In a statement, Vodafone Portugal said that the two companies, based on a sustainable investment model, “will be able to increase mobile network coverage and the quality of their services, in order to promote greater territorial cohesion, meet the real and differentiated needs of the population, and respond to the challenges posed by the current social and economic situation”.
According to the note, the agreement “is based on the principle of network asset sharing by the operators involved, while not leaving Vodafone and NOS to guarantee and emphasise total independence in defining and providing services to their end customers, while maintaining the strategic control of each network”.

“This agreement comes at a particularly critical time for the country and challenging for the sector. It is critical because the resilience of the economy and society in general puts increased pressure on telecommunications networks. It is challenging because of the size and urgency of the investments required from operators,” Vodafone CEO Mário Vaz, quoted in the note.

Mário Vaz points out that “in addition to maintaining a strategy of providing quality services and promoting territorial and social cohesion with benefits for our customers and the country, efficient, sustainable and environmentally responsible investments are required”.

“It is from this perspective that this agreement aims to strengthen the technological platform from which essential services are provided to daily life, as well as boosting the launch of innovative services, capable of improving the quality of life of the Portuguese and/or making business models more competitive, accelerating the necessary digital transition of the country,” he said.

Vodafone’s CEO also said that “sharing networks in the ways now defined responds positively to the challenges of the current context, offering undeniable advantages in reducing environmental impacts and implementation and development costs, allowing more investment in quality services for all customers.

Also the CEO of NOS, Miguel Almeida, highlighted that the strategic partnership, a pioneer in the country, will allow the expansion and strengthening of its mobile network in all technologies.

“The partnership brings clear benefits to all our clients, both private and corporate, namely more and better offers, and the same service of excellence. At the same time, it opens the way for the development of the digital society, boosting the development of innovative products and services, which have the capacity to transform the way we live, how we work, how we learn and how we prepare our companies for the future”, Miguel Almeida pointed out in a company note to announce the agreement.