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The National Communications Authority (Anacom) said, this Monday, that Meo (Altice Portugal), NOS and Vodafone Portugal increased the monthly rates for triple service (3P) offers by 3.3% and, “simultaneously”, saw a “reduction in quality.
In a statement, the regulator affirms that, between October and November, “the three main electronic communications providers in Portugal (MEO, NOS and Vodafone) increased the monthly rates of their base offers” triple play ” [3P] 3.3% (plus one euro) “.
Anacom points out that, “after this price increase, which occurs at the same time and in the same proportion, and which is much higher than the inflation rate, the lowest monthly rate of its” triple play “offers amounts to about 31 euros “, noting that dsince 2018 that “there are no differences in the monthly rates for this type of offers, which include fixed Internet, fixed telephony and subscription television”.
ME, “Simultaneously with the price increase, there was also a reduction in the quality of this type of offers in the three operators, since the advertised download speed dropped from 100 Mbps to 30 Mbps ”, says Anacom.
The National Communications Authority emphasizes that the Meo and NOS “also imposed monthly fixed data traffic limits (500 GB and 600 GB, respectively), something that did not exist in the communications markets in Portugal since the start of broadband offerings.“, representing” a substantial change in product configuration with reference to at least the last decade. “
However, it refers to Anacom, NOS “removed the traffic limit stated above“.
The regulator points out that “the changes that have occurred will potentially affect a large number of subscribers,” since 3P offers “are subscribed by around 1.7 million customers in Portugal., which represents about 40% of the total “.
Anacom, an entity chaired by João Cadete de Matos, points out that “the prices of these offers were already comparing unfavorably with the international average”.
And he cites “studies of international price comparisons promoted by the European Commission”, in which in October 2018 “the prices of the Internet + landline + television package were higher than the EU-28 average by 2 % and 12.7% “.
The exception, he says, “were 1 Gbps offers that had prices below the EU28 average (-22.3%), but were only subscribed by 1.6% of customers.”
“Is price increases and degradation of the quality of offers It occurs at a time when users are especially and increasingly dependent on providing connectivity for professional and educational purposes, among others, due to the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic, when teleworking is once again mandatory and exists the duty to collect, “says Anacom.
“Further, consumers do not have equivalent alternatives, because the offer of the fourth operator is not a substitute because it does not have the same coverage as the territory, “he continues.
Nowo, the fourth operator, “offers the lowest monthly” triple play “offers (around 24 euros)”, but “is not present throughout the national territory and does not have its own mobile network, it is a virtual mobile telephone provider “. (MVNO) that supports its mobile service offerings on third-party networks ”, highlights Anacom.
The regulator says that “For several years, “Vodafone Portugal’s 3P monthly rates” were considerably lower than those of other providers“, but meanwhile it was” increasing the monthly rate of these offers (20% more in five years), without relevant differences between the monthly rates charged by the three main providers during 2018. “
The changes in the monthly rates of the Meo, NOS and Vodafone offers “affect new subscribers and previous subscribers at the moment they want to renew their contract (for example, at the end of the respective loyalty periods)”, considers Anacom.
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