Voice and internet traffic originating on the fixed-line network between April and June totalled 2,264 billion minutes. This gives a fall of 5.2% compared to the previous quarter and a fall of 13.9% compared to same quarter in 2005. This drop in traffic can, in the most part, be put down to declining use of dial-up internet access.
Of the total traffic originating on the fixed-line network, voice traffic accounted for 1,993 billion minutes, 3% down on the previous quarter and 6.5% down year-on-year, with 20.9% of this traffic coming from indirect access.
PT Group saw their share of voice traffic shrink by 1.2% over the quarter to 71%, while the new providers saw their shares grow by around 3.6%.
The number of fixed-line customers using direct access stood at 3,077 million, 0.6% less than in the previous quarter and 3% less than in the 2nd quarter of 2005. However, the new providers saw significant growth in their direct access customer base, with 15.6% more customers than in the previous quarter. In the large part, this growth can be put down to the take up of new services based on GSM technology and of packages bundling fixed-line telephone access with cable TV and/or Internet.
Indirect access traffic, through pre-selection, saw a 3.2% fall in customer numbers to 483 thousand, the first fall seen since the end of 2003, while year-on-year the upward trend continues with a rise of 7%.
In the second quarter, there were around 77 thousand customers using call by call selection,16.6% less than in the first quarter and 21.2% less than in the second quarter of 2005.
PT Group's share of direct access customers stood at 84.8% as of the end of July, 2.1% less than 3 months before and 7.2% less than a year before. With indirect access, the alternative operators continue to command a market share of over 99%.
By the end of the quarter, the total number of main telephone accesses installed at the request of customers reached 4,07 million, giving a penetration rate of 39 accesses per 100 population. PT Group continues to be the main provider, with 85% of installed accesses, but down 1.9% on the quarter and down 6% on the year.
PT's loss of market share when it comes to accesses can be attributed to a decline in the use of traditional fixed-line telephone services and the growth of packages being offered by cable TV and internet providers, as well as the availability, since the beginning of 2005, of a service that provides access through GSM technology.
Consult:
- Postal services https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=277884
