Communications services in Portugal

In order to have an internet or telephone connection at home, you should contact telecom operators in Portugal to compare connection and service prices and choose the most suitable for your needs.

There is no legislation on minimum quality levels that operators have to provide or maximum time that they can take to install the service, but this information must be provided in the contract you sign.

If the operator does not comply with the deadlines stated in the contract, you can submit a complaint.

If you contract a service that cannot be provided due to lack of cover, you can cancel the contract and ask for reimbursement of all sums you have already paid.

More information can be found on the consumer portal.

If you move to a residence that has already had a telephone or internet service, you are not obliged to choose the same operator.

To find out what offers exist on the market, you can contact the different operators to see which offer best suits your needs. You can also use the tariff comparison application on the website of the National Communications Authority (ANACOM).

Operators often run promotional campaigns offering advantages for joining their services. If you sign a contract as part of a promotion, you may have to agree to a minimum term for that service and remain with that operator during this period. If you want to terminate the contract before the end of the established minimum term, you may have to pay the amount set out in the contract.

More information can be found on the consumer portal.

Before switching operator, you must cancel the previous contract.

Before cancelling a contract, you need to ask the operator:

• how long in advance you have to submit your cancellation request
• the date on which the contract will actually be cancelled (until which time the service still has to be paid)
• the information that the cancellation request must include (your identification, customer number and/or the service to be cancelled, etc.)
• the documents to be attached to the cancellation request, where necessary
• the means and contact details available for submitting the cancellation request
• if you are still within the minimum term

If you want to cancel a contract during the minimum term, you may have to pay a penalty or return some equipment.

Once you have all this information and attach all the necessary documents, you can cancel the contract:

• in writing, via any of the contact details indicated in your contract or made available to the public by the operator (address, fax, email address, etc.)
• personally, in any shop of the operator
• by telephone, if your operator’s hotline has a system that allows confirmation of the customer’s identity
• via the customer area of the operator’s website, if this possibility is available.

If the cancellation request has been submitted correctly, the operator is required to inform you of receipt of the request within 5 days, indicating the date on which the contract will be cancelled and informing you of your rights and obligations following the cancellation, including the obligation to pay any charges, for example for failure to comply with the minimum term.

If the request for cancellation has not been correctly submitted, the operator is required to inform you of the missing information within 3 working days. If you do not submit the missing information within 30 working days of the operator’s reply, you will have to start the procedure again.

After cancelling the contract, you can sign a contract with another operator. To find out what offers exist on the market, you can contact the different operators to see which offer best suits your needs. You can also use the tariff comparison application on the website of the National Communications Authority (ANACOM).

More information can be found on the consumer portal.

When you have a problem with communications services, you should contact your operator to try to find a solution.

If the operator does not reply, or you are not satisfied with the reply, you can make a complaint in the online complaints book or physical complaints book in the operator’s shops.

If you still are unable to find a solution, you can turn to:

• a Consumer Conflict Arbitration Centre
• a Justice of the peace
• the courts.

Arbitration centres or justices of the peace are recommended as they provide a quicker, cheaper solution and their decisions are equivalent to those made by a court.

More information can be found on the consumer portal.