On 29 April 2021, ANACOM approved a draft decision to renew the rights of use of frequencies allocated to Vodafone Portugal - Comunicações Pessoais (Vodafone) and to MEO - Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia (MEO) in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands for provision of terrestrial electronic communications services, under the terms of the draft endorsement to titles ICP-ANACOM no. 03/2012 and ICP-ANACOM no. 02/2012. The rights are renewed until 21 April 2033.
ANACOM considers that renewing the rights of use in question supports the stability of operations and enables continuity of existing and planned investments by the operators which hold them. However, renewal of these rights of use of frequencies must be accompanied by the application of new obligations to Vodafone and MEO, taking into account the need to adapt the terms of the renewed rights to technological developments occurring since they were first allocated and to the needs of consumers and other users.
As such, ANACOM requires Vodafone and MEO between them to cover 100 parishes (Vodafone 44 parishes and MEO 56 parishes) with the lowest population density, excluding those already covered by the Auction Regulation for the Allocation of Rights of Use of Frequencies in the 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 3.6 GHz bandshttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1573881. The operators have until 30 June 2022 to reach a mutual agreement on the distribution of the 100 parishes identified in this draft decision. The result of this agreement must be reported to ANACOM.
It was also decided to submit this draft decision to the prior hearing of Vodafone and MEO under the terms of articles 121 et seq. of Código do Procedimento Administrativo (Administrative Proceeding Code) and also to the general consultation procedure established in articles 8 and 33, paragraph 3 of Lei das Comunicações Eletrónicas (Electronic Communications Law).https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1366216
Under both procedures, interested parties are given a period of 20 working days in which to respond. As such, comments should be received in writing and in Portuguese no later than 31 May 2021. Comments should be sent by email to renovacao.duf@anacom.pt1.
1 Each email may contain one or more files up to a total 20 MiB. If necessary, responses may be split over two or more emails.
Consult:
- Renewal of right of use of frequencies allocated to Vodafone Portugal and MEO in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands for terrestrial electronic communications services https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1646741
- Consultation on the renewal of right of use of frequencies allocated to Vodafone Portugal and MEO in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands for terrestrial electronic communications services https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1646761
