Data compiled by the Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (ICP) reveals that the new Fixed Telephone Service providers carried 12,1% of total long-distance traffic generated in Portugal, by both direct and indirect access, during the third quarter of 2000, as compared with the 10,4% registered at the end of the first half of that year. A breakdown of statistics reveals that the new providers were responsible for carrying 10,26% of all interurban calls and 17,16% of all outgoing international calls. This traffic corresponds to calls that were eligible for indirect access on the said date and were therefore open to competition in this type of access.
During the period in analysis and in terms of indirect access, the number of customers of the new providers increased by 52%. In absolute terms, the number of subscribers increased from 275 to 417 thousand between June and September 2000.
Nine months into market liberalisation, it was noted that more than half of the calls carried out by this type of access - 53% - were national calls. International calls constituted the remaining 47%. It should be remembered that fixed-mobile connections only became eligible for indirect access at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2000, and local and regional calls only became so on 1st of January of 2001.
|
Categories |
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(2)/(3) |
|
PT |
New |
Total |
% |
|
|
National Traffic |
||||
|
Local, regional and |
9.685.118 |
11.600 |
9.696.718 |
0,12% |
|
Interurban |
924.188 |
105.612 |
1.029.800 |
10,26% |
|
International Traffic |
||||
|
Outgoing |
310.370 |
64.283 |
374.653 |
17,16% |
|
Incoming |
484.686 |
30.943 |
515.629 |
6,00% |
|
Long Distance total (Interurban + International Outgoing) |
1.234.558 |
169.895 |
1.404.453 |
12,10% |
Unit: 103 Minutes
In September 2000 there were 21 licensed fixed network providers, including the public telecommunications service concessionaire. Of these, 1 provided only direct access, 8 provided only indirect access and 3 provided both types of access.
Altogether these providers generated traffic by direct and indirect access equivalent to 11,600 million minutes between January and September, which represents an increase of 49% in comparison with the statistics recorded up until the end of June.
98% of the total traffic generated represents communications by direct access, mainly by the concessionaire of the public telecommunications service. About 93% of the traffic in analysis represents national communications.
This information is based on statistical information sent to ICP by the Fixed Telephone Service providers. Some of these providers had difficulties in submitting the figures within the format and deadlines laid down by the ICP, particularly as regards the number of customers and the number of international calls.
Indirect access to the Fixed Telephone Service is understood to mean the provision of a service carrying telephone calls by means of a provider to which the customer is not directly connected. This type of access is possible in two ways: by call-to-call selection, which implies the dialling of a code (10xy) every time that the user intends to make a call; or by means of pre-selecting the provider, a function that enables the customer's line to be programmed in order for the eligible calls to be carried by default by the provider previously selected by the customer. On the other hand, direct access implies the installation of equipment in the customer's home.
Consult:
- Postal services https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=277884
