Anacom is proposing to renew the spectrum licenses of Meo, Nos, and Vodafone for periods between 6 and 15 years, with the public consultation open until October 9. Alessandro Gropelli, Director General of Connect Europe, which represents the largest European telecom operators including Meo, considers this proposal "does not correspond to the latest thinking at the European level," which advocates unlimited licenses or, in exceptional cases, of at least 40 years.
Gropelli states that the reference should be China and the United States, countries that are ahead of Europe in 5G, and that "Europe and Portugal are seriously misaligned" on this matter. The official argues that investment cycles in 5G and 6G are 10 to 20 years, so periods of 6 to 14 years do not provide the necessary predictability for investment. Gropelli points out that member states maintain short licenses not because they are good for consumers, but because spectrum auctions are a source of revenue.
The Director of Connect Europe states that "today, telecom operators are simply burning money" and argues that the number of operators should decrease within each market through intramarket consolidation. Gropelli criticizes Portugal and Belgium for having added a fourth operator when they had three, considering that the cost structure is not rational for such a small market. He points to the case of the United Kingdom, where the Vodafone-Three merger was approved with remedies that required maintaining prices and investment commitments, and operators are now investing more.
The European Commission's Digital Networks Act legislative proposal, inspired by the Draghi Report, proposes unlimited licenses or of at least 40 years to align Europe with the US and the UK. Gropelli warns that telecommunications are the strategic infrastructure for the 2030s and 2040s and that, without changes, Europe will continue to lag behind its global competitors.
