Portugal news in English.

Subscribe

The Portugal Brief
Guides

Getting Internet, Mobile, and TV in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How home internet, mobile, and TV work in Portugal: the main operators, what you need to sign, bundles, lock-ins, and the free TV channels.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Getting Internet, Mobile, and TV in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You have just moved to Portugal and need a phone number, home internet, or TV.
  • You are deciding between a bundle and separate services, or between a lock-in and no lock-in.
  • You want to know which TV channels you can watch for free.

Not for you if: you have chosen an operator and want the steps to get fibre installed or to switch. Read Setting Up Home Internet in Portugal instead.

In Portugal, the main operators for home internet, mobile, and pay TV are MEO, NOS, Vodafone, and DIGI. Most sell these services alone or as a bundle (pacote). To sign a contract you need an ID document, a tax number (NIF), proof of address, and bank details. A lock-in period (fidelização) can last up to 24 months, but every operator must also offer plans without one. You can get a prepaid SIM on your first day. Seven Portuguese TV channels are free to watch with the right equipment. Compare prices on COM.escolha, the free comparison tool run by ANACOM, the communications regulator.

How the market works

Telecoms in Portugal is a competitive market. The government does not set retail prices; each operator sets its own, and prices change often. ANACOM sets the consumer rules and keeps a list of active operators on its website.

The three older operators also run cheaper online brands. Prices are usually lower in big coastal cities, where more operators compete. Operators may not set different conditions because of your nationality or where you live, unless there is an objective reason. ANACOM also answers common questions in English on its consumer website (see Sources).

What you need to sign a contract

ANACOM lists what operators usually ask for:

  • an identity document, such as your passport or residence card
  • your Portuguese tax number. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal if you do not have one
  • proof of address, such as your rental contract, a promissory purchase contract, or a utility bill
  • bank details for payment (IBAN)

Before you sign, the operator must give you a one-page contract summary in a form you can keep, such as an email. The contract only takes effect once you have received the summary and confirmed it.

Home internet

Fibre gives the best quality and is available in most towns and cities. It may not reach your home, though, even if it reaches your postcode. It can stop at one street, or cover only some houses on the same street.

Check coverage at your exact address, including the door number. Use each operator's online checker, or GEO.ANACOM, ANACOM's free map of fixed, mobile, and satellite coverage.

Where fibre does not reach, ANACOM lists these alternatives:

  • ADSL over the phone line
  • mobile internet over 3G, 4G, or 5G, with a home router
  • satellite internet

Thick walls in older houses can block Wi-Fi, so you may need repeaters. The steps to book a technician, deal with building wiring, and switch operator are in Setting Up Home Internet in Portugal.

Mobile

A prepaid SIM (pré-pago) is the fastest start. You can buy one with your passport or residence card and move to a monthly plan later, keeping the same number. Low-cost plans with no lock-in exist from several brands.

Portuguese mobile numbers start with 91, 92, 93, or 96. Porting your number to a new operator is free, and the new operator handles it. A Portuguese plan works in the rest of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova, and Ukraine at no extra roaming charge, within fair use limits.

Prices, eSIMs, portability codes, and compensation rules are covered in Getting a SIM Card and Mobile Plan in Portugal.

TV: pay TV and the free channels

Pay TV comes from the same operators, usually over fibre and often in a bundle with internet. Channel lists differ, so check each operator's list for the channels you want before you sign.

Free TV is digital terrestrial television (televisão digital terrestre, TDT). It is free and covers the whole country. You get seven national channels: RTP 1, RTP 2, RTP3, RTP Memória, SIC, TVI, and ARTV (the parliament channel). In Madeira and the Azores you also get RTP Madeira or RTP Açores.

To watch free TV over an aerial:

  1. Check whether your address gets the signal by aerial or only by satellite. Call the free TDT line on 800 200 838, or use the coverage search on the TDT portal.
  2. If you are in an aerial area, check that your TV supports DVB-T and MPEG-4/H.264. The manual will say. If not, buy a set-top box.
  3. Point an outdoor aerial at the transmitter for your address. Indoor aerials work well only in some places, usually historic city centres.

If your address is covered only by satellite, you need a satellite kit (Kit TDT Complementar) and a dish. The kit costs €77. If you have no pay TV at home, you can get €47 back on up to two kits per home, so each costs €30. You can claim this until 10 December 2030.

The audiovisual levy. Portugal's public broadcasting levy (contribuição para o audiovisual) is charged on your electricity bill, not with your TV service. Read The Audiovisual Levy (CAV) on Your Electricity Bill in Portugal.

Bundle or separate services

ANACOM says bundles usually cost less than the same services bought separately. You also get one bill and can share mobile lines across the household.

A bundle is not always the best fit. If you stream everything and never use a landline, a fast internet-only plan may suit you better. Compare total yearly cost on COM.escolha, then check the operator's own page.

Promotions, lock-ins, and price rises

Many advertised prices are promotions. When the promotion ends, you pay the full price. Check how long each discount lasts before you sign.

These rules apply to you as a consumer:

  • The longest lock-in period allowed is 24 months.
  • Operators must offer every service without a lock-in. Those plans usually cost more.
  • If you leave early, the charge is capped. It is the lower of two amounts: the benefit you received, in proportion to the time left, or 50% of the remaining monthly fees in the first year (30% in the second).
  • Your bill must show when the lock-in ends and what leaving now would cost.

Price rises. If your contract has a clause linking prices to inflation or a fixed yearly amount, the operator can raise prices on those terms. You cannot cancel for free because of it, even during a lock-in. Any other change needs at least one month's written notice. You then have 30 days to cancel at no cost.

Changing your mind. If you sign online or by phone, you can cancel within 14 days without a reason. If you sign at home with a door-to-door seller, you have 30 days. If you asked for installation to start during that time, you pay for the service used.

To leave a contract early, read Cancelling a Telecom Contract in Portugal.

The social internet tariff

If your household receives certain benefits, or has a yearly income of €5,808 or less, you can get internet only (no TV or phone) for €5 a month plus VAT, with at least 15 GB a month. Ask any operator for the tarifa social de Internet. The full rules are in Getting a SIM Card and Mobile Plan in Portugal.

If something goes wrong

  • If your service is down for more than 24 hours in a billing period, through no fault of yours, you are due a credit for that time. It comes on your next bill without you asking.
  • If a reported fault lasts more than 15 days, you can cancel without any charge.
  • Complain to the operator in writing first. Then use the electronic complaints book (Livro de Reclamações) at livroreclamacoes.pt, or call ANACOM's free consumer line on 800 206 665, daily from 09:00 to 13:00.

For all your home utilities in one place, see Setting Up Utilities in Portugal.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Prices and rules change; check the official source and the operator's own page before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

Read next