Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePortuguese telecom operators plan a €4.2 billion investment in 5G and satellite infrastructure over five years, enhancing connectivity and supporting AI projects.
LISBON (Reuters) -Portuguese telecoms operators plan to spend 4.2 billion euros ($4.9 billion) on high-speed 5G networks and satellites over the next five years to support major projects such as data centres and AI, the Infrastructure Ministry said on Wednesday.
Operators will also expand the fibre optic network to cover areas still lacking mobile or internet network coverage, as well as road, rail, port and airport infrastructure, the ministry said in a statement.
In Portugal, the three largest telecom operators — Altice, NOS and Vodafone — control more than 90% of the market and account for the bulk of investment.
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a $10 billion investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure at the Start Campus data centre in the port city of Sines, where Portugal has large investment projects lined up to produce green energy to power data centres.
"Portugal's geostrategic location ... is now central to intercontinental connectivity. This is an opportunity that Portugal cannot, nor will it, waste, with the largest technological investment of all time underway in our country," Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz said.
Portugal's Atlantic coastline positions it as a prime hub for subsea cables connecting Europe, Africa and the Americas and forming the backbone of the world wide web.
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Andrei Khalip and Leslie Adler)
5G is the fifth generation of mobile network technology, providing faster speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices simultaneously compared to previous generations.
Satellites are objects placed into orbit around the Earth or other celestial bodies, used for communication, weather monitoring, navigation, and various scientific purposes.
Infrastructure investment refers to the allocation of capital towards physical systems and structures, such as transportation, telecommunications, and utilities, that support economic activity.
Fiber optic technology uses thin strands of glass or plastic to transmit data as light signals, enabling high-speed internet and telecommunications services.
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