“Market fragmentation could jeopardize operators’ profitability and therefore investment in an area that will be fundamental in the future,” warns Pedro Mota Soares, based on the conclusions of Mario Draghi’s report.
Pedro Mota Soares, President of the Association of Electronic Communications Operators (Apritel),
In an interview with the Conversa Capital program – Antena 1 / Jornal de Negócios, based on the conclusions of Mario Draghi's report, and without wanting to specifically refer to the entry of a new operator into Portugal, the Romanian Digi, Pedro Mota Soares, warned that “market fragmentation could jeopardize the profitability of operators and therefore investment in an area that will be fundamental in the future”.
However, more competition does not mean lower prices. Pedro Mota Soares refers the issue of prices to the operators, but explains that, contrary to what the regulator says, the trend in Portugal has been to consume more while paying less.
Regarding the regulatory body, he called for “more capacity for dialogue” and for the issue of the sector’s sustainability to be addressed and discussed with everyone.
The Apritel CEO also defended that having three communications networks “provides greater security in communications response during fires, but operators still need to be considered a priority in restoring power.”
Pedro Mota Soares, president of the association representing telecommunications operators, considers it important, in disaster situations like those that have occurred in recent days with fires, in which there has been a power outage, that “telecommunications companies are considered a priority in the renewal of energy, allowing them to return to work quickly.
In an interview with Antena 1 and Jornal de Negocios, Pedro Mota Soares considers that operators have been able to respond to the needs of the current situation, since in most municipalities there are three networks, a situation that some consider redundant, but in practice leads to greater security, flexibility and availability.
Regarding Huawei's exclusion from 5G networks, Pedro Mota Soares hopes that the state will take its share of responsibility in the additional investment effort and that there will be a balanced approach.
On the other hand, he does not comment specifically on the impact of progress in the 2025 state budget proposal, but adds that it is always better to approve it to ensure investment stability.
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