Ricardo Salgado, CEO of dstelecom, noted that the project demonstrates the impact of investment in rural areas, emphasizing that the municipality now has digital infrastructure “on par with any city in the country.”
dstelecom will expand its fiber optic network in the municipality of Boticas during the third quarter of 2026, ensuring coverage of 98% of the municipal territory and bringing next-generation broadband, for the first time, to eight localities in Barroso.
According to the company, the project will connect approximately 3,300 new homes, bringing the total number of homes covered by the network across all parishes in the municipality to approximately 6,000.
The expansion marks the debut of fiber-optic service in Alturas do Barroso, Cerdedo, Ardãos, Bobadela, Covas do Barroso, Dornelas, Curros, and Fiães do Tâmega, while the existing infrastructure in the localities of Codessoso, Beça, Pinho, Sapiãos, Vilar, and Viveiro will be upgraded.
Operating in Boticas since 2014, dstelecom has thus achieved nearly complete coverage of the municipality, which is located in the Barroso region, designated by UNESCO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
According to Boticas Mayor Guilherme Pires, quoted in a press release, the investment “is transformative” and will make the region “more inclusive, competitive, and prepared for the future,” contributing to social cohesion and reducing disparities in access to digital services.
Meanwhile, dstelecom CEO Ricardo Salgado highlighted that the project demonstrates the impact of investment in rural areas, emphasizing that the municipality now has digital infrastructure “on par with any city in the country.”
The infrastructure is based on a neutral, multi-operator network model, allowing users to choose among various telecommunications service providers, thereby promoting competition and more competitive prices.
Founded in 2008, dstelecom currently operates in 154 Portuguese municipalities, covering nearly one million households, and has been expanding its model to include other technologies, such as submarine cables, 5G mobile networks, and satellite solutions.
Source: Jornal Económico
