Enhancing mobile broadband services in Portugal
The EIB is seeking to give a boost to the high-speed mobile broadband network in Portugal with a EUR 110m loan to NOS. This is set to help foster competition in the Portuguese market for mobile communications and bring better and faster services for customers.
At a time when most mobile operators in Europe, and especially in Portugal, were shying away from investment mainly due to uncertainties regarding consumers’ budgets and behaviour during the crisis, the Portuguese operator NOS decided to upgrade its mobile broadband network with the support of an EIB loan. Recently renamed NOS, the mobile operator is one of the first integrated cable and mobile groups in Europe.
“We believe this combination is instrumental in driving convergence, whilst continuing to deliver high quality, innovative and relevant solutions for our customers,” says NOS’s CEO Miguel Almeida.
NOS is Portugal’s biggest communications and entertainment group and a leader in Next Generation Broadband services in the country, with more than 3.2 million mobile subscribers. Its mobile telecommunications network uses the most advanced technologies. The mobile 4G network, using the 800MHz and 1800MHz bands, enables NOS to provide broadband coverage for over 90% of the Portuguese population, half of which already with speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
Boosting broadband coverage
“The EIB loan will strongly support NOS in the further development and competitiveness of our Next Generation Network and it is particularly relevant for our Group at a time when we are actively integrating our fixed and mobile infrastructures,” NOS’s CEO added.The EUR 110m loan supports investments necessary for the roll-out of mobile network equipment and systems for the current 3G and the new 4G technologies. This project started in 2012 and has helped to improve access to broadband services for consumers, increasing operating efficiency and reducing costs as well as fostering competition in the telecoms sector.
Better access to internet on the move
Efficient high-speed networks are vital for the reliable and rapid transfer of constantly growing data volumes. That is why the EIB supports the Digital Agenda for Europe, a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth that promotes the further development of modern mobile and fixed line infrastructures and aims to make broadband speeds of over 30 Mbps available to everyone in the EU by 2020.The new mobile platform deployed enabled NOS to start offering mobile broadband with speeds of up to 150 Mbps across its 4G network, thereby vastly exceeding the 30 Mbps EU target for 2020. Especially in rural areas, mobile networks are often the only practical solution to achieving full broadband internet coverage. Another advantage of the upgraded mobile networks is the lower latency or reduced network delays. The time taken by information to transit from one point to another in the network will be more than halved, which is key for mobile video and gaming applications.
According to a recent EU study, one in three customers uses the internet on the move with a portable computer or handheld device. Broadband mobile internet is also becoming an important economic factor for businesses, allowing them to deliver innovative products and services faster. Projects like NOS help Europe’s citizens and businesses get the most out of digital technologies in order to reboot the economy.