The Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal is to be known as ANACOM - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações from Friday, January 11 onwards. This name is established within the new statutes of the Portuguese postal and telecommunications regulator, that also update the authority's functions and strengthen its regulatory powers.
ANACOM's Internet site will be fully revised and is available shortly, presenting users with a new set of functions, including an online Attendance Desk in order to provide services, and equipped with technical characteristics that enable citizens with special needs to access content. The Media Room will also be redesigned.
ANACOM - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações is Portugal's communications regulator, whose sphere of intervention is divided into two distinct zones: telecommunications and postal services. Within each zone, ANACOM is responsible for the attribution of licenses and authorisations for access to the business activity, the creation of conditions for the development of competition and supervision of compliance with such conditions.
There is a central objective underlying the regulator's activities: to provide better access conditions for advanced communications services for residential and business customers. The means of achieving this objective is the promotion of competition and guarantee of fair and efficient interoperability conditions.
To attain this objective, ANACOM diligently inspects compliance of universal service obligations, in order to guarantee that all Portuguese citizens, irrespective of their geographic residence, have access to high quality and affordable communications services.
In the telecommunications sector, ANACOM is responsible for radio spectrum management. This is a scarce public resource, whose proper planning is the only means to assure quality provision of services without interference.
In the same area of activity, Portugal's communications regulator tests the conformity of equipment and material and defines vending requirements. The regulator also has technical standardisation functions, in co-ordination with other organisations.
In this context, ANACOM represents the Portuguese state in international organisations for the sector and monitors the regulatory work of congenerous international authorities.
ANACOM is also responsible for co-ordinating the application of competition law in the sector, together with the entity responsible for competition issues.
The regulator conducts studies in the areas of postal and telecommunications communications and implements and encourages projects designed to promote and develop citizens access to the Information and Knowledge Society through the introduction of quality and affordable advances services and networks.
ANACOM also plays an important role in advising the Government in the definition of strategic guidelines and general public policy for the communications sectors and business activity of the sector's operators, including issue of opinions and drawing up of draft legislation in this field.
