Portugal: a telecoms manual for every building, updated again and again

In our overview what the IT-Label can learn from other countries, we mentioned Portugal briefly. In this article we take a closer look. Portugal is interesting for the Benelux for one reason: for more than twenty years the country has worked with a single technical manual for telecoms infrastructure in buildings, and it keeps that manual up to date.

How do you keep a method current when technology changes every year? And how do professionals keep up? Portugal gives a concrete answer to both questions.

How the Portuguese system works

ITED stands for Infraestruturas de Telecomunicações em Edifícios: telecoms infrastructure in buildings. ITUR is the counterpart for new neighbourhoods, land subdivisions and building complexes. The basis is a law, Decreto-Lei 123/2009. The technical details are in the manuals that ANACOM publishes.

The law states what is mandatory in every building: spaces and conduits for the cabling, and cables in copper, coax and fibre. The power supply and earthing for the equipment are also included. A smaller package applies to renovation. The obligation lies with the client commissioning the construction.

Three parties play a role:

• The designer draws up a technical plan in line with the manual and signs a declaration for it.
• The installer puts in the infrastructure, tests it according to fixed ANACOM procedures and signs a declaration that the work is correct.
• ANACOM receives those declarations and supervises, with its own inspectors. Anyone who breaks the rules can be fined.

The law also creates an important link. A building may only be connected to the public network, or used for telecoms services, once the installer has issued the declaration and submitted it to ANACOM (article 76, paragraph 4). This declaration is also part of the application for the occupancy permit. Buildings that comply with the rules may carry a voluntary label: Cumpre o ITED. Apto para banda larga, meaning "Complies with ITED. Suitable for broadband".

A short timeline:

• 2000: Decreto-Lei 59/2000 sets out the first ITED rules. An approved certifier had to approve every installation.
• 2004: the first edition of the ITED manual is published. From January 2005 it is the only applicable regulation.
• 2009: Decreto-Lei 123/2009 replaces the old law. Fibre becomes mandatory, ITUR is added, and the installer, rather than a certifier, declares that the work is correct. The second edition of the manual is published.
• 2013: Lei 47/2013 amends the law, including the rules for installers and training providers.
• 2014: ANACOM approves the third edition. After a transition period until the end of 2014, it becomes the standard from 2015.
• 2015: Portaria 377/2015 sets additional requirements for training providers of ITED and ITUR professionals.
• 2020: the fourth edition has applied since 1 April 2020, with a transition period until 31 July 2020.
• 2024: new test procedures for installers have applied since 1 August 2024.

What it has achieved

The first result is a shared language. Designers, installers, contractors and operators work with the same manual. A plan in Porto follows the same rules as a plan in Faro. That makes checks possible, and it makes work predictable.

The second result is a system that evolves. Each new edition followed a public consultation in which the sector could respond. With the fourth edition, ANACOM wrote that the aim was to allow new technical solutions and lower costs without compromising on quality, performance and safety. Between editions there were additions, for example in 2018 for European rules on construction products.

A method that does not evolve becomes outdated. Portugal made updating the manual a fixed part of the system.

The third result is that professional skills stay up to standard. Designers and installers need a professional title. To keep it, they complete at least 50 hours of further training every five years with a certified training provider. This way, a new edition of the manual actually reaches the people in the field.

And the figures? Portugal is in a strong position. According to the FTTH Council Europe, in September 2024 Portugal had the highest fibre penetration in Europe: 81.9 per cent. That is not only thanks to ITED. Investment by the operators also plays a major role. But a building where fibre already runs into the home or office does make connecting simpler and cheaper.

Where it falls short

The Portuguese system is strong on installation. It says less about what happens afterwards.

• Checks at completion, not in use. The installer tests the infrastructure when it is finished. Whether the network still works well five years later, or whether the Wi-Fi and indoor mobile coverage are adequate, falls outside the rules.
• The installer checks their own work. Since 2009 there has no longer been a separate certifier for each building. The installer declares that the work is correct. ANACOM supervises, but cannot inspect every building itself.
• Mainly new construction and renovation. The obligation arises when building or rebuilding. An existing office where no work is done receives no assessment.
• Yes or no, no levels. The voluntary label says that a building complies. It does not say how good a building is compared with another building.

These are not flaws: a law sets a minimum. Spain chose a similar route, with a telecoms plan that is part of the building permit application. Read more about this in our article on Spain's telecoms plan requirement for building permits.

What the Benelux can learn from it

The Benelux is also getting rules for the basics. Since 12 February 2026, the European Gigabit Infrastructure Act has required fibre-ready infrastructure in new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovation. Portugal shows what is needed to make such rules work well:

1. One fixed method. Everyone works with the same manual.
2. Clear versions. Each edition has a start date and a transition period.
3. Updating with the sector. A public consultation gives professionals a voice.
4. Mandatory further training. A new version only has an effect once the professionals know it.
5. A link to a concrete moment. In Portugal, that is the connection to the network. No declaration, no connection.

What this means for the IT-Label

The IT-Label is not a law. It is a voluntary classification that looks beyond the minimum. Even so, it ties in with the Portuguese lessons.

The IT-Label works with one fixed method. The audit is carried out by Certified Partners, and not by the party that installed the network. Partners are trained in the IT-Label Academy. Where ITED stops at completion, the IT-Label also measures how the infrastructure works in practice. It applies to both new and existing real estate. And instead of yes or no, it has six levels, from IT1+ PREMIUM to IT5 SHELL, spread across six areas, from connectivity to smart building. The certificate is valid for two years, so a building does not rely on an old assessment for years.

Perhaps the most important lesson from Portugal is this: a method is never finished. The IT-Label must also keep evolving with technology, with clear versions. Read why we believe the IT-Label should become the Benelux standard, or go back to the overview of all countries.

Frequently asked questions

What is ITED in Portugal?

ITED is the set of Portuguese rules for telecoms infrastructure in buildings. They prescribe which conduits, spaces and cables a building must have: copper, coax and fibre. The technical details are in the ITED manual of the regulator ANACOM.

What is the difference between ITED and ITUR?

ITED covers the infrastructure inside a building. ITUR covers the infrastructure in new neighbourhoods, land subdivisions and building complexes, so between and to the buildings. ANACOM publishes a separate manual for each.

Which edition of the ITED manual applies now?

The fourth edition. It has applied since 1 April 2020. Until 31 July 2020, plans could still be made according to the third edition. Since 1 August 2024, new test procedures for installers have also applied.

May a building be connected to the network without an ITED declaration?

Not according to the law. A building may only be connected to the public network once the installer has issued a declaration on the work carried out and submitted it to ANACOM. This is a declaration from the installer themselves, not a certificate from a separate body.

Would you like to know where your own building stands? An IT-Label Pre-inspection gives you an initial picture of the digital quality before you apply for full certification. You will find more background at our Knowledge Collective.

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Sources: Diário da República, Decreto-Lei 123/2009 (consolidated text, including art. 57, 59, 69, 76, 81, 88 and 89); ANACOM, ITED regulation under Decreto-Lei 59/2000; Instituto Politécnico do Porto, on the first edition of the manual (2004 and 2005); Diário da República, Lei 47/2013; ANACOM, Manual ITED 3rd edition; ANACOM, additions to the manuals (2018); Diário da República, Portaria 377/2015; ANACOM, entry into force of Manual ITED 4th edition and Manual ITUR 3rd edition; ANACOM, Manual ITED 4th edition; Ordem dos Engenheiros, 4th edition Manual ITED; ANACOM, ITED and ITUR test procedures (2024 edition); FTTH Council Europe, FTTH/B Global Ranking 2025. Checked on 18 October 2026.