Internet service provider MEO has become the first ISP in Portugal to offer 10 gbps home internet. Up until now, the fastest fibre speeds available from any ISP (including MEO, NOS, and Vodafone) was 1 gbps.
The 10 gbps speed applies to both upload and download speeds and according to utilities expert Fernando Mendes, typically works out to 8gbps (upload and download) in practice.
Currently, this service is only available in select major cities in mainland Portugal, including Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre, Porto, Santarém, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real and Viseu. As with most internet contracts in Portugal, the contract length is for two years.
As well as needing to be in an area that has 10 gbps fibre-optic internet, you will also need to have a laptop and phone that can support such high speeds. Even laptops that are just a few years old may not be able to take advantage of this internet.
For most home internet users 500 mbps is more than enough, and 1 gbps is an indulgence. However, for those that work from home in jobs that require them to upload and download a lot of data, for example those that work in image or video editing, or those that want to host a server at home, may see the benefit of having such a high speed internet connection.
Generally speaking, however, this is much more than most people need and 10 gbps would be enough for a small office or coworking space. And with a monthly cost of around €100 per month, a little over double the cost of 1 gbps internet, it’s going to be hard for a lot of home internet users to justify the cost. Still, for those that need (or just want) the absolute fastest internet in Portugal, MEO’s 10 gbps offering is now the obvious choice.