Portugal regulatory framework

ANACOM in practice: numbering, sender ID and STOP for SMS in Portugal

ANACOM (Portuguese National Communications Authority) supervises the mobile numbering plan and A2P provider duties towards four local carriers: MEO (Altice), NOS, Vodafone Portugal and Digi Portugal. 4notify delivers SMS to +351 numbers via tier-1 international A2P gateway, preserving alphanumeric sender ID, automatic STOP/PARAR handling and full delivery audit trail. The Lista Robinson (operated by DECO/AMTEDP) is the national do-not-contact register integrated automatically.

The four Portuguese mobile carriers

MEO (Altice Portugal)

Prefixes: +351 96 · +351 93

Incumbent carrier, part of Altice group, ~42% market share

Closest ANACOM relationship — fastest sender ID approval (2-3 days).

NOS

Prefixes: +351 93 · +351 96

Second-largest, ex-ZON+Optimus, ~30% market share

Conservative on alphanumeric IDs.

Vodafone Portugal

Prefixes: +351 91 · +351 96

Third-largest, Vodafone group, ~22% market share

Good sender ID acceptance, P50 ~2.5s.

Digi Portugal

Prefixes: +351 95

Newest carrier (entered 2025), Digi Romania group, ~6% growing

Lowest market pricing; MVNO on MEO network.

ANACOM numbering plan

+351 91 xxxxxxxVodafone Portugal — mobile
+351 93 xxxxxxxMEO / NOS — mobile
+351 95 xxxxxxxDigi Portugal — mobile
+351 96 xxxxxxxMEO / NOS / Vodafone — mobile
+351 21 xxxxxxxLisbon — landline
+351 22 xxxxxxxPorto — landline
+351 27 xxxxxxxSetúbal — landline
+351 29 xxxxxxxAlgarve / Madeira / Azores — landline

5-step ANACOM compliance flow

  1. 01

    Register alphanumeric sender ID

    Sender ID (up to 11 chars) registered once with tier-1 gateway. Required: trade-mark registration (INPI Portugal or EU TM). MEO whitelists in 2-3 days; NOS and Vodafone 5-7.

  2. 02

    Enable STOP / PARAR keyword

    Per ANACOM, every A2P sender must recognise STOP, PARAR, AJUDA and HELP. 4notify handles automatically with webhook confirmation.

  3. 03

    HLR lookup and per-operator DLR

    Before dispatch HLR identifies current carrier (~30% portability). Per-carrier reason code DLR in dashboard.

  4. 04

    Lista Robinson integration

    For marketing, automatic cross-check with Lista Robinson (DECO/AMTEDP do-not-contact register). Listed numbers auto-excluded.

  5. 05

    Compliance with Law 41/2004 + GDPR

    Law 41/2004 (Portuguese ePrivacy) and Law 58/2019 (Portuguese GDPR) require opt-in for marketing; soft opt-in for existing customers.

FAQ

Which local carriers does 4notify use in Portugal?

Not directly. 4notify delivers SMS via tier-1 international A2P gateway that interconnects with MEO, NOS, Vodafone PT and Digi PT. The gateway provides unified billing, alphanumeric sender ID and per-carrier DLR without requiring a Portuguese legal entity.

What are ANACOM fines for SMS spam?

Law 99/2009 allows fines up to €25,000 per violation. In parallel, CNPD can apply GDPR fines up to 4% of global turnover.

How long does sender ID activation take?

Overall 2-7 business days. MEO typically 2-3; NOS and Vodafone 5-7. Required: trade-mark registration (Portugal or EU), sample message, declaration of use.

Does portability work in Portugal?

Yes. Since 2001 under ANACOM. ~30% of numbers have switched carriers. 4notify HLR refresh every 12h.

Is Lista Robinson mandatory?

For direct marketing campaigns yes — for commercial calls and SMS. 4notify integrates automatically; registered numbers are excluded pre-send.

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Full ANACOM compliance, sender ID in 2-7 days, pt/en support.