Press Releases

Vodafone Portugal and NOS signed today a historic agreement for nationwide mobile assets sharing, which will allow a faster and more efficient development of mobile networks across the country.

Based on a sustainable investment model, Vodafone Portugal and NOS will be able to increase the coverage of the mobile network and the quality of their services, in order to promote greater territorial cohesion, respond to the real and differentiated needs of the populations, and provide response to the challenges of the current social and economic conjuncture.

The agreement signed today is based on the principle of sharing network assets by the two operators, with Vodafone Portugal and NOS ensuring their total independence in the definition and provision of services to their final customers, always maintaining strategic control of each of the networks.

“This agreement takes place in an especially critical period for the country and challenging for the sector. Critical because the resilience of the economy and society in general puts increased pressure on telecommunications networks. Challenging due to the pressure and large amount of investments that are required of operators. Thus, in addition to maintaining a strategy of providing quality services and promoting territorial and social cohesion - with real benefits for our Clients and for the country -, efficient, sustainable and ecologically responsible investments are required. The present agreement aims to leverage and improve the technological platform from which essential services are provide to daily life, further enhancing the launch of innovative services, capable of improving the quality of life of the Portuguese and improving business models, accelerating the necessary digital transition in Portugal”, says Mário Vaz, CEO of Vodafone Portugal.

“Network sharing along the lines now signed responds positively to the challenges of the current context, offering undeniable advantages in reducing environmental impacts and decreasing the costs of implementation and development, allowing greater investment in quality services for all customers”, emphasizes Mário Vaz.

Among the main objectives of the agreement now signed, featured for:

• In less densely populated areas, typically rural and in the interior of the country, Vodafone Portugal and NOS will make common use of infrastructure to support their mobile networks (towers, masts, etc.) and will share their active radio equipment (antennas, amplifiers and other equipment), but without spectrum sharing. In this way, Vodafone Portugal and NOS will provide their services based on the technologies in use 2G, 3G and 4G in a more efficient way. Regarding 5G, the agreement is dependent on the autonomous decision of each operator to participate in the future auction and the result of the same;
• The operationalization and management of this sharing model will be carried out through an instrumental joint venture, created for this purpose by Vodafone Portugal and NOS, which will hold all of its share capital;
• In addition, in areas with a higher population density, typically larger urban agglomerations, Vodafone and NOS will explore increased synergies in the sharing of support infrastructure for mobile networks, hosting their active equipment in these infrastructures. This move will allow Vodafone and NOS to rationalize operating costs, favoring the efficient provision of their services.