Portugal's journey towards 5G adoption began with several obstacles, but just over two years after the launch of its first commercial 5G offerings, the country is now being hailed by the European Commission as a “model” for other EU members. This turnaround is largely attributed to the swift actions of telecom operators and significant investments made despite initial delays.

The rollout of this new technology was initially marred by a prolonged and contentious frequency auction, leaving Portugal second-to-last among EU countries to deploy 5G mobile networks, just ahead of Lithuania, which faced unique challenges due to Russia’s use of some auctioned frequencies.

The auction process in Portugal, introduced at the end of 2020 by the regulator and government under António Costa, who at the time also issued sharp criticisms regarding the delays in the process, stretched over ten months and sparked litigation on multiple fronts.

However, the recent European Commission report on the state of the digital decade indicates that these issues are now firmly in the past. The report confirms that Portugal is on track to achieve 100% coverage and connectivity well before the 2030 deadline. It highlights that Portugal is among the EU leaders in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band, deemed the primary 5G band, with 65.2% of Portuguese households covered.

Nos attributes these positive outcomes to the investments made by telecom operators, moving Portugal from being the penultimate EU nation to launch 5G - due to regulatory delays - to surpassing the European average in coverage.

Vodafone echoes Nos's sentiment, noting that despite the late start resulting from the unusually prolonged auction, Vodafone quickly got to work once the frequencies were assigned. This swift response, coupled with substantial investments, helped mitigate the unjustified delays caused by the regulatory licensing process.

Meo highlights that the European Commission’s report places Portugal at the forefront in terms of network coverage, a position achieved through substantial investments required from all operators. The Portuguese electronic communications sector has invested 10 billion euros over the past nine years, resulting in the unique distinction of two Portuguese cities being recognized as European leaders in 5G coverage and speed. Portugal’s 5G coverage now exceeds 98%, compared to less than 90% across the EU.

Author

Paulo Lopes is a multi-talent Portuguese citizen who made his Master of Economics in Switzerland and studied law at Lusófona in Lisbon - CEO of Casaiberia in Lisbon and Algarve.

Paulo Lopes