2022 will go down in communications history as the year of the commercial launch of the 5G network in Portugal. For Altice Portugal, MEO's 5G is yet another reason to promote a one-speed country and technology as an asset at the service of all Portuguese.
MEO's 5G has been available since the first day of January in all district capitals, with a free trial period running until March 31st. Today, around half of the national population already has access to Altice Portugal's 5G and all MEO tariffs are compatible with 5G.
Altice Portugal believes that technology is a facilitator of social and territorial cohesion, which is why investment in the robustness and expansion of its networks has been continuous and constant. Of the 3 billion euros invested, a third was dedicated to providing the country with fixed and mobile infrastructures, which today give access to high-speed communications. There are 6 million homes and businesses with Altice Portugal's fiber optics and a 4G mobile network with almost full coverage of the population (99.7%).
The Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores have also been a priority in defending equal access and proximity to the territory.
At the end of 2021, Madeira reached 97% optical fiber coverage. And the mobile network ensures coverage of around 99.5% in 4G on both Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island. Today, around half the population of Funchal can already access MEO's 5G service.
In the Azores, the fiber optic network will reach more than 97% coverage of the population this year and the 4G mobile network stands at 97.33%, with 20 new mobile stations planned. Ponta Delgada has had access to 5G since January 1st, and the new mobile network will be available on all the islands of the archipelago by the end of this year.
These infrastructures are key to the gradual adoption of 5G and to taking advantage of the new opportunities to boost the economy, industries, public services, but also to improve healthcare and education.
Altice Portugal is pleased to be leading the way in this new and disruptive era of mobile technology, whose potential is especially relevant to the development of the business fabric, particularly industry.
Altice Empresas is already working with a customer on a factory solution, supported by the 5G network, which will increase factory efficiency. This solution will ensure easier decision-making by providing information on the performance of the production process, helping to simulate new production scenarios with a 3D replica of the factory floor and facilitating virtual training for employees. Since 5G is a more robust network, it will allow all the information collected to be transmitted, processed and integrated in real time in a digital twin, providing the factory with a truly intelligent operation.
For an indoor experience at major sporting or cultural events, examples include MEO's 5G coverage of the Estádio do Dragão, Cidade do Futebol, the country's largest concert hall, the Altice Arena, and the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
"We believe that 5G is a tool to guarantee universal access to communications for all Portuguese people. That's why 5G MEO has been available in all the district capitals since the first of the year, ushering in a new technological era. From north to south, on the coast and inland, and on the islands of Madeira and the Azores. Everyone counts for Altice Portugal. For a more competitive, more digital and more inclusive Portugal," says Alexandre Fonseca, CEO of Altice Portugal.
It is estimated that in the next five years the number of 5G subscriptions will reach 4.4 billion worldwide (half of all mobile subscriptions). These figures from the Ericsson Mobility Report reflect the importance of this new mobile technology and how it will change the national and global telecommunications landscape.
Altice Portugal, based on a historic legacy of innovation and the trust of MEO and Altice Empresas customers, is now beginning to consolidate its market leadership in 5G technology.