ANACOM - Portuguese Communications Authority

06/09/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/09/2025 10:15

The Communications Sector 2024

The report The Communications Sector 2024https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1809701, which is produced and published regularly by ANACOM, is now available. It describes the electronic and postal communications sector in 2024, explaining how it has evolved over the past year.

Slowdown in the uptake of fixed service accesses and slight increase in the number of actual users of mobile services

In 2024, the number of fixed accesses increased by 1.4% compared to last year. The fixed telephone service (FTS) recorded an increase by around 0.4%, marking the lowest growth recorded since 2019, with a total of 5.5 million at the end of the year. The pay-TV signal distribution service (PTV) and the Internet service at a fixed location (FBB) both registered a total of 4.7 million accesses (+1.5% and +2.5% respectively compared to last year). The growth of PTV was at its lowest since 2006, and the growth of FBB was at its lowest since the commencement of data collection (2001). This phenomenon can partly be attributed to the already high penetration rates of each of these services.

There were around 18.7 million active mobile accesses, which was a 0.7% decrease on last year. The number of active users of the mobile access service totalled 13.6 million, which is an increase of 0.1%. The number of users of the mobile internet access service increased by 2.2% compared to last year.

Penetration rate for electronic communications services at a fixed location continues to rise

In 2024, the penetration rate of services provided at a fixed location per 100 inhabitants increased, namely for FBB (+1.1 p.p.), PTV (+0.6 p.p.) and FTS (+0.2 p.p.).

If we consider only the residential segment, PTV penetration rates stood out with 97 accesses per 100 households, followed by FTS with 96 accesses per 100 households and FBB with 93 accesses per 100 households, according to the information reported by providers and demographic data from Instituto Nacional de Estatística (the National Statistics Institute - INE).

The growth in fixed service penetration was due to the increasing uptake of bundled services, which reached a penetration rate of 97.1 out of 100 households in 2024. It should be noted that providers have been promoting the uptake of bundled offers with higher levels of service, particularly convergent packages. Isolated or single play offers, that are not marketed as part of a bundle, accounted for 14.5% of fixed accesses.

Increased BLM uptake compared to 2023

In the case of mobile services, the penetration rate of mobile telephone services (MTS) with actual use stood at 127.6 per 100 inhabitants, while the penetration rate of mobile broadband Internet access (MBB) was 100.5 per 100 inhabitants, an increase of 2.2 p.p. since the end of 2023.

In 2024, 36.9% of all marketed mobile accesses were acquired as part of a service bundle, which is 3 p.p. higher than last year. The penetration rate of MTS sold alongside fixed services was 60.6 per 100 inhabitants.

Most households report using all three fixed services

In the residential segment, considering survey data, 92.8% of Portuguese households reported having some kind of fixed electronic communications service. The most commonly used combination of services (not necessarily as part of a bundle) was FTS, FBB, PTV and MBB (39%), followed by the three fixed services: FTS, FBB and PTV (30.8%). Compared to 2023, the proportion of households reporting combinations without FTS has increased, particularly those with FBB, MBB and PTV, or FBB and PTV.

In 2024, around 86.6% of households reported having a bundled offer. Of these households, around 76.6% included mobile telephone services (MTS) in the bundle, and 72.7% included Internet access via mobile phone.

Households in Greater Lisbon, the Setubal Peninsula and the Autonomous Regions with a higher uptake of fixed services

In regional terms, Greater Lisbon, the Setubal Peninsula, and the Autonomous Regions of the Azores (A.R. Azores) and Madeira (A.R. Madeira) had a higher proportion of households reporting access to fixed electronic communications services, particularly bundled services (over 90%). The lowest uptake of FBB, FTS and MBB services was reported by households in the Alentejo region, while the lowest proportion of households reporting having PTV and bundled services was recorded in the Centre region.

In the Greater Lisbon, Madeira and Centre regions, more than half of households mentioned having MBB (via a mobile phone or PC/tablet/pen/router). Electronic communications services were more prevalent among the younger, more educated population, those in employment or students, and those with higher incomes.

Exclusive DTT uptake decreases

According to survey data, the exclusive use of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in main homes covered 7.4% of households, which is 0.9 p.p. less than in 2023.

Around 9.8% of the population has never used the Internet and only 43.9 % of families with FTS reported using the service. The main barriers to accessing services identified by families were fixed/mobile substitution (in the case of FTS), associated costs, and perceived uselessness (in the case of PTV and IAS), as well as a lack of digital literacy (in the case of IAS).

The Internet penetration rate was 87% among micro-enterprises and 98% among companies with 10 or more employees

According to the survey data, the Internet penetration rate was 86.6% among micro-enterprises and 98% among companies with 10 or more employees. Almost all medium and large companies had Internet access.

Among companies with 10 or more employees, the FBB penetration rate was 95.1% (0.3 p.p. below the EU27 average). Regarding MBB, around 73.1% of micro-enterprises and 85.8% of companies with 10 or more employees provided portable devices to their employees, enabling a mobile internet connection for work purposes. The mobile broadband penetration rate among companies with 10 or more employees was higher than the EU27 average (+2,7 p.p.).

High-speed networks with 95% coverage

By the end of 2024, it is estimated that at least 6.2 million households were connected to a high-speed network (+1% compared to 2023). The increase in households connected to an optical fibre network (FTTH/B) in 2024 was lower than the four-year average in all NUTS II regions, except for Alentejo and Algarve. This reflects the fact that coverage is reaching high levels. High-speed network coverage reached 95.3% of dwellings and establishments (+1.0 p.p. compared to 2023).

As new generation networks developed, fibre optic networks (FTTH/B) became the main access networks for fixed Internet (68.9% of connections) and PTV (66.6%). In terms of speed, around 92.4% of FBB connections had advertised download speeds of 100 Mbps or more, an increase of 1.9 p.p. compared to last year, and of 11.0 p.p. compared to 2020. In 2024, Portugal was the fourth highest-ranked country in the European Union (EU).

Nevertheless, areas without coverage were identified in 94% of Portugal's municipalities and 64% of its parishes. The Alentejo and Algarve regions had the highest proportion of parishes with uncovered areas. In December 2023, the Government launched a public tender for the installation, management, operation and maintenance of very high-capacity electronic communications networks in these areas. This process is still ongoing.

Portugal with 5G coverage above the EU27 average

In terms of mobile network coverage, four LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks were available in Portugal by the end of 2024. According to the information on their websites, the three main MTS operators had LTE networks with coverage levels close to 100% of the population. In terms of 5G coverage, Portugal had the 10th highest coverage rate, surpassing the EU27 average, according to data from the European 5G Observatory. By the end of 2024, 5G base stations had been installed in all municipalities and 73% of parishes.

Of the mobile connections that were actually used, 31.7% used the 5G network (+14.6 p.p. compared to 2023), 49.6% used the 4G network and 18.7% used the 2G+3G network.

Decrease in voice traffic and increase in data traffic on both the fixed and mobile networks

The 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic influenced electronic communications traffic, leading to sharp increases in various categories of voice and data traffic, as well as more significant reductions in SMS and international roaming traffic. From 2022 onwards, the previous trend was resumed in most categories of electronic communications traffic.

In 2024, FBB traffic increased by 13%, while mobile data traffic increased by 28.7%. Conversely, there was a decrease in fixed voice traffic in minutes (-10.8%), mobile voice traffic in minutes (-1.4%) and number of SMS (-14.5%).

On average, each FBB access generated 302 GB of traffic per month (+10% compared to 2023). In MBB, the total monthly traffic per user was 12.3 GB, which was 23.5% higher than the previous year. Around 17.3% of total mobile data traffic was carried on 5G networks, reaching 7.0 GB per month per 5G mobile internet user, +77.8% compared to 2023.

On the other hand, the average monthly fixed voice traffic per access decreased by 5 minutes (to 37 minutes per month per access), while the average monthly mobile voice traffic per access fell by four minutes (to 209 minutes per month). The average number of SMS messages sent per access was 48, which is the lowest figure since records began (2010).

It should be noted that the use of over-the-top (OTT) services has increased. In 2024, around 74.5% of the population made voice and video calls over the Internet, which was above the European average (+1.6 p.p.), and 82.5% used instant messaging services (3.3 p.p. above the EU27 average).

Decrease in postal capitation in 2024

Regarding postal services, the postal capitation rate - the amount of postal traffic per inhabitant - was 47.1 items per capita in 2024, which was 3.2 fewer items than the previous year.

Parcel traffic continues to rise, while mail traffic continues to fall

In 2024, postal traffic fell by 6.4% compared to the previous year, reaching 501 million items. The decrease in traffic was seen in the following types of postal item: direct mail (-20.8%), mail items (-7.2%) and editorial mail (-3%).

Orders have increased by 32.5% since 2020 and grew by a further 3.5% in 2024, reaching a new all-time high. Similarly, e-commerce continued to grow. In 2024, 59.3% of the 16-74 age group made purchases online in the twelve months prior to the interview, which was 4.6 p.p. higher than the previous year. Meanwhile, employment in the postal sector fell by 2.1%, while the number of network access points rose by 6.3% and the vehicle fleet increased by 7.4%.

The number of CTT post offices remained the same as in the previous year. However, the number of post branches fell by 0.7% (or 13 fewer post branches) compared to 2023.

Retail revenues from electronic communications and postal services have increased

In 2024, retail revenues from the main electronic communications services totalled EUR 4.2 billion, marking a 4.6% increase compared to the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by revenues from bundles, which grew by 6.6% compared to the previous year. Bundled services accounted for 54.9% of total retail revenues from electronic communications services.

Revenues from postal services totalled around EUR 743.5 million, marking a 3% increase on the previous year. The average revenue per item increased by 10%, continuing the upward trend that started in 2018.

Prices for electronic communications in Portugal were up 6.7% year-on-year

According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the year-on-year change in telecommunications prices in December 2024 was 6.7%. The average rate of change in telecoms prices over the last 12 months was 6.9%.

Compared to the European Union (EU), the average rate of change in telecoms prices in Portugal over the last twelve months (6.9%) was 7.2 p.p. higher than the EU average, making Portugal the 3rd country with the highest price change.

When compared with other OECD countries in the EU, Portugal's prices for fixed services (stand-alone FTS, double play offers with FBB and FTS, triple play and quadruple play offers) were above average, except for double play offers integrating FBB and PTV. Portugal's prices for these offers were below the EU average in half of the analysed usage profiles, according to the methodology and residential usage profiles developed by the OECD, taking into account information from TechInsights. On the other hand, the prices of mobile voice and mobile internet packages were lower than the EU average in more than half of the usage profiles analysed.

DIGI with the lowest minimum monthly fees for seven types of offer

When considering the minimum monthly fees advertised by operators on their websites, DIGI provided, in December 2024, the lowest minimum monthly fees for seven types of offer, out of a range of 11 analysed services/offers. This operator launched its offers on the national market in November 2024, after which date there was a change in some of the minimum monthly fees publicised by the main operators.

MEO had the largest market share in both fixed and mobile services

By the end of 2024, Portugal's four largest electronic communications companies were MEO, Grupo NOS, Vodafone, and Grupo DIGI / NOWO.

MEO had the highest market share for all services, both fixed and mobile: 44.8% for FTS, 41.9% for PTV, 41.2% for FBB, 36.9% for MTS, and 35.5% for MBB. Grupo NOS had the second highest share of these services: 36.0% for PTV, 33.5% for FBB, 32.5% for FTS, 30.6% for MTS, and 33% for MBB. Vodafone was the third provider with the highest share of fixed and mobile communications services: 28.0% for MTS, 27.1% for MBB, 21.9% for FBB, 19.8% for FTS and 19.4% for PTV. The fourth main provider in terms of shares, Grupo DIGI/NOWO, recorded 2.9% for MBB, 2.7% for FBB, 2.6% for PTV, 2.5% for MTS and 1.9% for FTS. The disparity between the subscriber shares of the three main operators was smallest in mobile services. Regarding bundled offers, MEO had the largest number of subscribers, regardless of bundle type (2P, 3P or 4/5P).

CTT's share of postal services reached 81.6%

CTT was the main provider of postal services in Portugal. At the end of the year under review, the CTT Group's share of traffic was 81.6% (-1.7 p.p. compared to 2023). However, its share of parcel traffic was 43.9% (-2.9 p.p. compared to 2023).

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