ZAP // DIGI
It’s only been two weeks, but Anacom is already noticing the reaction of other operators to Digi’s arrival. Prices and loyalty could decrease next year.
The President of the National Communications Authority (ANACOM) confirms the possibility of telecommunications prices fall by up to 7% next yearweeks after the new operator Digi hit the market.
In an interview with e , Sandra Maximiano guarantees that “it is natural that existing operators do not sit idly by” and that we will possibly see, for example, a reduction of loyalty periods.
“It is possible” that prices will fall by 7% in the medium term, says the director. “The 7% is not unrealistic. Maybe more than 7% seems too much for next year, but it seems like a reasonable estimate.”
“Digi enters the market targeting a specific, younger audience, namely people and families who want a second or third phone, where they can have two operators, for example. There is this need and obviously there is the option for other operators to try to capture this market niche“, explains the leader, who does not fail to address the “difficulties” of the Romanian woman who recently arrived in Portugal.
“A Digi installed a network across the country, but still has some connection difficulties in certain areas of the territory or in some locations, for example, in the Lisbon metro. For a person who needs to be connected without any service outage, perhaps this is a solution,” he adds.
Regarding the speed of Digi’s services, he adds that Anacom is still “under analysis”, but it is important to be “attentive” to the growing “attention calls” from other operators for the services of the new operator.
“There has now also been a call to attention from operators to some aspects that may be more or less regular in Digi’s operations, which we are paying attention to”, he highlights.
If Digi’s performance is successful, it could undoubtedly attract new operators, explains Sandra Maximiano, especially after 2030, when some rights to use 5G bands end.
The new market dynamics may also make the Internet Social Tariff less relevant, as Digi’s offers may exceed the benefits of this tariff, created to facilitate Internet access.
Anacom charged fees illegally and must return 400 million euros
Amid the debate on the State Budget, the president of Anatel also suggests reviewing the tax applied to telecommunications, at a time when fees charged by the telecommunications authority were considered unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.
The court decision obliges ANACOM to return 400 million euros to operators, but a legal solution is being analyzed that could reduce this value by half. For 2024, the solution may involve the approval of a law or decree-law that allows the collection of fees while adapting the legal framework.
Without being able to charge fees, “Anacom is in a difficult situation”guarantees the director.
In 2023, Anatel had a drop in profit of almost 80%, with R$10.8 million in profit. This year’s result “is unknown”, says Maximiano: “it depends on the scenario, on how we are going to finance ourselves”.
