Competition Authority Urges ANACOM to Rethink Renewing MEO, NOS and Vodafone Spectrum, Saying It Hems In Digi

Portugal's Competition Authority (Autoridade da Concorrência, AdC) has told the telecoms regulator ANACOM that renewing all of the radio spectrum held by MEO, NOS and Vodafone would limit Digi's room to expand and other operators' entry. In an opinion reported by Lusa and Jornal de Negócios on 22 October 2026, it recommends offering three bands through competitive procedures instead.

What ANACOM proposed

On 29 June 2026 ANACOM approved a draft decision on applications from the three operators, filed in 2025, to renew for 20 years their rights of use that expire in 2027. ANACOM proposed renewing all of them, which cover around 39 percent of the trio's spectrum, but for shorter terms than requested, and on its own initiative also renewing rights that run out in 2033.

Under the draft, the operators would keep the whole of the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands, and half of their 900 MHz spectrum, until the end of 2041 or early 2042. The other half of the 900 MHz band and the 2600 MHz band would be renewed only until 2033. In return they would take on new coverage duties in parishes and on road and rail corridors by 2028 and 2029. After an extension, the public consultation closed on 9 October.

What the AdC says

According to Lusa's account of the opinion, the AdC finds that current spectrum holdings show "a high symmetry" between MEO, NOS and Vodafone and a "significantly more limited" position for Digi, above all in the low bands (such as 900 MHz, which ANACOM describes as important for good coverage, including inside buildings). With few chances to assign or reallocate spectrum in the medium term, it concludes that renewing the incumbents' rights "limits the possibilities of expansion of Digi and of entry of operators".

The authority does not argue for letting everything lapse. It accepts that failing to renew all the rights expiring in 2027 would carry "a significant risk of disruption" to retail services, which renewing only some bands can mitigate. Its recommendations are to reconsider renewal in the 800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz bands; to grant any renewal at 800 MHz and 1800 MHz for a shorter period than proposed; to publish the conditions for future renewals in advance; and to add pro-competition measures, notably easier network access for third parties. ANACOM's new coverage duties, it adds, would widen service but not make the markets more contestable.

What it means for you

Nothing changes for customers yet: ANACOM must still weigh the consultation responses before deciding. At the end of 2025 the Digi and Nowo group held 3.3 percent of active mobile accesses, against 36.0 percent for MEO, 31.1 percent for NOS and 27.6 percent for Vodafone, according to ANACOM's fourth-quarter 2025 mobile report.

To change operator now, ANACOM's portability rules let you keep your number:

• Contact the new operator, which handles the whole transfer. Bring ID and your 12-digit portability code (CVP), shown on your monthly bill or sent by SMS on prepaid lines.
• No fee may be charged for portability itself, but early exit charges under a loyalty period (fidelização) still apply.
• The number moves on the agreed date or within one working day of it; a delay earns 3 euros per number per full day.
• Cancel any bundle separately: porting ends only the phone service.

Our guide Getting a SIM Card and Mobile Plan in Portugal compares the operators; see also how the three big networks will let banks check for SIM swaps and the plan for 25 new 5G antennas in the north.