1. Portugal >
2. Starting a Business >
3. Communications

Communications in Portugal

Post

Airmail across Europe from Portugal and the Azores takes three days; from Madeira, up to five days.
Post office hours are usually Monday to Friday 0900-1800. Main post offices have longer hours and some are also open on Saturday and Sunday. The post office at Lisbon airport is open 24 hours a day

Telephone

Country code: 351

Telephone service in Portugal is provided by Portugal Telecom (PT). Telephone communications are generally of an excellent standard, although fixed-line coverage is not as widespread as mobile coverage.

Mobile

Mobile phone use is prevalent throughout Portugal, and is significantly greater than residential fixed line use. There are several mobile phone service provider.

-->

Voice over Internet Protocol

VoIP is a new technology which allows users to verbally communicate through their computer. Essentially a telephone call made using the internet, VoIP is becoming increasingly more common in the business world due to its low costs, and easy set-up and maintenance.

Forget installation engineers and phone number changes, as long as you have a broadband connection, you can use VoIP any time, any where.

For businesses, this software is sure to eventually phase out the traditional phonecall. For as low as 4p for local and national calls, the economical potential is vast. With international calls often even less than that, VoIP is perfect if you are prone to long-distance telecommunication, or have offices, clients, partners, etc, overseas. What's more, calls made between VoIP users are typically free all you pay for is the standard internet service.

Internet

Internet access is available via dial-up service, dedicated lines, DSL and cable-modem. Dial-up service is the largest part of the market. Broadband is available, but not as prevalent as in some other European countries.

Click here to Ask an Expert about Communications in Portugal