ملايين الغرامات لشركات الاتصالات

These fines, according to the regulatory authority, in a statement, stem from these four operators "having adopted behaviours likely to violate the legal rules applicable to the communication of changes in contracted prices in relation to a high number of subscribers, which resulted in the practice of serious administrative infractions, and for not providing information to Anacom".

MEO was the operator to whom the highest fine was imposed, of 6.677 million euros, followed by NOS (5.2 million euros) and Vodafone Portugal (3.082 million euros). For Nowo, the fine imposed was 664 thousand euros.

"In particular, the behaviour adopted by these operators is related to the lack of information, within the contractually foreseen period, on the right of subscribers to be able to terminate their contracts free of charge, in case they do not agree with the proposed price increase by operators", explains Anacom.

Furthermore, "there is also a question of failure to adequately communicate the price increase proposal, since, in some cases, the actual value of the increase was only made known to subscribers long after they had been informed that prices would increase and, in other cases, due to the fact that the concrete value of the proposed increase was not made available in the form and place indicated in the communication of the contractual amendment".

At NOS, he adds, "the fact that subscribers were not informed of the proposed price increase at least 30 days in advance is still at issue".