Number of mobile network customers nearly 9 million - third quarter 2003

Data compiled by the Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) indicate that the number of land mobile service customers reached 8.96 million at the end of September. This figure corresponds to growth of 3.8% from the second to the third quarter of 2003 and to 330,000 new subscribers.

Portugal thus approximates the number of 9 million service subscribers, for a penetration rate of 86%, above the European average of 83%. Most subscribers - about 7 million - are customers of prepaid services.

By the end of September about 18,000 out of total active numbers had been ported between mobile operators.

During the quarter under review, 1.5 billion calls originated in the mobile networks, 4% more than in the previous quarter. These calls together generated 2.6 billion minutes of telephone connection, equivalent to an increase of 4.2% over the second quarter.

About 66% of connections made by mobile network users are to the same mobile network. In user preferences, this is followed by calls to the other mobile networks, with 21% of total originated calls, to national fixed networks (more than 9%) and to international networks (about 4%).

During the third quarter of 2003 some 572 million written messages were sent by customers of the three mobile operators, 3.6% more than in the previous quarter and 5.6% more than in the same quarter of the previous year.

Consult:

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