SAO PAULO, July 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's Telefonica

reported on Monday an 8.9% increase in its second-quarter net

profit to reach 1.22 billion reais ($217 million) for the

period, compared to the same quarter last year.

Analysts polled by LSEG expected a quarterly profit of 1.33

billion reais.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The firm, which is controlled by Spain's Telefonica

, is the largest provider of mobile phone service in

Brazil based on the number of total accesses, according to data

from local telecom regulator Anatel.

BY THE NUMBERS

Telefonica Brasil's ( VIV ) net operational revenue rose 7.4% in the

quarter from a year earlier, to 13.7 billion reais, with the

revenue of its main mobile unit increasing by 8.8%, boosted by

post-paid operations.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and

amortization (EBITDA) stood at 5.46 billion reais, up 7.3% from

a year earlier. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a 5.5 billion

reais EBITDA for the period.

($1 = 5.6150 reais)