The prices and bandwidth offered in Internet access via ADSL and cable in Portugal have a positive comparison with other European countries, concludes Anacom in a study now released. The regulator of the communications market in Portugal says that the value of broadband offers in Portugal is below the average of a group of 13 European countries, having been considered the group of 15 in the EU minus Greece and Finland.
The comparisons, carried out in November 2006, are positive if the minimum price of broadband in Portugal is considered, or the minimum price charged by the incumbent, but also if the evaluation falls on the speed of download, considering the average of the minimum prices.
Anacom’s study shows that the minimum value practiced in Portugal, which is 14.46 euros (excluding VAT), is 3.6% below the average of the 13 countries considered and is the 5th best value in this group. The lowest price charged by PT (15.28 euros, excluding VAT) is the second lowest among the historical operators of the 13 countries analyzed by Anacom
Also when comparing the minimum prices per download speed in Portugal, it appears that the values ​​are below average, especially at the level of the most common access speeds. According to the study, offers of 2 Mbps are 28.9% below the average, with Portugal being the fourth country with the best price, right after the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy.
In the 4 Mbps bundles, the price is only 4.5 percent below the average, while for the 8 Mbps the Portuguese pay 17.9 percent less and in the 20 Mbps the cost reduction in relation to the average is 18, 1 percent.
Anacom notes, however, that in the 24 Mbps offers Portugal is at a disadvantage, with prices above the average of the countries considered.
The regulator also compared the prices charged by incumbents in each country, taking into account «the importance of historic operators, in terms of market share». Thus, the monthly fees for offers with a maximum throughput of at least 512 Kbps, 1 Mbps and 8 Mbps from the incumbent operator in Portugal are 25.9%, 12.6% and 21.9%, respectively, below the average prices charged by incumbent operators in the countries considered. However, the offer of 2 Mbps is 6.6% above the average.
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