The number of Internet access service customers stood at 1.427 million in September, 6.6% more than in the previous quarter. Some 1.132 million of them were broadband customers, 8% more than in the second quarter of the year. The figure for dial-up Internet customers was 295,756, up 1.3% over the preceding three months.
In the third quarter ANACOM changed the way it calculates and presents the number of dial-up Internet access customers. From that quarter on only the number of customers active during the quarter under review is disclosed.
The number of broadband customers recorded the subscription of 84,000 new customers. In year-on-year terms, growth was 51.4%.
The number of ADSL customers stood at 641,000 at the end of September, while the figure for customers who accessed the broadband Internet via cable-modem stood at 488,000. ADSL is now the main broadband access, accounting for 57% of total accesses. ANACOM data indicates that for every five new broadband accesses about four are ADSL.
Broadband via ADSL registered 68,000 new customers in the third quarter, versus an increase of 16,000 new cable-modem access customers.
At the end of September the broadband Internet penetration rate was 10.8%, 0.8 percentage points more than at the end of the previous quarter.
The expansion of broadband via ADSL technology was driven by growth in the number of unbundled loops, a reflection of the operators' commitment to directly reach customers and of the improved local loop unbundling (LLU) conditions.
There were 1.211 million residential customers in the third quarter, of whom 932,000 had broadband access. The number of residential customers represents 33% of classic families resident in Portugal. The number of broadband residential customers corresponds to 26% of resident classic families.
Cable-modem access continues to be the preferred means of Internet access in the residential segment. At the end of September there were 474,000 cable-modem access customers, nearly 51% of total broadband residential customers. ADSL access accounted for 49% of total broadband customers, corresponding to 458,000 customers.
ADSL is the main access mode in the non-residential segment. At the end of September there were 183,000 ADSL customers, versus 17,000 for dial-up access, 14,000 for cable-modem access and 2,800 accesses via leased lines.
The Grupo PT's market share for customers fell to 78.6%, 2.6 percentage points less than in the year-on-year quarter and one point less than in the previous quarter. PT's share of ADSL customers was 85.4%, 1.9 points less than in the previous period and 5.8 points less in year-on-year terms.
In cable-modem access, PT held a 69.8% share at the end of September, maintaining the downward trend registered since early 2004.
Consult:
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