The contract signing ceremony to bring 5G to all locations in the country was scheduled for 15 days ago, and the day before, a procedural incident occurred (...) and the possibility of signing was suspended,” said the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, during a procedural hearing in parliament.

According to Castro Almeida, who was speaking to members of the Committee on State Reform and Local Government, this is a competition “that has been open for a long time” and the signing should take place “as soon as the legal issue is resolved.”

Later in the hearing, the Secretary of State for Local Administration and Territorial Planning, Silvério Regalado, explained that this action had a suspension effect on the execution of the contract signing.

He also explained that a counterclaim by the State had already been filed in a proceeding coordinated by the CCDR Norte, in conjunction with CEJURE, requesting the end of the suspension effect of this action.

According to the Secretary of State, there was already another lawsuit, now before the Supreme Administrative Court, "regarding the bidding process itself."

Silvério Regalado also explained that the bidding process has five lots: "three of which are free of charge to the State, two of which are costly."

In response to Representative João Ribeiro, from Chega, who had warned of the difficulty in making phone calls due to a lack of network coverage in several parts of the country, Silvério Regalado said that "5G will solve all the problems" identified.

"I, having travelled extensively throughout this area, know that there are areas where there is no network coverage, and I myself have difficulty working in the car when I go to these areas," noted the former mayor of Vagos.