Communications in Portugal
Encyclopedia
Portugal
has a modern and flexible telecommunications market and a wide range of varied media organisations. The regulatory body overseeing communications is called ANACOM.
The country has one of the highest mobile phone
penetration rates in the world
(the number of operative mobile phones already exceeds the population). This network also provides wireless mobile Internet connections as well, and covers the entire territory. As of October 2006, 36.8% of households had high-speed Internet services and 78% of companies had Internet access. Most Portuguese watch television through cable (June 2004: 73.6% of households). Paid Internet connections are available at many cafés, as well as many post offices. One can also surf on the Internet at hotels, conference centres and shopping centres, where special areas are reserved for this purpose. Free internet access is also available to Portuguese residents at "Espaços de Internet" across the country.
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.139 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
13,413,000 (2007)
Cell Networks(2G/3G/3.5G):
TMN - (2G+3+3.5G licence) ; UZO
(Virtual Carrier, owned by TMN)
Vodafone
(2G+3G licence) ; Yorn (Virtual Carrier, runs under Vodafone prefix)
Optimus
(2G+3G licence) ; Rede4
(Virtual carrier, owned by Optimus
) ; ZON Mobile (Virtual carrier owned by ZON
and operated by the Vodafone network) ; Phone-ix (Virtual carrier owned by CTT
and operated by the TMN network) and Continente Mobile
(operated by Optimus and hypermarket chain, Continente).
Telephone system:
general assessment:
Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53%
domestic:
integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international:
6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.02 million (1997)
36 (plus 62 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
3.31 million (1997)
Free-to-air Television Networks:
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
:
Free-to-air national coverage stations:
Regional Stations:
International:
Analog TV system:
Digital TV system:
NOTE: Most TV Networks/stations have specific interactive TV(cable) oriented services.
3.549 millions (2007)
Internet Hosts:
1.858 million (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
20 (1999)
Country code (Top level domain): PT
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
has a modern and flexible telecommunications market and a wide range of varied media organisations. The regulatory body overseeing communications is called ANACOM.
The country has one of the highest mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
penetration rates in the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
(the number of operative mobile phones already exceeds the population). This network also provides wireless mobile Internet connections as well, and covers the entire territory. As of October 2006, 36.8% of households had high-speed Internet services and 78% of companies had Internet access. Most Portuguese watch television through cable (June 2004: 73.6% of households). Paid Internet connections are available at many cafés, as well as many post offices. One can also surf on the Internet at hotels, conference centres and shopping centres, where special areas are reserved for this purpose. Free internet access is also available to Portuguese residents at "Espaços de Internet" across the country.
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.139 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
13,413,000 (2007)
Cell Networks(2G/3G/3.5G):
TMN - (2G+3+3.5G licence) ; UZO
UZO
Uzo is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, launched in 2005 in Portugal, over the network TMN....
(Virtual Carrier, owned by TMN)
Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
(2G+3G licence) ; Yorn (Virtual Carrier, runs under Vodafone prefix)
Optimus
Optimus Telecomunicações, S.A.
Optimus Telecomunicações, S.A. is a Portuguese GSM/UMTS mobile operator. The company was incorporated at the end of 1997 after winning the bid for Portugal's third GSM license...
(2G+3G licence) ; Rede4
Rede4
Rede4 is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, launched in 2005 in Portugal, over the network Optimus Telecomunicações, S.A.....
(Virtual carrier, owned by Optimus
Optimus Telecomunicações, S.A.
Optimus Telecomunicações, S.A. is a Portuguese GSM/UMTS mobile operator. The company was incorporated at the end of 1997 after winning the bid for Portugal's third GSM license...
) ; ZON Mobile (Virtual carrier owned by ZON
Zon
Żoń is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Margonin, within Chodzież County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Margonin, south-east of Chodzież, and north of the regional capital Poznań....
and operated by the Vodafone network) ; Phone-ix (Virtual carrier owned by CTT
CTT
thumb|200px|right|A CTT mail delivery vehiclethumb|200px|right|A CTT traditional mail boxCTT Correios de Portugal, S.A.—meaning Postal Services of Portugal, plc—is the national postal service of Portugal. The acronym CTT comes from Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones—Post, Telegraph and Telephone—the...
and operated by the TMN network) and Continente Mobile
Continente
Modelo Continente is the biggest retailer in Portugal. Nowadays the hypermarket Continente chain is in Amadora, Antas , Cascais, Coimbra , Covilhã, Guia, Guimarães, Leiria, Lisboa Modelo Continente (full name: Modelo Continente, S.G.P.S., S.A.) is the biggest retailer in Portugal. Nowadays the...
(operated by Optimus and hypermarket chain, Continente).
Telephone system:
general assessment:
Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53%
domestic:
integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international:
6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
Radio
Radio broadcast stations:AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.02 million (1997)
Television
Television broadcast stations:36 (plus 62 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
3.31 million (1997)
Free-to-air Television Networks:
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, S.A.,commonly known as RTP, is Portugal's public service broadcasting organization. It operates four terrestrial television channels and three national radio channels, as well as several satellite and cable offerings....
:
- RTP1
- RTP2
Free-to-air national coverage stations:
- SICSIC (Portugal)SIC - Sociedade Independente de Comunicação is a Portuguese television network and media company, which runs several television channels. Their flagship channel is the eponymous SIC, the third terrestrial television station in Portugal, launched on October 6, 1992...
- TVITVI (Portugal)Televisão Independente is Portugal's fourth terrestrial television channel, launched in 1993. It has been leading audience ratings since 2005. It competes directly with SIC and RTP1.-History:...
Regional Stations:
- Porto CanalPorto CanalPorto Canal is a metropolitan television station for Greater Porto, Portugal based in Matosinhos. It has rapidly taken a hold of late night ratings, due to its programming being extremely rich in unintentional humor...
- RTP AçoresRTP AçoresRTP Açores is a Portuguese regional television channel operated by the Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. It is broadcast in the Azores. It started broadcasting on August 10, 1975....
- RTP MadeiraRTP MadeiraRTP Madeira is a regional Portuguese television channel operated by the Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. It is broadcast in the Madeira Islands and via cable and satellite in the Azores Islands. RTP Madeira serves as a regional opt-out to the national public television channel, RTP1.RTP Madeira...
International:
- RTPiRTP InternacionalRTP Internacional is the international television service of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, the Portuguese public broadcaster...
(sat/cable) - RTP ÁfricaRTP ÁfricaRTP África is a terrestrial television channel for the Portuguese-speaking African countries owned by RTP with programming from Portuguese public and private television channels and African public networks, RTP África also airs its own news, food and music TV shows...
(sat/cable/on-air) - SIC InternacionalSIC InternacionalSIC Internacional is the international channel of SIC, the popular private network in Portugal It officially launched in September 1997 in France and has since expanded throughout the world. SIC Internacional is aimed at Portuguese viewers who live abroad and features the best programming from SIC...
(sat/cable)
Analog TV system:
- PALPALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
(625 line, 50 Hz.)
Digital TV system:
- DVB-TDVB-TDVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
(MPEG4 for SD and HD broadcasts.)
NOTE: Most TV Networks/stations have specific interactive TV(cable) oriented services.
Internet
Internet Users:3.549 millions (2007)
Internet Hosts:
1.858 million (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
20 (1999)
Country code (Top level domain): PT
See also
- PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...