The Nationalization of Telephony in Santa Catarina and the Limits of the Accumulation of Companhia Catarinense de Telecomunicações (COTESC)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to describe and analyze the trajectory of
the nationalization of telephony in Santa Catarina and the actions and investments
of Companhia Catarinense de Telecomunicações (COTESC) between 1965, when
the State Telecommunications Council was created, and 1973, when COTESC
was federalized. The article begins with a brief reflection on nationalization and
privatization, in an attempt to detach them from preconceived ideologies. It then presents an overview of the telephony nationalization process in Brazil and the
initiatives of Companhia Catarinense de Telefonia (CTC) to implement a state
telephony network. The most detailed study refers to the actions and investments
commanded by COTESC between 1969 and 1973, with an analysis of each year
of this period. Each year, the focus is on the implementation of the Telecommunications
Master Plan, the expansion of the Emergency Network (1st and 2nd phase) and
the Priority Urban Network. Finally, an analysis is made of the limits of the
accumulation of COTESC, whose investments began to be below what was
expected by society, which, based on a national strategy of centralization of
telephone services, resulted in its federalization.