Portugal considering alternatives to Meo
December 16, 2022
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
João Cadete de Matos, the president of Portugal’s National Communications Authority (Anacom) has acknowledged that Meo (Altice Portugal) has requested the renewal of the DTT network licences.
During a meeting with journalists, Cadete de Matos said that the regulator has six months to make an assessment, including financial issues, as ‘DTT has to be cost-orientated.’
According to him, there are also other options to be considered, adding that ‘the country cannot be held hostage by a company, there are alternatives.’
For Cadete de Matos, one of the decisions that must be made is if the country wants to continue to have a free-to-air TV service. He recalled that other options to terrestrial services include satellite, cable and the mobile network.
Cadete de Matos also mentioned that in the terrestrial broadcasting segment there is also the possibility of the service being provided by the wholesale companies that currently own these structures, such as Cellnex and Vantage Towers. He additionally pointed out that Portugal has one of the most limited DTT offers in Europe with only seven TV channels, while 95 per cent of households subscribe to pay-TV.