(Updating)

The telecommunications operator Digi announced this Monday, November 4, the start of the commercial offer in Portugal, with the focus on the lack of loyalty in the majority of contracts – there will only be loyalty in fixed internet, for a maximum of three months – , without promotions and without prices indexed to annual inflation.

To begin with, there will be a fixed internet offer, mobile internet, television service and also a landline telephone. In the presentation, the company states that customers will also be able to create their own combination of services, for example, having fixed Internet and mobile service (mobile phone and Internet on the phone).

For now, the commercial offer is only for residential clients, but the company is considering having an offer for business clients in a “second phase” of the operation in Portugal.

in mobile servicethere will be an option with mobile data and unlimited national calls from seven euros a monthbut it can be reduced to five euros per month if the user has three or more phone numbers. However, there will be some coverage limitations: 93% of the population is covered by 2G and 4G. 5G has coverage of 40% of the population, but especially in urban areas.

Already in an option of mobile rate with data limitPrices start at four euros per month for a total of 50 GB and unlimited calls, with VAT included. In the option with 200 GB of accumulated mobile data, the monthly fee increases to 9 euros per month.

Those responsible for Digi criticize what they say “artificial barriers” for network coverage, in particular with regard to the authorization of entry to the Lisbon Metro, despite the fact that negotiations “had been ongoing for a year.” He also lamented that the issue of electricity in access to network sites is “long overdue.” “They are artificial barriers that we do not understand,” said Valentin Popoviciu, CEO of the Romanian group.

The initial fixed internet offering will start with a 1 Gbps service, but the goal is to provide speeds of up to 10 Gbps later this year. The 1 Gbps option will cost 10 euros per month, while in the future the 10 Gbps speed the monthly rate will increase to 15 euros.

The television service will cost 12 euros per month. Digi admits that it will be limited at the beginning, with an offer of 60 channels“which little by little is taking shape,” according to the head of Digi Valentin Popoviciu. There will still be no sports channels in this offer. In this area, “the negotiations are quite rigid,” criticized the person in charge. SIC channels will also not be available at the start of the offer as talks continue.

Digi says that negotiations with television stations continue and hopes that they will be resolved “in the coming months”

The landline service will cost one euro per month for calls that are charged per minute and two euros per month for unlimited calls.

Starting this Tuesday, in website company, a offer configuratorin which the consumer can choose which services they want to adopt. In one of the examples of package combinations presented during the presentation, 1 Gbps fixed Internet, 50 GB of mobile data and unlimited calls and television service will cost 26 euros per month.

Digi is coming, but we don’t know when. Is the telecommunications market already changing the perspective of “competitive” prices seen in Spain?

The operator operates in Romania, Italy and Spain, markets where it has become known for its lower prices. It recently launched the offer in Belgium.

The company’s arrival in Portugal occurs after the 5G auction, which ended in 2021. According to the deadlines defined in the auction, the company had until the end of November to start the commercial offer.

The Romanian operator Digi arrives in Portugal on November 4

Digi eliminates layoffs at Nowo

The Romanian operator went ahead and acquired Nowo for €150 million, a transaction that was approved last month by the Competition Authority. In the presentation, he revealed that he invested 400 million euros in the Portuguese market, an amount that already includes the acquisition of Nowo.

Digi advances to buy Nowo for 150 million

During the presentation, Valentin Popoviciu stated that the purchase of the former Cabovisão is a “milestone” for the entry into Portugal, since it will allow “improving the equipment and having more 5G spectrum.” “It gives us a certain advantage when launching” in Portugal, he admitted.

Therefore, at the start, Digi will operate with a team of 800 people. Valentin Popoviciu revealed that the company “has no plans for layoffs” among the human resources that it will inherit from Nowo. In relation to the operator’s stores, distributed in various parts of the country, “the same products and the same prices will be maintained.”

Digi’s board of directors in Portugal is made up of three foreign executives: Valentin Popoviciu, director of the Romanian group, Marius Varzaru, leader of Digi’s Spanish operation, and Emil Grecu, who will assume the position of general director of Digi Portugal.

Digi does not comment on the statements of the leader of Nos. “You can see from what we present today whether there is opacity or not”

This Monday, the day Digi revealed the offer, Miguel Almeida, general director of Nos, made statements to the business diary and the Lusa agency. Toward BusinessHe said that “the best feature that Digi has is opacity.”

When asked about the statements of Nos’s rival, Valentin Popoviciu said he would not comment. “Normally we don’t respond. You can see from what we present today whether there is opacity or not,” in reference to the commercial offer presented.