Have you taken a good look at your communications bill? 4.8% increase

Portugal had the highest price increase in the telecommunications bill in the European Union. In February 2023, telecommunications prices, measured through the respective group of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), increased by 4.8% compared to January. Have you taken a good look at your communications bill?

According to ANACOM, this is the biggest monthly increase seen in the last 27 years (since January 1996). Compared to February 2022, prices increased by 3.9%, the biggest positive change since December 2016.

Considering only the increases that occurred in 2023 (January and February), Portugal recorded the highest increase in telecommunications prices in the European Union (+5.1%).

On average in the last twelve months, telecommunications prices in Portugal increased by 1.7%, while in the European Union they increased by only 0.1%. Portugal recorded the 10th highest price variation among EU countries. The country where the biggest price increase occurred was Poland (+4.9%) while the biggest decrease occurred in the Netherlands (-3.9%), reveals the Communications Authority.

Portugal, according to several benchmarks, is one of the European Union (EU) countries in which electronic communications prices have increased the most.

Invoice: Mobile Internet in Portugal is the 2nd most expensive in the European Union

Portugal is not just one of the EU countries where prices have increased the most. It is also one of the countries where services are paid the most. According to the study of international price comparisons published by Rewheel, the «Digital Fuel Monitor», at the beginning of 2023 the median price per Gigabyte of Internet offers on mobile phones in Portugal was the 2nd highest in the EU and the 4th highest among the 50 countries analyzed.

In February, the minimum monthly fees are offered by NOWO in eight cases out of a range of 13 services/offers, while MEO and Vodafone presented the lowest monthly fees for four and two types of service/offers, respectively.

In year-on-year terms, there were 29 services/offers with price increases and eight with price decreases. The following price variations stand out:

• The TVS minimum monthly fee increased by 7.6%, due to the discontinuation of TVS offers single play from NOS. In February 2023, TVS’s minimum monthly fee corresponded to an offer single play from MEO.
• The FTS minimum expense increased by 5.3% due to the increase in the price per minute of calls to the fixed network of Vodafone’s Fixed Voice Tariff, from 7 cents to 7.38 cents.
• The minimum monthly fees for the 3P and 4P offers and two 2P offers decreased due to an increase in the discount value, during the first 6 months, of the NOWO offer.