Executive summary
- In March 2020, telecommunications prices, as measured by the sub-index of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), did not change compared to the previous month.
- The year-on-year price decreased 4.34%. This fall in prices mainly reflects the entry into force of new European rules on 15 May 2019 that regulate intra-EU communications. Year-on-year trends in telecommunications prices have been lower than the growth in the CPI since November 2017.
- The average rate of change in telecommunications prices in the last 12 months was -3.75%, which was 4 percentage points (p.p.) lower than that of the CPI (0.25%), the largest negative deviation since February 2009.
- In March 2020, the average variation rate for telecommunications prices in Portugal was lower than that in the EU (-3.9 p.p.). The average rate of change of telecommunications prices in Portugal in the last 12 months was the 26th highest among the EU countries. The country with the highest price rise was Romania (4.8%), while Italy experienced the biggest decrease (-6.0%). On average, telecommunications prices rose by 0.2% in the EU.
- Between the end of 2009 and March 2020, telecommunications prices in Portugal rose 7.7%, while in the European Union they decreased 9.8%. The difference narrowed upon the entry into force of the new European rules on 15 May 2019 that regulate the prices of intra-EU communications.
