFRS, our management uses estimates and assumptions based on historical experience and other factors, including expected future events, which we consider reasonable and relevant. Critical accounting policies are those that are important to the portrayal of our consolidated financial position and results of operations and require management’s subjective and complex judgments, estimates and assumptions. The application of these critical accounting policies frequently requires judgments made by management regarding the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain with respect to the outcomes of transactions and the carrying value of our assets and liabilities. Our actual results of operations and financial position may differ from those set forth in our audited consolidated financial statements, if our actual experience differs from management’s assumptions and estimates. In order to provide an understanding of our critical accounting policies, including some of the variables and assumptions underlying the estimates, and the sensitivity of those assumptions and estimates to different parameters and conditions, we set forth below a discussion of our critical accounting policies relating to:

• revenue recognition and trade receivables;
• expected credit losses on trade receivables;
• depreciation of property, plant and equipment;
• impairment of long-lived assets;
• leases;
• fair value of financial liabilities;
• provisions for contingencies;
• assets held-for-sale and discontinued operations;
• deferred income taxes and social contribution; and
• defined postretirement benefit plans.

Revenue Recognition and Trade Receivables

Our revenues correspond primarily to the amount of the payments received or receivable from sales of services in the regular course of our activities and our subsidiaries’ activities.

Revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.

Our revenue recognition considers the judgments that significantly affect the determined amount and the recognition timing of the revenue from a contract with a customer, taking into account the five-step recognition model: (i) identify the contract; (ii) identify the separate performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.

Service revenue is recognized when services are provided. Local and long-distance calls are charged based on time measurement according to the legislation in effect. The services charged based on monthly fixed amounts are calculated and recorded on a straight-line basis. Prepaid services are recognized as unearned revenues and recognized in revenue as these services are used by customers.

Our revenue is a material component of our results of operations. Management’s determination of price, collectability and the rights to receive certain revenues for the use of our network are based on judgments regarding the nature of the fee charged for services rendered, the price for certain services delivered and the collectability of those revenues. Should changes in conditions cause management to conclude that these criteria are not met for certain transactions, the amount of accounts receivable could be adversely affected. In addition, for certain categories of revenue we rely upon revenue recognition measurement guidelines set by ANATEL.

We consider revenue recognition to be a critical accounting policy, because of the uncertainties caused by different factors such as the complex information technology required, high volume of transactions, risk of fraud and piracy, accounting regulations, management’s determination of collectability and uncertainties regarding our right to receive certain revenues (mainly revenues for use of our network). Significant changes in these factors could cause us to fail to recognize revenues or to recognize revenues that we may not be able to realize in the future, despite our internal controls and procedures. We have not identified any significant need to change our revenue recognition policy.

Expected Credit Losses on Trade Receivables

Our expected credit losses on trade receivables are established in order to recognize expected credit losses on accounts receivable and take into account limitations we impose to restrict the provision of services to customers with past-due accounts and actions we take to collect delinquent accounts. The expected credit losses on trade receivables estimate is recognized in an amount considered sufficient to cover possible losses on the realization of these receivables. The expected credit losses on trade receivables estimate is prepared based on historical default rates. During 2018, we reassessed the methodology used to evaluate the assumption of expected credit losses on trade receivables that is set up to recognize probable losses on accounts receivable taking into account the measures implemented to restrict the provision of services to and collect late payments from customers. For additional information regarding our expected credit losses on trade receivables, see note 9 to our audited consolidated financial statements.

We have entered into agreements with certain customers to collect past-due accounts receivable, including agreements allowing customers to settle their delinquent accounts in installments. The amounts that we actually fail to collect in respect of these accounts may differ from the amount of the allowance established, and additional allowances may be required.

Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment

We depreciate property, plant and equipment using the straight-line method at rates we judge compatible with the useful lives of the underlying assets. The average depreciation rates of each of our classes of assets are presented in note 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements. The useful lives of assets in certain categories may vary based on whether they are used primarily to provide fixed-line or mobile services. We review the estimated useful lives of the assets taking into consideration technical obsolescence and a valuation by outside experts.

Given the complex nature of our property, plant and equipment, the estimates of useful lives require considerable judgment and are inherently uncertain, due to rapidly changing technology and industry practices, which could cause early obsolescence of our property, plant and equipment. If we materially change our assumptions of useful lives and if external market conditions require us to determine the possible obsolescence of our property, plant and equipment, our depreciation expense, obsolescence write-off and consequently net book value of our property, plant and equipment could be materially different.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets include assets that do not have indefinite lives, such as property, plant, and equipment, and purchased intangible assets subject to amortization. These assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If circumstances require a long-lived asset or asset group be tested for possible impairment, we first compare the value in use of that asset or asset group to its recoverable value. If the carrying amount of the long-lived asset or asset group exceeds the value in use of that asset or asset group, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its recoverable value. The calculation of value in use and recoverable value of assets or asset groups requires the use of judgments and assumptions that may be influenced by different external and internal factors, such as economic trends, industry trends and interest rates, changes in business strategies, and changes in the type of services and products sold our company to the market. The use of different assumptions may significantly change our financial statements.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we performed an impairment test on our non-current assets under IAS 36 and recognized an impairment reversal of R$1,130 million in connection with previously recognized impairment losses. This impairment reversal was primarily due to the expected future profitability of assets with finite useful lives of the cash-generating units (CGU) from continuing operations, due to developments in the financial scenarios and indicators taken into account to estimate in our cash flows in the RJ Plan Amendment.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, we performed an impairment test on our non-current assets under IAS 36 and recognized an impairment provision of R$2,111 million primarily as a result of (1) the revision of our strategic plan, focused on improving operating and financial performance, using a sustainable business model that is designed to maximize the Company’s value in the context of our judicial reorganization; and (2) increased market competitiveness, mainly in the residential market, which accelerated the decline in the revenues from fixed-line services and DTH services.

During the year ended December 31, 2018, we performed impairment tests on our non-current assets under IAS 36. We recorded an impairment provision of R$292 million during the year ended December 31, 2019 consisting of a supplementary adjustment to the recognized allowance for impairment losses related to expected future profitability of assets with finite useful lives.

Leases

We recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on our balance sheet with respect to leased assets. The right-of-use asset is measured at cost, which consists of the initial amount of the lease liability measurement, any initial direct costs incurred by us, an estimate of any costs to disassemble and remove the asset at the end of the lease, and any lease payments made before the lease commencement date (net of any incentives received), calculated at present value, discounted using the incremental lending rate.

We depreciate the right-of-use assets on a straight-line basis from the commencement of the lease to the termination of the lease. We also assess impairment when there are indicators that an asset might be impaired.

Our assumptions regarding appropriate discount rates used in our calculation of the present value of our leases are subject to significant fluctuations due to different external and internal factors, including economic trends and the financial performance of our company. The use of different assumptions to measure the present value of our leases could have a material effect on the estimated present value of the right-of-use asset and of the lease liability in our balance sheet.

Fair Value of Financial Liabilities

Under IFRS 9, our borrowings and financing were substantially modified as of the Brazilian Confirmation Date and therefore derecognized and the modified borrowings and financings were recorded at fair value. We estimated the fair value of each of these financial liabilities based on an internal valuation made of these financial liabilities, which takes into consideration the cash flows under these financial instruments provided for in the RJ Plan, and assumptions regarding appropriate discount rates and foreign exchange rates consistent with the tenor and currency of each of these financial liabilities.

The fair value adjustment recognized on our balance sheet with respect to each financial liability as of the Brazilian Confirmation Date is amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of that financial liability and on a monthly basis we record a financial expense in the amount of the amortization in our statement of operations and a corresponding reduction in the fair value adjustment on our balance sheet.

During the year ended December 31, 2018, we recorded gains on adjustments to fair value of our borrowings and financings of R$13,928 million and gains on adjustments to present value of our trade payables (including trade payables to ANATEL-AGU) of R$1,167 million. We do not expect to record additional significant fair value adjustments in our statements of operations.

Our assumptions regarding appropriate discount rates and foreign exchange rates used in our calculation of the fair value of our financial liabilities are subject to significant fluctuations due to different external and internal factors, including economic trends and the financial performance of our company. The use of different assumptions to measure the fair value of our financial liabilities could have a material effect on the estimated fair value of these financial liabilities and the amounts recorded as borrowings and financings in our balance sheet, as well as the amounts recognized as profit or loss in our statement of operations.

Provisions for Contingencies

Liabilities for loss contingencies arising from claims, assessment, litigation, fines and penalties are recorded when it is probable that the liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated, based on the opinion of management and its in-house and outside legal counsel. The amounts are recognized based on the cost of the expected outcome of ongoing lawsuits.

We classify our risk of loss in legal proceedings as remote, possible or probable. Provisions recorded in our audited consolidated financial statements in connection with these proceedings reflect reasonably estimated losses at the relevant date as determined by our management after consultation with our general counsel and the outside legal counsel. Depending on the nature of the contingency, our management uses the statistical measurement or the individual measurement methodology to calculate provisions for contingencies. In any of these methodologies, we use a set of assumptions, information, an internal and external risk assessment, and statistical models that management considers to be appropriate, including the successful implementation of the RJ Plan.

As discussed in note 24 to our audited consolidated financial statements, we record as a liability our estimate of the costs of resolution of such claims, when we consider our losses probable. We continually evaluate the provisions based on changes in relevant facts, circumstances and events, such as judicial decisions, that may impact the estimates, which could have a material impact on our results of operations and shareholders’ equity. While management believes that the current provision is adequate, it is possible that our assumptions used to estimate the provision and, therefore, our estimates of loss in respect of any given contingency will change in the future based on changes in the relevant situation. This may therefore result in changes in future provisioning for legal claims. For more information regarding material pending claims against our company, see “Item 8. Financial Information—Legal Proceedings” and note 24 to our audited consolidated financial statements.

Assets Held-for-Sale and Discontinued Operations

Assets are classified as assets held for sale when their carrying amount is recoverable, principally through a sale, and when such sale is highly probable. These assets are stated at the lower of their carrying amount and their fair value less costs to sell. Any impairment loss on a group of assets held for sale is initially allocated to goodwill and, then, to the remaining assets and liabilities on a pro rata basis. Our assets held-for-sale included our UPIs, certain our operations in Africa and other non-core real estate assets. As of December 31, 2020, we recorded total assets of R$20,772 million and total liabilities of R$9,195 million related to our assets held-for-sale.

A discontinuing operation is a component of an entity or a business unit that can be clearly distinguished operationally from the rest of the company. The classification of a discontinuing operation is made when the operation is sold or meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale. We have classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. In addition, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. We do not consider the operations of UPI Towers to represent a separate line of business, and the revenues and expenses associated with these assets are presented under the full consolidation method in our statement of profit or loss. During the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we recorded a profit of R$7 million, a loss of R$364 million and a profit of R$1,396 million, respectively, from discontinued operations.

Deferred Income Taxes and Social Contribution

Income taxes in Brazil are calculated and paid on a legal entity basis, and there are no consolidated tax returns. Accordingly, we only recognize deferred tax assets, related to tax loss carryforwards and temporary differences, if it is likely that they will be realized on a legal entity basis.

We recognize and settle taxes on income based on the results of operations determined in accordance with the Brazilian Corporate Law, taking into consideration the provisions of Brazilian tax law, which are materially different from the amounts calculated for IFRS purposes. Under IFRS, we recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the taxable bases of the assets and liabilities, and tax loss carryforwards are recorded in assets or liabilities, as applicable. We recognize the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs.

We regularly test deferred tax assets for impairment and recognize a provision for impairment losses when it is probable that these assets may not be realized, based on the history of taxable income, the projection of future taxable income, and the time estimated for the reversal of existing temporary differences. These projections require the use of estimates and assumptions. In order to project future taxable income, we need to estimate future taxable revenues and deductible expenses, which are subject to a variety of external and internal factors, such as economic trends, industry trends and interest rates, changes in business strategies, and changes in the type of services and products sold by our company. The use of different estimates and assumptions could result in the recognition of a provision for impairment losses for the entire or a significant portion of the deferred tax assets.

Defined Postretirement Benefit Plans

We sponsor certain defined postretirement benefit plans for our employees. We record liabilities for defined postretirement benefits plan based on actuarial valuations which are calculated based on assumptions and estimates regarding discount rates, investment returns, inflation rates for future periods, mortality indices and projected employment levels relating to postretirement benefit liabilities. The accuracy of these assumptions and estimates will determine whether we have created sufficient reserves for the costs of accumulated defined postretirement benefits plans, and the amount we are required to disburse each year to fund postretirement benefits plans. These assumptions and estimates are subject to significant fluctuations due to different external and internal factors, such as economic trends, social indicators, our capacity to create new jobs and our ability to retain our employees. All of these assumptions are reviewed at the end of each reporting period. If these assumptions and estimates are not accurate, we may be required to revise our reserves for defined postretirement benefits, which could materially impact our results of operations.

Principal Factors Affecting Our Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Principal Factors Affecting our Continuing Operations

Effects of the RJ Proceedings and Our Financial Restructuring

In June 2016, as a result of several factors affecting our liquidity, we anticipated that we would no longer be able to comply with our payment obligations under our borrowings and financing transactions and we concluded that filing of a request for judicial reorganization in Brazil would be the most appropriate course of action (1) to preserve the continuity of our offering of quality services to our customers, within the rules and commitments undertaken with ANATEL, (2) to preserve the value of our company, (3) to maintain the continuity of our operations and corporate activities in an organized manner that protects the interests of our company, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and (4) to protect our cash and cash equivalents.

Our liquidity crisis resulted principally from:

On June 20, 2016, Oi, together with the other RJ Debtors, filed a joint voluntary petition for judicial reorganization pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law with the RJ Court, pursuant an urgent measure approved by our board of directors. For more information regarding the RJ Proceedings, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—II. Our Recent History and Development—Our Judicial Reorganization Proceedings.”

Effects of RJ Proceedings on Our Statement of Operations

Our net operating revenue was negatively affected by the RJ Proceedings primarily as a result of the impact of these proceedings on our ability to attract new corporate customers for our B2B business as these potential customers have been wary of entering into long-term service contracts with us during the pendency of these proceedings. We do not believe that the RJ Proceedings had a direct impact on our net revenue from other services.

Effects of Confirmation of the RJ Plan on Our Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet

On December 19 and 20, 2017, a GCM was held to consider approval of the most recently filed judicial reorganization plan. This GCM concluded on December 20, 2017 following the approval of the RJ Plan reflecting amendments to the judicial reorganization plan presented at this GCM as negotiated during the course of this GCM.

On January 8, 2018, the RJ Court entered the Brazilian Confirmation Order, ratifying and confirming the RJ Plan, according to its terms, but modifying certain provisions of the RJ Plan. The Brazilian Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on February 5, 2018, the Brazilian Confirmation Date.

The Brazilian Confirmation Order, according to its terms, is currently binding on all parties, although it is subject to five pending appeals with no suspensive effect attributed to those appeals.

As a result of the approval and confirmation of the RJ Plan, we recognized the following effects for the year ended December 31, 2018 only:

In addition, as a result of the approval and confirmation of the RJ Plan, we began to attract new corporate customers for our B2B business as the concerns of these potential customers regarding the long-term sustainability of our business have receded.

Effects of Confirmation of the RJ Plan Amendment on Our Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet

On September 8, 2020, a GCM was held to consider approval of the RJ Plan Amendment. The creditors present at the GCM approved the RJ Plan Amendment pursuant to the requirements under the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law. On October 5, 2020, the RJ Court entered the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, which ratified and confirmed the RJ Plan Amendment. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order was published in the Official Gazette on October 8, 2020, the RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Date. The RJ Plan Amendment Confirmation Order, according to its terms, is currently binding on all parties, although it is subject to 11 pending appeals with no suspensive effect attributed to those appeals.

The RJ Plan Amendment authorized us to carry out certain transactions, including, among other things, the following: (1) forming five UPIs for the disposal of certain businesses and/or isolated assets pursuant to the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law; (2) improving the payment terms and conditions for a significant portion of small creditors as a way of reducing litigation and speeding up the settlement of these claims, as required by the RJ Court; (3) allowing the RJ Debtors to raise additional financing and other funding to allow them to maintain the necessary investments and pay their creditors; and (4) segregating some fiber optics assets and infrastructure through SPE InfraCo to create a more flexible and efficient corporate structure to accelerate investments in the expansion of our fiber optics network and allowing SPE InfraCo to have access to financial and capital markets and raise additional funds at lower costs.

We plan to sell our UPIs to ensure our ability to service our debt and generate the funds necessary to expand our fiber infrastructure and associated services, which is the key focus of our strategy. We expect that the divestment of our UPIs will allow us to maximize the business value of our investments by expanding our residential and business access services nationwide, exploit more efficiently our network components and create new business opportunities for the exploitation of these networks by offering them to other telecommunications service providers, as permitted by law.

The assets and liabilities related to UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo, UPI Towers, and UPI Data Center are classified as held for sale since their carrying amounts are being recovered primarily through sale transactions rather than through continuous use. We consider the sale of these assets to be highly probable, considering how the divestment plan of these assets is unfolding. In our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020, R$20,625 million was reclassified to held-for-sale assets and R$9,153 million was reclassified to liabilities associated with held-for-sale assets.

We have also classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center as discontinued operations, as their sale represents a strategic shift in our operations and are an integral part of our coordinated divestment plan. In addition, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. We do not consider the operations of UPI Towers to represent a separate line of business, and the revenues and expenses associated with these assets are presented under the full consolidation method in our statement of profit or loss. During the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we recorded a profit of R$7 million, a loss of R$364 million and a profit of R$1,396 million, respectively, from discontinued operations.

Other effects of the RJ Plan Amendment include adjustments to the payment terms and conditions of certain prepetition creditors, which resulted in:

• the settlement of certain ANATEL claims, pursuant to which we transferred R$200 million in judicial deposits to ANATEL during 2020;
• payments to Class III unsecured creditors during 2020 in the aggregate amount of R$12 million;
• payments to prepetition labor creditors during 2020 in the aggregate amount of R$7 million; and
• payments to small businesses with unsecured claims during 2020 in the aggregate amount of R$5 million.

Rate of Growth of Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product and Demand for Telecommunications Services

As a Brazilian company with substantially all of our operations in Brazil, we are affected by economic conditions in Brazil. Brazilian GDP declined by an estimated 4.1% during the year ended December 31, 2020, and by 1.1% during 2019 and 1.1% during 2018. The slow economic recovery since the second quarter of 2014, together with continued elevated unemployment levels, have adversely impacted the number of subscribers to our services and the volume of usage of our services by our subscribers. During the three-year period ended December 31, 2020, the number of fixed lines in service in Brazil during the three-year period ended December 31, 2020 has declined at an average rate of 8.4% per year.

Demand for Our Residential Services

The number of our residential fixed lines in service declined by 45.5% to 6.3 million as of December 31, 2020 from 9.2 million as of December 31, 2017. Demand for our Residential Services was negatively affected by a decision of the Brazilian Supreme Court that we must pay ICMS tax on customer subscriptions that do not include allowances and our subsequent inclusion of this tax in customers’ bills in the first half of 2017. We have focused on offering more and higher value-added services to new and existing customers by combining upselling and cross-selling initiatives, thereby increasing the ARPU of our Residential Services business.

We have sought to combat the general trend in the Brazilian telecommunications industry of substitution of mobile services in place of local fixed-line services by offering a variety of bundled plans that include mobile services, broadband services and Oi TV subscriptions to our fixed-line customers. We believe that through our sales of bundles consisting of more than one service, we improve customer profitability and enhance loyalty, while also increasing ARPU and minimizing churn rates. In addition, we have been focusing on structural network investments, including the introduction of VDSL technology, in order to offer service plans that include higher broadband speeds.

Demand for Our B2B Services

We believe that our B2B Services customer base has been negatively impacted by: (1) the declining macroeconomic conditions in Brazil, which has caused many of our SME customers to downsize or cease operations; and (2) contractions in the fiscal strength of many of our governmental customers, which has caused them to reduce the scope of their telecommunications expenditures, the effects of which have been offset by the increased use of our SIM cards, networks and solutions by payment industry terminals.

Our corporate customers, while better able to survive the current economic instability, often respond by reducing their economic activity and their spending for telecommunications products and services. In addition, provided that our B2B Services customers also purchase the core fixed-line and mobile services offered to our Residential and Personal Mobility Services customers, demand for our B2B Services is subject to some of the same conditions that affect our Residential and Personal Mobility Services, including reductions in interconnection tariffs, which have led to more robust mobile package offerings and driven the traffic migration trend of fixed-to-mobile substitution.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world. On January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was a global health emergency and on March 3, 2020, the World Health Organization categorized COVID-19 as a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous deaths and the imposition of local, municipal and national governmental “shelter-in-place” and other quarantine measures, border closures and other travel restrictions, causing unprecedented economic disruption in much of the world, including in Brazil. In March 2020, we formed a multidisciplinary crisis response team focused on ensuring the continuity of our operations and services to our customers and the health of our employees and monitoring actions to fight the impacts of the pandemic.

The principal measures we have adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic include:

·         instituting a “work-from-home” policy for all of our employees for whom the demands of their work permit this arrangement, constituting approximately 84% of our work force, without any interruption of their activities. For our remaining employees, for example, our field service technicians and operators in our call centers, we have complied with all health care recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

·         Implementing measures to assist our customers during the pandemic, for example, providing deferrals of payment deadlines by up to 10 days upon request of our customers and entering into payment plans with some of our customers under which we will forbear the collection of interest and late charges.

·         maintaining regular communications with our suppliers and service providers in order to ensure timely delivery of inputs and equipment and prevent disruptions in our logistics and supply chain;

·         activating new circuits in our backbone infrastructure in order to service the increasing demand for our telecommunications services and to ensure continuity of our services. As a result, we have not experienced any significant decline in the operation and reliability of our networks.

From March 2020 to May 2020, state, local and municipal authorities within Brazil promoted and enforced public health measures, including social isolation and quarantine measures, and enacted regulations limiting the operations of “non-essential” businesses. These measures resulted in the shutdown of our retail stores, which impacted our revenue from prepaid charges. In contrast, we have experienced a significant surge in demand for our broadband services, including services delivered through our expanding FTTH network, both from residential and B2B customers.

Beginning in June 2020, many states and municipalities began the process of gradually reopening and easing restrictive measures. Accordingly, we resumed activities in our stores, pursuant to all established protocols; however, we continue to monitor conditions in each location where we operate in case of any change.

To date the COVID-19 pandemic has not had a material adverse effect on our business or results of our operations. However, there are still uncertainties regarding the duration and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including new virus strains and pandemic “waves” with an increase in the number of confirmed cases in Brazil, and the local, national and international response to the virus is still fluid and uncertain. Accordingly, we have preventatively maintained all mitigation actions already adopted. In addition, we have intensified our digitalization of our sales, telemarketing and teleagents channels, which has allowed for a rapid and growing recovery to pre-pandemic levels.

Effects of Our Absorption of Network Maintenance Service Operations and Adoption of New Customer Care Model

We introduced programs beginning in 2015 to control costs related to network maintenance services and third-party services by (1) absorbing operation of several network maintenance service operations and providing these services ourselves, and (2) implementing a new customer care quality model through which we have improved our method of allocation of call center traffic to promote a greater level of customer service and digitized some of our customer interactions with respect to processing order for new services, troubleshooting service issues and dispatching maintenance personnel.

Through our subsidiary Serede we absorbed operations of our network maintenance service operations of our contractor in Rio de Janeiro in October 2015, our network maintenance service operations of our contractor in the South region of Brazil in May 2016 and our network maintenance service operations of our contractor in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil in June 2016. As a result, 75% of the members of our technical field staff are our employees and are directly managed by our company compared to 20% prior to the absorption of these operations. We have revised the focus of our network maintenance service operations to concentrate on preventive network maintenance the reduce the number of repairs, in turn reducing the volume of network interventions and increasing field force productivity, thus freeing capacity to increase our focus on preventive maintenance. This virtuous cycle improves field operations efficiency and reduces costs in terms of both the number of technicians and the volume of materials applied.

As a result of internalizing these operations, our network maintenance services expense has declined to R$722.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 from R$1,014 million during 2019 and R$1,104 million during 2018. In addition to reducing costs, we believe that this initiative has resulted in (1) a reduction of the number of repairs by 33.2% during the year ended December 31, 2020, 19.4% during 2019 and 17.2% during 2018, and (2) an increase in productivity of our field staff (as measured by the number of field activities carried out divided by the total number of technicians involved) by 1.6% during the year ended December 31, 2020, 1.2% during 2019 and 6.9% during 2018. Finally, we believe that this initiative has also resulted in a reduction of complaints to ANATEL by 7.9% during the year ended December 31, 2020, 8.6% during 2019 and 19.6% during 2018.

During 2016, we implemented a new customer care quality model in which we allocated call traffic among our call center service providers based on service quality. In addition, in 2018, we began to promote electronic channels that allow self-service, increasing digital interactions and consequently reducing calls requiring interactions with call center personnel. These initiatives have stimulated better quality in the provision of services, resulting in a 4.2% decline in the volume of repeated calls during the year ended December 31, 2020, and 6.5% and 17.3% declines in the volume of repeated calls during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and a 26.9% decline in call center costs during the year ended December 31, 2020, and 13.3% and 22.5% declines in call center costs during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Effects of Adjustments to Our Interconnection Rates

Telecommunications services rates are subject to comprehensive regulation by ANATEL. In particular, interconnection rates for fixed-line services in the Brazilian telecommunications industry have been subject to comprehensive reductions in recent years.

In July 2014, ANATEL approved rules under which interconnection rates charged by our company for the use of our fixed-line and mobile networks would be reduced over a period of years until they were set at rates based on a long-run incremental cost methodology. The MTR tariffs that we charged to terminate calls on our mobile networks were reduced by 71.3% from December 31, 2017 to December 31, 2020 and were increased by 3.5% in February 2021. In addition, the TU-RL and TU-RIU tariffs that we charged to terminate calls on our fixed-line networks were reduced by 40.8% from December 31, 2017 to December 31, 2020 and were reduced by an average of 13.1% in February 2021.

As a result of the substantial reductions in our interconnection costs, and in keeping with our strategy of simplifying our portfolios to enhance our customers’ experience, since 2015 we have been offering fixed-line and mobile plans that allow all-net calls for a flat fee.

Effects of Claims by ANATEL that Our Company Has Not Fully Complied with Our Quality of Service and Other Obligations

As a fixed-line service provider, we must comply with the provisions of the RGQ. As a public regime service provider, we must comply with the network expansion and modernization obligations under the PGMU and our concession agreements. Our personal mobile services authorizations set forth certain network expansion obligations and targets and impose obligations on us to meet quality of service standards. In addition, we must comply with regulations of general applicability promulgated by ANATEL, which generally relate to quality of service measures.

If we fail to meet quality goals established by ANATEL under the RGQ, fail to meet the network expansion and modernization targets established by ANATEL under the PGMU and our concession agreements, fail to comply with our obligations under our personal mobile services authorizations or fail to comply with our obligations under other ANATEL regulations, we may be subject to warnings, fines, intervention by ANATEL, temporary suspensions of service or cancellation of our concessions and authorizations.

On an almost weekly basis, we receive inquiries from ANATEL requiring information from us on our compliance with the various service obligations imposed on us by our concession agreements. If we are unable to respond satisfactorily to those inquiries or comply with our service obligations under our concession agreements, ANATEL may commence administrative proceedings in connection with such noncompliance. We have received numerous notices of commencement of administrative proceedings from ANATEL, mostly due to our inability to achieve certain targets established in the RGQ and the PGMU.

At the time that ANATEL notifies us it believes that we have failed to comply with our obligations, we evaluate the claim and, based on our assessment of the probability of loss relating to that claim, may establish a provision. We vigorously contest a substantial number of the assessments made against us by ANATEL. As of December 31, 2020, the total estimated contingency in connection with all pending administrative proceedings brought by ANATEL against us in which we deemed the risk of loss as probable totaled R$1,264 million, including fines which we are contesting through judicial proceedings, and we had recorded an aggregate provision related to these proceedings in the same amount.

Pursuant to the RJ Plan Amendment, the payment terms and conditions of certain prepetition creditors were adjusted, which resulted in the settlement of certain ANATEL claims, pursuant to which we transferred R$200 million in judicial deposits to ANATEL during 2020.

Effect of Level of Indebtedness and Interest Rates

As of December 31, 2020, we had total outstanding borrowings and financings of R$41,519 million, excluding the fair value adjustment and debt issuance costs, and R$26,344 million, after giving effect to the fair value adjustment and debt issuance costs.

Borrowing and financing costs consist of interest on borrowings payable to third parties, exchange losses on third-party borrowings and gains and losses on derivative financial instruments as set forth in note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

As a result of the implementation of the RJ Plan, most of our obligations under our restructured indebtedness accrue interest at fixed-rates in U.S. dollars. However, our obligations under our restructured debentures and our restructured Brazilian credit agreements and Real Estate Receivables Certificates (Certificados de Recebíveis Imobiliários), or CRIs, accrue interest based on the CDI rate and our obligations under our restructured credit agreements with BNDES accrue interest based on the TJLP rate. As a result, increases in the CDI rate or the TJLP rate will increase our interest expenses and debt service obligations.

In addition, the RJ Plan permits us to borrow up to R$2 billion under new export credit facilities. This debt may accrue interest at floating rates and/or be denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, we may incur interest expenses and foreign exchange gains and losses in connection with this debt, if incurred.

Effects of Fluctuations in Exchange Rates between the Real and the U.S. Dollar

Substantially all of our cost of services and operating expenses in Brazil are incurred in reais. As a result, the appreciation or depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar does not have a material effect on our operating margins. However, the costs of a substantial portion of the network equipment that we purchase for our capital expenditure projects are denominated in U.S. dollars or are U.S. dollar-linked. As a result, depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar results in this network equipment being more costly in reais and leads to increased depreciation expenses. Conversely, appreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar results in this network equipment being less costly in reais and leads to reduced depreciation expenses.

As a result of the confirmation of the RJ Plan, our obligations under our restructured Export Credit Agreements, our PIK Toggle Notes and our Non-Qualified Credit Agreement are denominated in U.S. dollars and will accrue interest in U.S. dollars.

As a result, when the real appreciates against the U.S. dollar:

• the interest costs on our indebtedness denominated in U.S. dollars will decline in reais, which will positively affect our results of operations in reais;
• the amount of our indebtedness denominated in U.S. dollars will decline in reais, and our total liabilities and debt service obligations in reais will decline; and
• our financial expense, net will decline as a result of foreign exchange gains that we record.

A depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar will have the converse effects.

The significant depreciation of the real subsequent to December 31, 2020, is expected to have adverse effects on the carrying amount of our U.S. dollar-denominated indebtedness and interest expenses and the real costs of our U.S. dollar-denominated capital expenditure and operating lease costs. In the short-term, we do not believe that this depreciation will have a significant adverse effect on our ability to obtain network equipment for our capital expenditure projects.

Effects of Inflation

Because substantially all of our cost of services and operating expenses are incurred in reais in Brazil, an increase in inflation has the effect of increasing our operating expenses and reducing our margins. Although we have taken significant measures to control and reduce operating expenses during the past three years, the benefits of these measures were reduced as a result of the countervailing impact of Brazilian inflation during that time. Although our regulated rates are subject to annual adjustment based on the rate of inflation as measured by the IST, the majority of our revenue is generated from services delivered at rates that are not regulated or that are provided at a discount to the regulated rates as a result of competitive pressures in the Brazilian telecommunications market. As a result, we may not be able to pass through our increased operating costs and expenses resulting from inflationary pressures to our customers as incurred in the form of higher tariffs for our services.

As a result of the confirmation of the RJ Plan, our obligations under our debentures and restructured Brazilian credit agreements and CRIs have accrued interest based on the CDI rate, which could be adjusted in the event of a significant increase in inflation in Brazil, since the Brazilian Confirmation Date. As a result, inflation could potentially have an indirect impact on our interest expenses and debt service obligations.

Effects of Investments in Africatel

At the time of our acquisition of PT Portugal, PT Portugal held indirectly 75% of the outstanding share capital of Africatel which held 25% of the outstanding share capital of Unitel. We recognized this investment as a held-for-sale financial asset recognized at fair value. The fair value of the investment in Unitel of R$4,089 million was determined based on a valuation report of Pharol’s operating assets prepared by Banco Santander in connection with our acquisition of PT Portugal.

On September 16, 2014, our board of directors authorized our management to take the necessary measures to market our shares in Africatel. As a result, as of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we have recorded the assets and liabilities of Africatel, including its investment in Unitel and the accounts receivable relating to declared and unpaid dividends of Unitel, as held-for sale, although we do not record Africatel as discontinued operations in our statement of operations due to the immateriality of the effects of Africatel on our results of operations. Due to the many risks involved in the ownership of these interests, particularly our interest in Unitel, we cannot predict when the sale of these assets may be completed.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a gain on held-for-sale financial assets of R$161 million, primarily as a result of our recorded gain on sales of PT Ventures in January 2020 and exchange rate gain during the period. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recorded a loss on held-for-sale financial assets of R$238 million, primarily as a result of R$404 million loss recorded as a result of our revision of the fair value of the cash investment and dividends receivable from Unitel, the effects of which were primarily offset by a R$165 million exchange rate gain due to the 4.0% depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during the year ended December 31, 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we recorded a gain on available-for-sale financial assets of R$293 million, primarily as a result of a R$829 million exchange rate gain due to the 17.1% depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during 2018 and R$142 million recorded with respect to our portion of dividends approved by Unitel related to Unitel’s 2017 fiscal year, the effects of which were partially offset by a R$678 million loss recorded based on our revision of the fair value of the cash investment in Unitel.

On January 24, 2020, Africatel sold and transferred 100% of the share capital of PT Ventures to Sonangol for an aggregate purchase price of US$1 billion, of which US$61 million was paid to Africatel prior to the transfer of the shares, US$699 million was paid in cash on the closing date and US$240 million was paid in several installments between February 2020 and July 2020 by means of minimum monthly payments of US$40 million beginning in February 2020, totaling R$4.1 billion cash received in 2020. Pursuant to the Pharol Settlement Agreement, we deposited 34 million euros of the proceeds of this sale in an escrow account to cover losses relating to certain tax proceedings against Pharol.

The principal assets of PT Ventures included (1) a 25% stake in Unitel, (2) a 40% stake in Multitel Serviços de Telecomunicações Lda., (3) rights to dividends previously declared by Unitel, but not received by PT Ventures, and (4) all rights arising from a final award in the amount of approximately US$659 million in an arbitration proceeding initiated by PT Ventures against the other Unitel shareholders.

As a result of this transaction, we are no longer party to any litigation involving PT Ventures, Unitel or the other Unitel shareholders.

Principal Factors Affecting our Discontinued Operations

Demand for Our Personal Mobility Services

Our customer base for mobility services (including customers in our Personal Mobility Services and B2B Services) declined by 5.9% to 36.7 million as of December 31, 2020 from 39 million as of December 31, 2017. We believe that the primary reason for the decline in our Personal Mobility Services customer base is the reduction in the total number of mobile accesses in Brazil, reflecting the trend to consolidate mobile use into a single SIM card, following the launch of all-net plans in response to the successive reductions of the MTR tariffs, and the structural market migration from voice to data in response to the offering of more robust data packages. Additionally, we have implemented an intensive policy of disconnecting inactive users to reduce regulatory fees that we must make for each active account, which has also contributed to the decline in our Personal Mobility Services customer base. Finally, we believe that the number of our prepaid accounts has significantly declined over this period as a result of the increase in Brazil’s unemployment rate as our net additions of prepaid subscribers are closely correlated to movements in the unemployment rate.

The market for mobile services is extremely competitive in each of the regions that we serve. As a result, (1) we incur selling expenses in connection with marketing and sales efforts designed to retain existing mobile customers and attract new mobile customers; and (2) from time to time the discounts that we offer in connection with our promotional activities lead to charges against our gross operating revenue from mobile services. Competitive pressures have required us to introduce service plans under which we offer unlimited voice calls tied to service offerings priced in relation to the amount of data usage offered.

We have classified the operations related to the UPI Mobile Assets, which include our Personal Mobility Services, as discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2020, and we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 accordingly.

Effects of Expansion of FTTH Capacity

We have engaged in a long-term capital expenditure project to upgrade portions of our fixed-line access networks with optical FTTH networks based on GPON technology to support our FTTH triple-play services. The implementation of this technology permits us to provide broadband with speeds up to 200 Mbps to residential customers and up to 1 Gbps to commercial customers.

Our FTTH network has grown to reach more than 9.1 million homes passed in 134 municipalities as of December 31, 2020 compared to 4.6 million homes passed in 82 municipalities as of December 31, 2019. Subscriptions to our FTTH services have grown to approximately 2.1 homes connected as of December 31, 2020 from approximately 675,000 homes connected as of December 31, 2019. We expect to reach more than 14 million homes passed and an additional 1.5 million homes connected by the end of 2021.

We expect that our FTTH network will be transferred to SPE InfraCo. Nevertheless, following the partial sale of UPI InfraCo, SPE InfraCo will become our associated company, and our fixed-line customers will continue to benefit from the expansion of SPE InfraCo’s FTTH capacity.

Seasonality

Our primary business operations do not have material seasonal operations.

Recent Developments

Sale of UPI Data Center

On December 11, 2020, following a hearing held in November 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a sale and purchase agreement, or the UPI Data Center SPA, to sell UPI Data Center to Titan Venture Capital e Investimentos Ltda., or Titan, for the amount of R$325 million. On March 12, 2021, after satisfying all contractual conditions precedent, the sale was completed, at which time all of the shares of SPE Data Center were transferred to Titan, which made a cash payment in the amount of R$250 million. The remaining amount is payable in installments in the form and terms provided for in the UPI Data Center SPA.

Sale of UPI Towers

On December 23, 2020, following a hearing held in November 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a sale and purchase agreement, or the UPI Towers SPA, to sell UPI Towers to Highline do Brasil II Infraestrutura de Telecomunicações S.A., or Highline, for the amount of approximately R$1.1 billion, subject to certain price adjustments as provided in the UPI Towers SPA. On March 30, 2021, after satisfying all contractual conditions precedent, the sale was completed, at which time all of the shares of SPE Towers were transferred to Highline, which made a cash payment in the amount of R$862 million. The remaining amount is subject to common price adjustments in the form and terms provided in the UPI Towers SPA.

Sale of UPI Mobile Assets

On January 28, 2021, following a hearing held in December 2020 in connection with a competitive bidding process carried out in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, the RJ Debtors executed a sale and purchase agreement, or the UPI Mobile Assets SPA, to sell UPI Mobile Assets to the telecom companies Telefônica Brasil S.A., TIM S.A., and Claro S.A. (collectively, the “Mobile Assets Buyers”) for the amount of R$16.5 billion, subject to certain conditions precedent, including regulatory authorizations. The UPI Mobile Assets SPA also provides for transition services to be provided by Oi to the Mobile Assets Buyers for a period of up to 12 months, and a long term “take or pay” agreement with Oi and certain of its subsidiaries for the performance of services of transmission capacity.

Partial Sale of UPI InfraCo – Binding Proposal

On February 4, 2021, the RJ Debtors entered into an exclusivity agreement with Globenet Cabos Submarinos S.A., or Globenet, BTG Pactual Economia Real Fundo de Investimento em Participações Multiestratégia, and other investment funds managed or controlled by companies belonging to the BTG Group, which we collectively refer to as the “InfraCo Prospective Buyers,” to negotiate the terms and conditions of our partial sale of shares representing a majority of the total capital stock of SPE InfraCo. Pursuant to the terms of the RJ Plan Amendment, we are required to maintain a significant interest in UPI InfraCo.

On April 12, 2021, RJ Debtors accepted a binding proposal from the InfraCo Prospective Buyers to purchase a portion of UPI InfraCo. Pursuant to the terms of the binding proposal, the InfraCo Prospective Buyers will acquire 57.9% of the voting and total capital stock of SPE InfraCo for consideration of approximately R$12.9 billion, which will take the form of: (1) cash payments for newly issued shares of SPE InfraCo; (2) cash payments for shares in SPE InfraCo held by us; and (3) the merger of Globenet with and into SPE InfraCo. The purchase price of the transaction is subject to earn-out and other adjustments based on certain performance indicators of SPE InfraCo, as agreed between us and the InfraCo Prospective Buyers in the binding proposal. The binding proposal gives the InfraCo Prospective Buyers the right to top any future bids that we may acquire in a competitive bidding process expected to be carried out in 2021 in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment.

Consent Solicitation for 10.000%/12.000% Senior PIK Toggle Notes due 2025

On February 18, 2021, Oi announced that it was soliciting consents, or the Consent Solicitation, from holders of its PIK Toggle Notes for the adoption of certain proposed amendments, or the Proposed Amendments, to the indenture governing the PIK Toggle Notes, dated as of July 27, 2018, or the PIK Toggle Notes Indenture.

The Proposed Amendments primarily seek to align certain provisions of the PIK Toggle Notes Indenture with the terms of RJ Plan Amendment in order to, among other things, increase the Company’s financial flexibility and operating efficiency, and include certain other changes as a result of discussion with holders of the PIK Toggle Notes.  The Consent Solicitation expired at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on May 5, 2021, or the Expiration Date. As of the Expiration Date, the Company received consents from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the PIK Toggle Notes. Promptly following the Expiration Date, the Company, the guarantors party thereto and the trustee executed the first supplemental indenture to the PIK Toggle Notes Indenture to implement the Proposed Amendments.

Offering of InfraCo Debentures

On February 18, 2021, in accordance with the RJ Plan Amendment, SPE InfraCo launched a private offering of secured convertible debentures, or the InfraCo Debentures, in the total amount of up to R$2,500 million. The InfraCo Debentures must be subscribed and paid-in by May 17, 2021 and will mature within 24 months from the issue date, except in the events of an early redemption or early maturity as provided for in the indenture governing the InfraCo Debentures. The InfraCo Debentures are convertible into redeemable preferred shares issued by SPE InfraCo, which represent a majority of SPE InfraCo’s voting shares. As provided for in the RJ Plan Amendment, Oi, through its subsidiaries Telemar and Oi Mobile, will hold a call option for all the preferred shares held by the InfraCo Debenture holders as a result of any conversion. The InfraCo Debentures bear interest at the IPCA rate plus 11% per annum. The InfraCo Debentures are secured by certain assets of SPE InfraCo. The issuance of the InfraCo Debentures is subject to certain conditions precedent.

Results of Operations

The following discussion of our results of operations is based on our audited consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. In the following discussion, references to increases or decreases in any period are made by comparison with the corresponding prior period, except as the context otherwise indicates.

As a result of our decision to dispose of certain businesses and/or isolated assets in connection with the RJ Plan Amendment, we have revised our comparative statements of profit or loss, statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the corresponding notes thereto, in line with IFRS 5, which requires that an entity reclassify the disclosures related to all operations that have been discontinued as of the balance sheet date of the last reporting period presented. The effects of the reclassifications are set forth in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. For additional information regarding our discontinued operations, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—V. Assets Held-For-Sale and Discontinued Operations.”

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared with Year Ended December 31, 2019

The following table sets forth the components of our consolidated income statement, as well as the percentage change from the prior year, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

______________

n.m. = not meaningful.

Net Operating Revenue

The following table sets forth the components of our net operating revenue from continuing operations, as well as the percentage change from the prior year, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

______________

Net operating revenue of our Telecommunications in Brazil segment declined by 12.0% during 2020, principally due to a 11.6% decline in net operating revenue from residential services and a 12.2% decline in net operating revenue from B2B services, and a 4.6% decline in net operating revenue from personal mobility services.

Net Operating Revenue from Residential Customer Services

Net operating revenue from residential customer services represented 52.4% of our net operating revenue during 2020. Residential customer services include fixed telephony services, including voice services and data communication services (broadband). Net operating revenue from residential services declined by 11.6%, primarily due to the decline in demand for legacy products. Demand for copper services continued to decline, as these services are replaced by mobile services and more advanced technologies in the residential services, with lower latency and greater reliability, such as fiber voice and broadband.

Net Operating Revenue from Residential Fixed-Line Services

Net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services declined by 21.1% during 2020, primarily due to a 9.4% decline in the number of residential fixed lines in service to 6.3 million as of December 31, 2020 from 7.0 million as of December 31, 2019, as a result of the general trend in the Brazilian telecommunications industry to substitute mobile services in place of local fixed-line services and the corresponding reduction in voice service traffic. These effects were partially offset by the migration of our copper fixed-line customers to fiber services.

As we implement our fiber strategy and the roll out continues, we partially offset the copper decline in the residential fixed-line services. As of December 31, 2020, we had 1.9 million fiber RGUs that accounted for R$343 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services and 4.4 million copper voice RGUs that accounted for R$2,283 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services. As of December 31, 2019, we had 523,000 fiber RGUs that accounted for R$54 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services and 6.5 million copper voice clients that accounted for R$3,271 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services. Meanwhile, copper voice revenues declined 30% during 2020, fiber voice revenues increased 537%.

Net Operating Revenue from Broadband Services

In the broadband services, our fiber strategy is even more noticeable. Net operating revenue from residential broadband services, which includes broadband services delivered through both our copper and fiber networks, increased by 2.6% during 2020, primarily as a result of: (1) a 223% increase in the number of our residential fiber subscribers to 2.0 million as of December 31, 2020 from 0.6 million as of December 31, 2019; and (2) a 40% decrease in the number of our residential ADSL subscribers to 2.1 million as of December 31, 2020 from 3.6 million as of December 31, 2019.

As of December 31, 2020, we had 1.9 million fiber RGUs that accounted for R$868 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services and 2.1 million copper broadband RGUs that accounted for R$1,375 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services. As of December 31, 2019, we had 606,000 fiber RGUs that accounted for R$173 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services and 3.6 million copper broadband RGUs that accounted for R$2,014 million of the net operating revenue from broadband services. In 2020, fiber broadband revenues increased 402% and copper broadband revenues decreased 32%.

As of December 31, 2020, our xDSL subscribers represented 64.0% of our total residential fixed lines in service and subscribed to plans with an average speed of 33.3 Mbps as compared to 60.0% of our total residential fixed lines in service at an average speed of 33.3 Mbps as of December 31, 2019. The substantial increase in average speed of our residential broadband subscriptions primarily reflects the success of our program to increase subscriptions over our expanding FTTH network.

Net Operating Revenue from B2B Services

Net operating revenue from B2B services represented 41.9% of our net operating revenue during 2020. B2B services include corporate solutions offered to our small, medium-sized, large corporate customers, including voice services and corporate data solutions, and certain wholesale customers. Net operating revenue from B2B services declined by 12.2%, primarily as a result of (1) lower voice traffic, following the natural market trend, (2) the reduction in MTR tariffs and VC fixed-to-mobile tariffs in February 2020 and February 2019, and (3) the slow recovery of Brazilian economy and the impacted activity from COVID-19 restrictions. All of this has led to efforts by corporate and government customers to reduce costs, including telecommunications services costs, and to the downsizing or closing of many of our SME customers.

Operating Expenses

Under the Brazilian Corporate Law, we are required to segregate cost of sales and services from operating expenses in the preparation of our statement of operations. However, in evaluating and managing our business, we prepare reports in which we review the elements included in cost of sales and services and operating expenses classified by nature, as presented in note 5 of our audited consolidated financial statements. We believe that this classification improves our ability to understand results and trends in our business and that financial analysts and other investors who review our performance rely on this classification in performing their own analysis. Therefore, we have presented the discussion below of our operating expenses based on the classification of operating expenses presented in note 5 of our audited consolidated financial statements.

The following table sets forth the components of our operating expenses from continuing operations, as well as the percentage change from the prior year, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

______________

n.m. = not meaningful.

Operating expenses declined by 19.9% during 2020, principally due to (1) a change in impairment losses (reversals), from impairment losses of R$2,111 during 2019 to impairment reversals of R$1,130 during 2020, and (2) a 9.9%, or R$349 million, decline in third-party services to R$3,174 million during 2020 from R$3,523 million during 2019. The effects of these factors were partially offset by a change in other operating expenses (income), from other operating income of R$1,225 million during 2019 to other operating expenses of R$237 million during 2020.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization costs declined by 4.3% during 2020, primarily as a result of the increase in the amount of the property, plant and equipment of our continuing operations that have been fully depreciated.

Third-Party Services

Third-party service costs declined by 9.9% during 2020, primarily as a result of our cost reduction initiatives through automation and digitalization, with a direct impact on customer relations and billing, as well as energy efficiency initiatives through our renewable energy matrix.

Impairment Losses (Reversals)

During 2020, we performed an impairment test on our non-current assets under IAS 36 and recognized an impairment reversal of R$1,130 million in connection with previously recognized impairment losses. This impairment reversal was primarily due to the expected future profitability of assets with finite useful lives of the cash-generating units (CGU) from continuing operations, due to developments in the financial scenarios and indicators taken into account to estimate in our cash flows in the RJ Plan Amendment. We recorded impairment losses of R$2,111 million during 2019, primarily due to (1) the revision of our strategic plan, focused on improving operating and financial performance, using a sustainable business model that is designed to maximize the Company’s value in the context of our judicial reorganization; and (2) increased market competitiveness, mainly in the residential market, which accelerated the decline in the revenues from fixed-line services and DTH services. This impairment loss was fully allocated to the carrying value of our regulatory licenses.

Personnel

Personnel expenses (including employee benefits and social charges and employee and management profit sharing) declined by 6.9% during 2020, principally due to a decline in direct employee expenses, including wages, taxes and benefits, the effects of which were partially offset by an increase in profit sharing and provisions for profit sharing as a result of our achieving the objectives of these programs.

Rental and Insurance

Rental and insurance costs declined by 8.3% during 2020. This reduction was primarily due to contractual renegotiations that took place at the end of 2019, which resulted in lower rental costs during 2020.

Network Maintenance Services

Network maintenance services costs declined by 23.9% during 2020, primarily as a result of (1) lower maintenance costs related to payphones following the approval of the PGMU, (2) the successful renegotiation of some of our maintenance contracts, and (3) a lower number of maintenance incidents as a result of our initiatives focused on preventive actions and productivity improvements, which have been increasing the efficiency of field operations, as well as efficiency gains arising from the digitalization of processes and customer service.

Advertising and Publicity

Advertising and publicity expenses declined by 29.4% during 2020, primarily as a result of the confinement and social isolation measures imposed by the Brazilian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which culminated in store closures, especially in the second quarter of 2020.

Interconnection

Interconnection costs declined by 4.5% during 2020, primarily as a result of payment agreements with other telecommunications providers in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Provision for Contingencies

Provision for contingencies declined by 35.8% during 2020, primarily as a result of the consistent declined in the number of lawsuits filed against us during 2020, which was due to our improved service quality, which was also reflected in the reduction of ANATEL complaints.

Expected Losses on Trade Receivables

Expected losses on trade receivables declined by 55.2% during 2020, primarily as a result of an improvement in collection actions and a reduction in delinquency across all products during the year, due to continuous improvements in sale and credit analysis processes.

Handsets and Other Costs

Handsets and other costs increased from R$1 during 2019 to R$10 during 2020, primarily due to the reduction in sales volume of handsets due to our policy of not subsidizing the sale of this product.

Other Operating Expenses (Income), Net

Other operating expenses, net was R$237 million during 2020, consisting primarily of non-recurring expenses primarily due to tax on revenue amounting to R$85 million and our expected losses on receivables from government customers of R$114 million.

Other operating income, net was R$1,225 million during 2019, consisting primarily of the effects the accounting recognition during 2019 of R$1,518 million of PIS and COFINS credits as the result of a final and unappealable court decision permitting us to deduct ICMS from our tax base for the purposes of calculation PIS and COFINS and the recovery of previous overpayments of PIS and COFINS, the effects of which were partially offset by the derecognition during 2019 of R$167 million related to the reconciliation of tax credits and tax incentives from prior periods that we do not expect to be realized.

Loss before Financial Income (Expenses), Net, and Taxes

As a result of the foregoing, loss before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes of our Telecommunications in Brazil segment declined by 37.6% to R$2,030 million during 2020 from R$3,254 million during 2019. As a percentage of consolidated net operating revenue, loss before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes of our Telecommunications in Brazil segment was 21.9% during 2020 and loss before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes of our Telecommunications in Brazil segment was 31.0% during 2019.

Operating expenses of our other operations increased by 99.8% to R$1 million during 2020 from R$300 million during 2019. We recorded profit before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes of our other operations of R$218 million during 2020 compared to loss before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes of R$113 million during 2019. As a percentage of consolidated net operating revenue, profit (loss) before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes of our other operations was 2.4% during 2020 and (1.1)% during 2019.

Our consolidated loss before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes declined by 46.2% to R$1,811 million during 2020 from R$3,367 million during 2019. As a percentage of consolidated net operating revenue, loss before financial income (expenses), net, and taxes was 19.5% during 2020 and 32.1% during 2019.

Financial Expenses, Net

Financial Income

Financial income increased by 59.7%, or R$1,571 million, to R$4,202 million during 2020 from R$2,632 million during 2019, primarily due to an increase in monetary correction and foreign exchange differences on fair value adjustment of R$2,777 million, to R$3,160 million during 2020 from R$383 million during 2019, primarily as a result of the 28.9% depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during this period. The effect of this factor was partially offset by our recording interest and monetary correction to other assets of R$437 million during 2020, compared to interest and monetary correction to other assets of R$1,897 million during 2019, primarily consisting of R$2,100 million recorded in 2019 related to the monetary restatement on PIS and COFINS credits resulting from the exclusion of ICMS from its calculation base and the recovery of previous overpayments of PIS and COFINS.

Financial Expenses

Financial expenses increased by 105.7%, or R$8,469 million, to R$16,478 million during 2020 from R$8,009 million during 2019, as a result of:

·         a R$5,579 million increase in monetary correction and exchange losses on third party borrowings to R$6,219 million during 2020 from R$641 million during 2019 primarily as a result of exchange rate loss due to the 28.9% depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during this period; and

·         a R$3,117 million increase in interest on and monetary correction to other liabilities to R$5,009 million during 2020 from R$1,892 million during 2019 primarily as a result of: (1) exchange rate loss and amortization of deferred gains relating to the present value adjustment of our onerous obligation recorded at the end of 2018 and 2019; and (2) exchange rate loss due to the 28.9% depreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during this period.

The effects of these factors were partially offset primarily by a decline of 44.8%, or R$712 million, in monetary corrections to provisions to R$878 million during 2019 compared to R$1,590 million during 2019, principally as a result of our revision of the methodology used to calculate the provisions for losses in labor lawsuits and civil lawsuits during 2019 due to the revisions to our estimate model as a result of the history of terminations of lawsuits under the RJ Plan and our increased accumulated experience with estimating these losses.

Income Tax and Social Contribution

The composite corporate statutory income tax and social contribution rate was 34% during 2020 and 2019. We recorded an income tax and social contribution benefit of R$3,551 million during 2020 compared to an income tax and social contribution expense of R$13 million during 2019. The effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes was 25.2% during 2020 and the effective tax rate applicable to our profit before taxes was 0.1% during 2019. The table below sets forth a reconciliation of the composite corporate statutory income tax and social contribution rate to our effective tax rate for each of the periods presented.

The effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes was 25.2% during 2020, resulting in a tax credit, primarily as a result of: (1) the tax effects of a valuation allowance for impairment losses on deferred tax assets that were recognized for the companies that as of December 31, 2020, do not expect to generate sufficient future taxable profits against which these tax assets could be offset, which resulted in a decline in our tax assets by R$519 million and reduced the effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes by 3.7 p.p.; (2) the tax effects of unrecognized deferred tax assets regarding foreign subsidiaries that are not eligible to recognize tax credits on tax loss carryforwards, which reduced the effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes by 3.5 p.p.; and (3) the tax effects of permanent add-backs, mostly as a result of the effects of the recognition of the amortization of deferred gains relating to the fair value adjustment due to the restructured liabilities after confirmation of the RJ Plan, which reduced the effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes by 1.7 p.p.

The effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes was 0.1% during 2019, resulting in a tax credit, primarily as a result of: (1) the tax effects of a valuation allowance for impairment losses on deferred tax assets that were recognized for the companies that as of December 31, 2019, do not expect to generate sufficient future taxable profits against which these tax assets could be offset, which resulted in a decline in our tax assets by R$2,474 million and reduced the effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes by 28.3 p.p.; (2) the tax effects of permanent add-backs, mostly as a result of the effects of the recognition of the amortization of deferred gains relating to the fair value adjustment due to the restructured liabilities after confirmation of the RJ Plan, which reduced the effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes by 2.0 p.p.; and (3) the tax effects of unrecognized deferred tax assets regarding foreign subsidiaries that are not eligible to recognize tax credits on tax loss carryforwards, which reduced the effective tax rate applicable to our loss before taxes by 3.5 p.p.

Loss from Continuing Operations

As a result of the foregoing, our loss from continuing operations declined by 20.7% to R$10.536 million during 2020 from R$8,731 million during 2019. As a percentage of net operating revenue, our loss from continuing operations was 113.5% during 2020 compared to 83.2% during 2019.

Profit (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Taxes

Profit from discontinued operations, net of taxes, in 2020 consisted of profit from UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center in the amount of R$7 million.

Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes, in 2019 consisted of profit from UPI Mobile Assets, UPI InfraCo, UPI TVCo and UPI Data Center in the amount of R$364 million.

Loss

As a result of the foregoing, our consolidated loss increased by 15.8% to R$10,528 million during 2020 from R$9,095 million during 2019. As a percentage of net operating revenue, our consolidated loss was 113.4% during 2020 compared to 86.7% during 2019.

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared with Year Ended December 31, 2018

The following table sets forth the components of our consolidated income statement, as well as the percentage change from the prior year, for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

______________

n.m. = not meaningful.

Net Operating Revenue

The following table sets forth the components of our net operating revenue from continuing operations, as well as the percentage change from the prior year, for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

______________

n.m. = not meaningful.

Net operating revenue of our Telecommunications in Brazil segment declined by 14.1% during 2019, principally due to a 10.1% decline in net operating revenue from B2B services and a 17.1% decline in net operating revenue from residential services.

Net Operating Revenue from Residential Customer Services

Net operating revenue from residential customer services represented 52.5% of our net operating revenue during 2019. Residential customer services include fixed telephony services, including voice services and data communication services (broadband). Net operating revenue from residential services declined by 17.1%, primarily due to our initiative to proactively reduce incentives for the sale of copper services, combined with the natural downward trend of these revenues. During 2019, we initiated our fiber strategy and directed efforts and investments to the execution of our fiber expansion plan.

Net Operating Revenue from Residential Fixed-Line Services

Net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services declined by 21.3% during 2019, primarily due to a 15.4% decline in the number of residential fixed lines in service to 7.0 million as of December 31, 2019 from 8.3 million as of December 31, 2018, as a result of the general trend in the Brazilian telecommunications industry to substitute mobile services in place of local fixed-line services and the corresponding reduction in voice service traffic. The effects of these factors were partially offset by the migration of our fixed-line customer base to convergent service offerings and other plans offering unlimited minutes of usage, which generate greater revenue per user.

As of December 31, 2019, we had 523,000 fiber RGUs that accounted for R$54 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services and 6.5 million copper voice RGUs that accounted for R$3,271 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services. As of December 31, 2018, we had 44,000 fiber RGUs that accounted for R$2 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services and 8.2 million copper voice RGUs that accounted for R$4,222 million of our net operating revenue from residential fixed-line services. During 2019, fiber was still an incipient process and was not a relevant substitute for copper in our residential fixed line services.

Net Operating Revenue from Broadband Services

Net operating revenue from residential broadband services, which includes broadband services delivered through both our copper and fiber networks, declined by 9.8% during 2019, primarily as a result of (1) a 13.9% decline in the number of our residential ADSL subscribers to 4.2 million as of December 31, 2019 from 4.9 million as of December 31, 2018, and (2) a 1.6% decline in the average net operating revenue per subscriber from broadband services.

As of December 31, 2019, we had 606,000 fiber RGUs that accounted for R$173 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services and 3.6 million copper broadband RGUs that accounted for R$2,014 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services. As of December 31, 2018, we had 77,000 fiber RGUs that accounted for R$22 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services and 4.8 million copper broadband RGUs that accounted for R$2,401 million of our net operating revenue from broadband services. In 2019, fiber broadband revenues increased 685.3% and copper broadband revenues decreased 16.1%.

As of December 31, 2019, our xDSL subscribers represented 60.0% of our total residential fixed lines in service and subscribed to plans with an average speed of 33.3 Mbps as compared to 59.0% of our total residential fixed lines in service at an average speed of 9.8 Mbps as of December 31, 2018. The substantial increase in average speed of our residential broadband subscriptions primarily reflects the success of our program to increase subscriptions over our expanding FTTH network.

Net Operating Revenue from B2B Services

Net operating revenue from B2B services represented 42.3% of our net operating revenue during 2019. B2B services include corporate solutions offered to our small, medium-sized, large corporate customers, including voice services and corporate data solutions, and certain wholesale customers. Net operating revenue from B2B services declined by 10.1%, primarily as a result of (1) lower voice traffic, following the natural market trend, (2) the reduction in MTR tariffs and VC fixed-to-mobile tariffs in February 2019 and February 2018, and (3) the slow recovery of Brazilian economic activity, which has led to efforts by corporate and government customers to reduce costs, including telecommunications services costs, and has led to the downsizing or closing of many of our SME customers.

Operating Expenses

Under the Brazilian Corporate Law, we are required to segregate cost of sales and services from operating expenses in the preparation of our statement of operations. However, in evaluating and managing our business, we prepare reports in which we review the elements included in cost of sales and services and operating expenses classified by nature, as presented in note 5 of our audited consolidated financial statements. We believe that this classification improves our ability to understand results and trends in our business and that financial analysts and other investors who review our performance rely on this classification in performing their own analysis. Therefore, we have presented the discussion below of our operating expenses based on the classification of operating expenses presented in note 5 of our audited consolidated financial statements.

The following table sets forth the components of our operating expenses from continuing operations, as well as the percentage change from the prior year, for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

______________

n.m. = not meaningful.

Operating expenses declined by 27.0% during 2019, principally due to (1) a decline in other operating expenses (income), net to an income of R$1,225 million during 2019 from a expenses of R$5,016 million during 2018, and (2) a 38.5%, or R$1,010 million, decline in rental and insurance costs to R$1,616 million during 2019 from R$2,626 million during 2018. The effects of these factors was partially offset by (1) an increase in impairment losses to R$2,111 million during 2019 from R$292 million during 2018, and (2) a 13.1% increase in depreciation and amortization expenses to R$4,538 million during 2019 from R$4.014 million during 2018.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization costs increased by 13.1% during 2019, primarily as a result of our implementation of IFRS 16 on January 1, 2019, which resulted in an increase in depreciation and amortization expenses with respect to right of use of assets during 2019.

Third-Party Services

Third-party service costs increased by 1.3% during 2019, primarily as a result of increased selling expenses due to the intensification of our commercial activity.

Impairment Losses

We recorded impairment losses of R$2,111 million during 2019 as a result of our testing of our non-current assets for impairment under IAS 36 as of December 31, 2019, primarily due to (1) the revision of our strategic plan, focused on improving operating and financial performance, using a sustainable business model that is designed to maximize the Company’s value in the context of our judicial reorganization; and (2) increased market competitiveness, mainly in the residential market, which accelerated the decline in the revenues from fixed-line services and DTH services. This impairment loss was fully allocated to the carrying value of our regulatory licenses. We recorded impairment losses of R$292 million during 2018, consisting of a supplementary adjustment to the recognized allowance for impairment losses related to expected future profitability of assets with finite useful lives.

Personnel

Personnel expenses (including employee benefits and social charges and employee and management profit sharing) declined by 5.4% during 2019, principally due to gains in operational efficiency and increased productivity.

Rental and Insurance

Rental and insurance costs declined by 38.5% during 2019, primarily as a result of our implementation of IFRS 16 on January 1, 2019, which resulted in a declined in lease expenses during 2019.

Network Maintenance Services

Network maintenance services costs declined by 13.0% during 2019, primarily as a result of (1) lower maintenance costs related to payphones following the approval of the PGMU, (2) the successful renegotiation of some of our maintenance contracts, and (3) a lower number of maintenance incidents as a result of our initiatives focused on preventive actions and productivity improvements, which have been increasing the efficiency of field operations, as well as efficiency gains arising from the digitalization of processes and customer service.