Summary of broadband development in Portugal
Portugal’s NGA coverage is slightly below EU average, yet the FTTP coverage is more than twice as high (77 % of households) as EU average. The Agenda Portugal Digital was updated in 2021. It aims at development of a digital infrastructure that allows citizens to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by technologies, yet does not set any more concrete aims related to broadband infrastructure.
National broadband strategy and policy
Responsible authorities
- The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing (Ministério das Infraestruturas e Habitação) and the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition (Ministério da Economia e Transição Digital) are responsible for the definition of the broadband policy and the political framework of the national broadband strategy.
- The National Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) has several responsibilities in the field of broadband. Its main targets are the promotion of competition, transparency and further development of communication networks and markets.
Main aims for broadband development
The Agenda Portugal Digital - Portugal’s Action Plan for Digital Transition was updated in 2021. It aims at development of a digital infrastructure that allows citizens to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by technologies, yet does not set any more concrete aims related to broadband infrastructure. The plan comprises three main pillars of action and a catalyst dimension:
- Pillar I – Capacity building and digital inclusion,
- Pillar II – Businesses’ digital transformation,
- Pillar III – Public services’ digitalisation.
Connectivity and infrastructure are mentioned as one of the catalysts.
ANACOM works to create conditions for a consistent and competitive development of 5G and updated the auction schedule in July 2020. The multi-band auction was postponed to 2021. The 5G Portal provides information to the public.
Main measures for broadband development
Broadband mapping: Portugal benefits from a broadband infrastructure mapping initiative Centralized Information System established by ANACOM. The infrastructure-mapping tool contains both information about the existing infrastructure suitable for carrying electronic communications networks as well as the planned ones. The main aim of CIS is to avoid inefficient duplication and inconvenience caused to citizens and businesses by frequent and extensive underground work.
National and regional broadband financial instruments
- State Aid: Large-scale public funding for broadband deployment ended several years ago. Portugal trusts in a market-driven approach ever since.
Data on broadband development and technologies in Portugal
For the latest data on broadband coverage, subscriptions and penetrations, coverage of different broadband technologies and costs check the scoreboard reports and the country reports of the Digital Economy & Society Index (DESI).
Spectrum assignments for wireless broadband
For details on harmonised spectrum assignments consult the European 5G Observatory.
Publications and press documents
English
- Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU-28
- Guide to High-Speed Broadband Investment
- Broadband Connectivity Reports and Analyses
- Mobile and fixed broadband prices in Europe at the end of 2019
- Study on broadband coverage in Europe 2019
Portuguese
Contact information
BCO Portugal (national Broadband Competence Office): National Communications Authority - ANACOM (Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações)
Address: Av. José Malhoa 12, 1099-017 Lisbon, Portugal
Contact via email
Phone: +351 21 721 2470
Website
Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing (Ministério das Infraestruturas e Habitação)
Address: Av. Barbosa du Bocage, nº 5 – 2º, 1049-039 Lisbon, Portugal
Contact via email
Phone: +351 210 426 200
Website
Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition (Ministério da Economia e Transição Digital)
Address: Rua da Horta Seca, 1200-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Contact via email
Phone: +351 213 245 400
Website
Latest
This one-hour online workshop (10:00-11:00 CEST) is dedicated to WiFi Installation Companies involved in the WiFi4EU initiative. Its objective is to answer their questions in order to help overcome hurdles and accelerate network deployment. This workshop is an important opportunity in view of the approaching deadline, which risks the loss of municipalities’ € 15,000 WiFi4EU vouchers.
Marking the BCO Network's five-year milestone, the 2021 Annual Conference will address important EU policy and funding developments, as well as BCOs' achievements and goals. The agenda will include Rural Digital Futures, Gigabit targets and the Digital Compass, EU Structural Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, State aid and evolving technology, and CEF2 Digital. The final agenda will be shared with participants directly. This online event is open to all members of the European Broadband Competence Offices Network.
Thanks to the European Regional Development Fund, Catalonia built a fibre backbone to connect over 400 government and local administration sites across the region. By offering the network’s extra capacity to the market, this ‘open network’ allows local operators to compete to use the infrastructure and deploy services to under-served rural areas. “We have generated an ecosystem of over 80 local operators to promote competence and competitiveness in these local areas with very high-quality services”, explains David Ferrer, Catalonian’s Secretary of Digital Policies, in this video interview.
Related Content
Big Picture
Find current information on broadband development in each country, as well as national strategies and policies for developing broadband.
See Also
Sweden’s national broadband plan, adopted in 2016, has the vision of an entirely connected Sweden and has goals for both mobile coverage and for high-speed broadband connections for households and businesses.
Digital connectivity and 5G rollout are among the ten strategic priorities of the Spain Digital 2025 Agenda.
Slovakia has set the long-term objective of achieving access to high-speed internet connection with at least 30 Mbps for all households by the end of 2020.
Romania’s broadband plan focuses on building up a national broadband network as a first step towards achieving the targets set by the Digital Agenda for Europe.
Poland’s national broadband plan foresees that 100% of households should have access to internet connectivity of at least 30 Mbps by 2020. 50% of households should have internet connectivity of 100 Mbps by 2020.
The Dutch government supports the Gigabit Society targets. All households should have the opportunity to access broadband networks of at least 100 Mbps and a vast majority should be taking advantage of 1 Gbps by 2023. Mobile networks must also be able to access basic services at...
Malta’s broadband policy is technology neutral and favours a competitive market environment.
The development of a communication infrastructure with a target of gigabit broadband access throughout the country is one of the priorities in the governmental programme of Luxembourg.
Lithuania‘s Next Generation Internet Access Development Plan focuses on direct state contribution to long-term infrastructure development, supports measures promoting private sector investments and seeks to foster an increase in demand for fast broadband access.
Broadband facilitates the development of e-services for government, schools, commerce, health and business besides providing high-speed internet to residents, businesses and public administrations in Latvia.
The Italian strategy for next generation access network aims at developing a high-speed access network to maximise the take-up of an infrastructure able to guarantee services of 100 Mbps for at least 85% of households by 2020. Italy adopted a national state aid scheme to support...
The national broadband plan for Ireland foresees that by 2026 all premises in Ireland will have access to high-speed broadband.
Hungary’s National Digitization Strategy 2021-2030 aims at 95% of households covered by gigabit networks by 2030.
The Greek Digital Transformation Bible 2020-2025 highlights connectivity as one of the five strategic axes and acknowledges the Gigabit Society 2025 targets.
The 2018 coalition agreement of the German Federal Government identifies the priority goal of a nationwide expansion of gigabit networks by 2025. The federal government has also developed a 5G Strategy for Germany.
The national broadband programme France Très Haut Débit sets out the targets of fast broadband access for all households by 2022 and fibre for all by 2025.
The Finnish authorities go for a competition-driven, fibre-based network roll-out assisted by public funds for underserved areas and advice for local municipalities on how to deploy broadband networks.
Estonia has established basic broadband coverage throughout the country, and has brought its broadband targets for 2020 in line with those of the Digital Agenda for Europe.
A number of political initiatives aiming at nation-wide fixed and mobile broadband coverage support Danish broadband goals. The Government works towards making Denmark a digital frontrunner by creating a foundation for Danish businesses to exploit digital technologies.
The National Plan for the Development of Very High Capacity Networks, approved in March 2021, defines the strategic approach of the Czech Republic to the construction of VHCN.
Cyprus’ broadband plan sets strategic objectives for 2016-2020 and is aligned with the Gigabit Society objectives and the 5G Action Plan. It aims at Internet coverage with at least 30 Mbps for all households and businesses by 2020. In order to achieve the 2020 take-up target of...
Croatia’s strategy contains basic principles such as service and technological neutrality, net neutrality and inclusion of broadband internet access among universal services.
The National Broadband Infrastructure Plan for Next Generation Access "Connected Bulgaria" and the Policy in the field of electronic communications have been updated and adopted in August 2020.
Belgium’s broadband strategy is incorporated into a broader policy strategy “Digital Belgium 2015-2020”. The aim is to provide speeds of up to 1 Gbps to half of the country by 2020 and to facilitate a proactive 5G roll-out. By lowering costs and reducing administrative burdens...
Austria’s broadband strategy focuses on the nationwide supply of Gigabit connections by 2030. By the end of 2025, almost nationwide availability of 5G should have been realised.