Executive summary
- In April 2020, telecommunications prices, as measured by the sub-index of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), remained unchanged from the previous month.
- The year-on-year price decreased 4.34%. This fall in prices mainly reflects the entry into force on 15 May 2019 of new European rules that regulate intra-EU communications. The year-on-year trend in telecommunications prices has been lower than the growth in the CPI since November 2017.
- Telecommunications prices have decreased 4.09% on average in the last twelve months, which is 4.26 percentage points (p.p.) lower than the CPI (0.17%), the largest decrease since January 2009.
- In April 2020, the average decrease in telecommunications prices in Portugal was lower than that in the EU (-4.3 p.p.). The average rate of change of telecommunications prices in Portugal in the last 12 months was the 26th highest among the EU countries. The country with the highest price rise was Romania (+4.6%), while Italy experienced the biggest decrease (-5.5%). On average, telecommunications prices rose by 0.2% in the EU.
- Between the end of 2009 and April 2020, telecommunications prices in Portugal increased 7.7%, while in the European Union they fell 10.4%. The difference narrowed upon the entry into force of the new European rules on 15 May 2019 that regulate the prices of intra-EU communications.
