Between end of 2009 and January 2021, telecommunications prices in Portugal increased by 6.4%, while in the European Union (EU) they fell by 9.9%. The difference, which is 16.3 percentage points, narrowed following the entry into force on 15 May 2019 of the new European rules regulating the prices of intra-EU communications. Comparing the evolution of prices in Portugal with various countries of a similar size, it is found that telecommunications prices increased by 6.4% in Portugal and 3.9% in Hungary, while in Austria and the Netherlands they fell in the same period by 2.3% and 21.7%, respectively.
Evolution of telecommunications prices in Portugal and in the EU (2009M12 = Base 100)
Unit: index (2009M12 = Base 100)
Source: ANACOM, based on Eurostat data
Note: EU telecommunications prices from December 2016 differ from those published previously due to changes made by Eurostat. The information up to November 2016 was gathered on 16 March 2018. The information from December 2016 onwards was gathered on 23 February 2021.
In January 2021, telecommunications prices in Portugal, measured by the sub-index of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), fell slightly by 0.1% compared to the previous month. This change resulted from the increased monthly charges of various post-paid mobile telephone service offers and the reduction of the monthly charges of some offers of mobile broadband via PC/tablet and one quadruple play offer. During the last 12 months, the average variation rate of telecommunications prices in Portugal was -1.9%, 1.8 percentage points below that recorded by the CP (-0.1%), with Portugal ranked by EUROSTAT in the 21st lowest place of the highest variations, or the 7th of the lowest variations. The countries in which the highest price increases occurred were Poland (+4.4%), Lithuania (+2.1%) and Finland (+1.9%), while Ireland (-3.3%), the Czech Republic (-3.2%) and Denmark (-3.0%) recorded the strongest reductions.
Even so, the price reductions observed recently are insufficient to annul the disadvantage of the Portuguese situation in relation to the EU average, which has extended for over more than a decade.
According to the «Trends in Telecommunications Prices» report disclosed today by ANACOM, in January, the minimum monthly charges are offered by NOWO in seven cases of a range of 13 services/offers, while the providers MEO, NOS and Vodafone each showed the lowest monthly charges for two types of services/offers.
Compared to the same month of the previous year, the following price variations stand out in particular: the minimum monthly charge of the minimum monthly charge of the mobile telephone service with internet on the mobile phone fell by 33.3%, thanks to the reduction of the monthly charge of the NOWO offer from 7.5 euros to 5 euros (with the free offer of the first monthly charge); and the minimum monthly charge of individualised fixed broadband (BLF) increased by 4.3%, due to the end of the free offer of the first monthly charge of the basic service provided by NOWO.
By provider, MEO decreased its minimum monthly charge of two services/offers in relation to the same month of the previous year and increased the monthly charge in four services/offers. One of the MEO services whose monthly charge decreased significantly was the offer of mobile telephone service with internet on the mobile telephone (UZO offer), which now has values close to the minimum monthly charge (provided by NOWO). NOS increased the minimum monthly charges of seven services/offers, and Vodafone increased the minimum monthly charges of four services/offers. Particular note should be made of the increased monthly charge of the triple play offer of MEO, NOS and Vodafone, which occurred in October and November of 2020.
Consult the statistical report:
- Trends in telecommunications prices - January 2021 https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1604432
