Executive Summary
86.9% of households subscribe to high-speed services at a fixed location
At the end of the 1st quarter of 2024 (1Q2024), the number of residential customers of high-speed services at a fixed location reached 3.7 million. The household penetration rate was 86.9%1. Around seven out of ten residential high-speed subscriptions were for a service supported by fibre-optic networks (FTTH).
13.1% of accesses with download speeds ≥1Gbps
In the 1st quarter of 2024, 91.0% of fixed broadband accesses were ultra-fast broadband accesses (i.e. download speed2 greater than or equal to 100 Mbps), with 13.1% of accesses having speeds of 1 Gbps or more.
Portugal among top performers in EU27
Internationally, Portugal was the 4th country in the EU27 with the highest proportion of accesses with download speeds of 100 Mbps or more in July 2023 (89.7%), according to the European Commission.
High-speed networks with 94.5% coverage in a context of inter-regional convergence
In terms of high-speed network coverage, it is estimated that at least 6.1 million dwellings were connected to this type of network, representing 94.5% of dwellings (+0.5 p.p.). Compared to last year, the number of dwellings with a cable connection increased by 0.6%, although this growth was lower than a year ago (+1.8% in 1Q2023).
Regionally, the Greater Lisbon area, the Setúbal Peninsula and the Autonomous Region of Madeira had a higher penetration rate than the national average. On the other hand, the number of cabled dwellings increased in the Alentejo (+2.6%), the Algarve (+1.5%) and the West and Tagus Valley region (+1.3%), thereby strengthening territorial cohesion.
It is estimated that around 71.4% of connected dwellings and establishments made actual use of services provided to residential and non-residential customers.
Dwellings connected to fibre-optic increased by 1.1% over the last twelve months
In terms of technology, the number of dwellings covered by fibre-optic (FTTH - fibre to the home) was around 6.0 million (+1.1% year-on-year), resulting in a coverage rate of 93.0% of dwellings and establishments.
The proportion of cabled dwellings and establishments actually using FTTH was 53.3% at the end of 1Q2024. The Azores, North, Greater Lisbon, West and Tagus Valley and Alentejo regions had FTTH adoption rates higher than the national average. Only the Autonomous Region of Madeira had a rate of less than 35%.
The number of dwellings connected to high-speed access supported by cable TV networks (HFC - Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) remained at the same level as in previous quarters, with a total of 3.7 million dwellings connected. The penetration rate of this type of network was 57.6% at the end of 1Q2024.
