Total postal service traffic increased by 3.1 percent during 4th Quarter 2011 (4Q2011) compared to the previous quarter, with around 255.8 million items reported. This increase is in line with the seasonal increase in traffic volume that is characteristic of the 4th quarter of each year. However, when compared on a year-on-year basis with the fourth quarter of 2010, total traffic fell by 8.6 percent. These reported variations are slightly below the forecast range resulting from the historic trend and adjustments for the seasonal effect described above.
In the period being reported, 96.2 percent of distributed items had a destination within the national market, while the remaining 3.8 percent were dispatched to destinations in the international market.
Meanwhile, about 97.5 percent of postal traffic was comprised by correspondence (including direct mail and also editorial mail). Traffic associated with correspondence increased 3.2 percent over the quarter, while falling by 8.7 percent compared to 4Q2010. Parcel traffic, which increased 2.3 percent over the previous quarter and decreased 5.7 percent year-on-year, represented no more than 2.5 percent of total traffic.
During the quarter, liberalized traffic accounted for 22.2 percent of postal items, an increase of 7.3 percent compared to 3Q2011. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the variation is in the opposite direction, with a decrease of 6.9 percent. Compared to 4th quarter 2006 (the year in which the 2nd phase of postal liberalization entered into force), liberalised postal traffic in Portugal has decreased by 20.9 percent.
In the period being reported, out of about 56.7 million postal items of the liberalized area, 7.1 million items were included in the express mail category, while the remaining 49.6 million were covered by other categories. Express mail therefore represents approximately 12.6 percent of total traffic operated in competition, while the remaining categories made up 87.4 percent of total liberalized traffic.
In 4Q2011, the companies of Grupo CTT retained a share of 31.9 percent of traffic in the express mail category and a share of 93.7 percent in the non-express mail category.
In terms of revenues, the full set of postal services generated a total of about 187.9 million euros, of which 66.9 percent refers to revenues from services operated in competition and the remaining 33.1 percent to the reserved area.
Consult the statistical report:
- Postal Services - 4th quarter 2011 (2nd edition) https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1121203
