DIGI threatens to exit Portuguese market amid regulatory dispute

The Romanian telecommunications group DIGI is engaged in an open conflict with the Portuguese regulatory authority, ANACOM, and has threatened to withdraw from the country. The company claims that current conditions and obligations imposed on new market entrants regarding frequency spectrum license renewals are discriminatory and make long-term operations unsustainable.

DIGI has invested over 700 million euros and employs more than 1,900 people in Portugal. The Portuguese Competition Authority has intervened in the dispute, validating much of DIGI’s arguments. The authority stated that current rules favor traditional operators and hinder infrastructure expansion for new players, recommending an adjustment to licensing conditions to ensure a fair business environment.