Portugal shows sharpest drop in fixed internet prices among European countries
The Portuguese Association of Electronic Communications Operators (Apritel) said Portugal showed the sharpest decline of fixed internet prices among countries in Europe, with a 4.7 percent drop recorded over the past 12 months, compared to a 0.9 percent increase in the EU27. portugal internet prices
In its most recent balance sheet on telecommunications prices, Anacom reports that this indicator recorded a rise of 2.2% compared to the same month of the previous year , a value that is 5.8 percentage points (pp) to the Price Index. of the Consumer (CPI). In relation to the previous month , there are no changes in terms of prices.
According to the regulatory authority, the evolution recorded results from the price increases implemented by MEO, NOS and Vodafone in April 2022 .
Minimum monthly fees are offered by NOWO in eight cases out of a range of 13 services and offers. MEO and Vodafone have two offers with lower monthly fees and NOS has only one. In homologous terms, the regulator highlights 13 price increases (eight by NOWO; three by Vodafone; and two by MEO) in prices and five decreases (three by MEO; one by Vodafone; and one by NOWO).
On the one hand, the minimum monthly fee for the Mobile Telephone Service with internet increased by 50.0%, as well as the minimum monthly fees for BLF+TVS (+11.1%), TVS+FTS and 3P (+0.4%) offers. the minimum monthly fee of 4P (9.9% and 1.0% and the minimum monthly fee of the 5P offer (4.3%) On the other hand, the minimum monthly fee of the BLF decreased by 4.2%.
As explained by Anacom, the average rate of change in telecommunications prices in Portugal during the period under analysis was higher than in the European Union, by 1.0 pp more .
Over the last 12 months, this rate was 1.6%: 1.7 pp below that recorded by the CPI (3.4%), with this average change in telecommunications prices in Portugal corresponding to the 8th highest between European Union (EU) countries .
As in the previous month, the biggest price increase took place in Slovakia, with an increase of 4.9%, and the biggest decrease occurred in Bulgaria, with a decrease of 5.3%. “On average, telecommunications prices in the EU increased by 0.6%”, says Anacom.
Since the end of 2010, communications prices have risen by 12.5%, with the CPI growing by 19.5% . Between 2015 and 2019, “the accumulated change in telecommunications prices was higher than the accumulated change in the CPI due to “price adjustments” made by the main providers”, says the regulatory authority.
There was a decrease in the divergence between the two indices from 2019 onwards, largely due to the entry into force of the GDPR, which imposed a maximum price for intra-EU international calls and SMS. If this price reduction had not occurred, Anacom estimates that prices would have risen by 16.2% since the end of 2010, 3.3 pp below the CPI variation. portugal internet prices
Between the end of 2009 and May 2022, telecommunications prices in Portugal increased by 10.5%, having decreased by 9.6% in the EU . Citing Eurostat data, Anacom highlights that, in absolute terms, in 2021, communications prices in Portugal were 19.3% above the European average.
