Fixed Telephone Service - new providers route 8.1% of telephone traffic

Data complied by the Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (ICP) reveals that the new Fixed Telephone Service providers have increased their market share for the third consecutive quarter. The market presence of these providers is highest in international traffic.

During the third quarter, 2001, the new operators routed 8.1% of all connections established in Portugal, in terms of conversation minutes, including the various types of local, regional, inter-urban and international voice-based calls. The market share of the new providers, it should be remembered was 7.4% in the second quarter and 5.3% in the first quarter, 2001.

Dividing this amount by the different types of traffic reveals that the new providers were responsible for routing 19.7% of all international outgoing calls and 7.6% of all national calls - the latter including the various types of local, regional and inter-urban voice-based calls. These calculations are based on the number of conversation minutes generated.

During the same period, direct access continued to be the principal form of access used by fixed telecommunications consumers, responsible for 93.6% of all telephone traffic originated in Portugal during the third quarter.

During the same period, the penetration rate for the fixed telephone service in Portugal stabilised at 42.4%, maintaining the same level recorded in the previous quarter.

In September, 31 Fixed Telephone Service providers were licensed by ICP. Of these 31 providers, 16 were in activity, with 10 providing the service via direct and indirect access, 2 solely via direct access and 4 solely via indirect access.

Consult:

Quarterly reports by service http://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=277884