The Chair of the Board of Directors of ANACOM and the Space Authority (SA), João Cadete de Matos, took part in the opening of the international conference on the Strategy of the Azores for Space, which took place on 11 and 12 November 2021, in Ponta Delgada, Azores.
In his speech, João Cadete de Matos discussed the importance of Portugal's strategic position, and especially that of the Azores, as being present throughout the entire value chain of the space sector, and highlighted ANACOM's dual role as SA and regulatory authority for electronic and postal communications, which could contribute to defining regional strategy.
The outcome of the 5G Auction and its importance in improving the telecommunications situation in Portugal were also a topic at the opening of this conference, especially regarding the three goals set with the auction: (i) the operators that won licenses must provide 90% of the country's parishes with the lowest population density with Internet coverage at 100 Mbps; (ii) companies can ensure coverage through national roaming, and operators that use someone else's network will have to pay for that use; (iii) introduction of competition in the country, going from the current three mobile operators to six, one of which is a wholesale operator, and this will bring benefits in terms of prices and the quality of offers.
The Chair of ANACOM emphasised that cooperation between the national SA and the Azores Regional Government is an essential point for a united strategic vision for space in Portugal. This cooperation is of particular importance, primarily because in the Azores a specific regime for space activities has been approved in this Autonomous Region, which requires close cooperation between ANACOM and the Azores. In this context, ANACOM has signed a cooperation protocol with the Regional Secretariat for Culture, Science and Digital Transition in the field of space, which will enable the implementation of licensing procedures for space activities and the registration of space objects.
João Cadete de Matos, Chair of ANACOM and the Space Authority, during the conference's opening session.
Further information:
- Conferência Internacional sobre a Estratégia dos Açores para o Espaço https://spaceazores.pt/
