The European Commission (EC) published in 25 May 2010, the 15th progress report on the implementation of the single European electronic communications market, with reference to 2009.
As far as Portugal is concerned, the 15th report notes the adoption of legislation and other measures designed to promote the deployment of next generation networks (NGN). The document also highlights that mobile broadband usage increased to 16.1 percent in January 2010, which is the second highest level in the EU and just slightly below fixed broadband penetration (18.6 percent). In 2009, mobile telephone penetration grew by nine percentage points, reaching 146.2 per cent, the second highest value in the EU.
The report also underlines that total revenue from the electronic communication market totalled 4.6 percent of Portuguese gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008, which is one of the highest levels in Europe. At a Union level, the EC notes that the telecommunications market has weathered the economic downturn, achieving a growth rate of 0 percent in 2009 in contrast to the general decline in the economy of 4.2 per cent. The 15th report reveals growing use of high-speed Internet, with an average penetration rate reported for fixed broadband of 24.8 per cent in January 2010. Meanwhile, Internet connection prices fell in 2009, thanks to the availability of flat tariff plans and great broadband speeds. On the other hand, the document concludes that EU rules are still applied to the electronic communications sector by Member States in an inconsistent manner, which is holding back the effective existence of a single market.
See also:
- Portugal is reported as the EU country with the largest number of subscribers using alternative operators for direct access and the second in mobile broadband https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1027764
Further information:
- Progress Report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market 2009 (15th Report) - Country Chapter: Portugal http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/doc/implementation_enforcement/annualreports/15threport/pt.pdf
- Telecoms: citizens and businesses pay the price for inconsistent application of EU rules - country by country breakdown of 15th Progress Report on European Telecoms Market 2009 and glossary http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/10/211&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
- Progress Report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market 2009 (15th Report) http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/doc/implementation_enforcement/annualreports/15threport/comm_en.pdf
