The story
Founded by Altice Portugal on Jun 2007.1
History
MEO in its current form was founded in 2007 after the separation of PT Comunicações and PT Multimédia (later ZON and today now NOS). While PT Multimédia employed coaxial cables, after separation, MEO started making use of copper cables. The television service supplied by MEO within the copper cable network is served on the ADSL line. Telecomunicações Móveis Nacionais (TMN), Portugal's first and largest mobile network operator, was later integrated into the MEO brand in 2014 after two of TMN's shareholders, Telefones de Lisboa e Porto (TLP) and Marconi Comunicações Internacionais (the Portuguese operations of the UK-based Marconi Company) were acquired by Portugal Telecom in 1994 and 2002 respectively.
The commercial launch of the ADSL2+ service took place on 14 June 2007 in Lisbon, and within weeks was launched in Porto and Castelo Branco. The satellite service began in April 2008, using the Hispasat satellite, soon followed by the FTTH service. The ADSL2+ and FTTH offers reached across Portugal and included broadband Internet services (at up to 400 Mbit/s) as well as a telephone service.
In May 2009, PT Portugal (now Altice) announced, after digital terrestrial television (TDT) transmissions had started, that the triple play service was also available with fiber optic speeds can achieve 400 Mbit/s.
Another service that rely on TDT, MEO TDT, which is included in the 3G plates service that is captured through the mobile internet signals from TDT. This service included one High Definition (HD) channel and the five main Portuguese channels. MEO TDT service also allows some of the advantages found on the ADSL and Fiber Optic service (pause, record...).
In July 2010, PT Portugal informed that MEO had surpassed 700 thousand clients.
In November 2011, MEO achieved one million subscribers. In January 2014, MEO and TMN became a single brand, MEO Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia S.A..
In 2013, MEO launched a quadruple play service called M4O that in addition to the functionalities already referred has added the mobile phone, in a converged strategic logic. In July 2014, MEO launched a bundle which also includes the offering of mobile internet, called M5O.
Chronology
1991
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Created on 22 March to take on the only existing mobile service in Portugal, based on an analogue network launched in 1989 by TLP (Lisbon and Oporto's phone service) and CTT (Portuguese Postal Service/national phone service), both State companies. The network prefix was 0676.
In December, Marconi (Portuguese international phone service, also a State company) bought into the company; ownership became equally split among the three partners.
1992
In March, regulatory agency ICP-Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (Communications Institute of Portugal, now Anacom) announced the winners of the public bids for two licenses for mobile services through GSM. One winner was TMN; the second winner was a private consortium formed for the bid, called Telecel (later bought by Vodafone).
In May, the first GSM call was placed. Prefix was 0936.
On 8 October the GSM service was commercially launched.
1993
In May, the first roaming call was made.
In October, TMN launched the voice mail service for free to all customers.
1994
TMN was incorporated into PT Portugal, the State-run telecom born from the merger of TLP, Marconi, TDP and Telecom Portugal (spin-off from CTT).
1995
Inauguration, in February, of the digital network in the Madeira island.
In September, launch of MIMO, the world's first prepaid mobile service.
1996
In April, a new logo was presented.
In June, launch of SPOT, a prepaid tariff for younger customers.
In July, inauguration of the digital network in the Azores.
1998
In April, TMN was the first Portuguese operator to adopt billing by the second as imposed by law.
TMN reached one million customers.
In September, third GSM competitor was launched: Optimus (now NOS).
1999
TMN reached two million customers. It got its second million customers in just one year, as opposed to nine years for the first million.
ICP granted to TMN a license for Fixed phone services, with prefix 1096. TMN would only offer this service to its corporate customers, backed on its parent company's landline network.
2000
Prefix of TMN was changed to 96 as part of an overall restructuring of the national numbering system.
2003
In June, TMN launched a mobile portal, i9 (pronounced innov), on the trail of Vodafone live!, launched in November 2005.
2005
On 28 September TMN introduced a new logo, shown above.
2007
PTC launches the IPTV service in February 2007.
In June 2007, PT presented the new dimension of the MEO service.
2008
MEO Satélite arrives in the national territory on April 2, 2008, for PT subscribers.
Disney Channel arrived at MEO without replacement through on June 1, 2008.
2009
On April 2, 2009, MEO celebrated 1 year and launched the children's television for Portugal Telecom.
PT Presented MEO Fibra in May 2009, after to Clix and Zon.
In October 2009, MEO had more than 500 thousand cus.
2010
In June 2010, MEO launched this APP on TV with Meo Interactivo.
In autumn 2010, PT launches Music Box, MEO Videoclube on PC and MEO Jogos.
2011
TMN launches the E tariff, a new prepaid card.
MEO premieres the series Fora da Box, with episodes on channel 54 and Facebook.
MEO reaches 1 million customers and the new MEO Go! is created. This TMN store will buy cell phones at PT Bluestore (now lojas MEO).
In December he launches the MEO Like Music concert, deactivated in 2018.
2012
On February 10, 2012, MEO launches the MEO Kanal communication channel.
In March 2012, TMN changes its slogan Até Já for Vamos Lá.
In May 2012, MEO launches 4G mobile broadband and reaches more channels on MEO Kanal.
In July 2012, MEO worked in partnership with Cofina (now Medialivre), to launch the channel in 2013.
In October 2012, MEO chose the brand for the best consumer award in Portugal in 2012.
2013
On January 11, 2013, MEO launched the new logo, the second logo in the history of telecommunications.
On the same day, PT Bluestore moved to Lojas MEO TMN.
2014
In January 27, 2014 PT Portugal will discontinue TMN brand and merge it with MEO. On December 29, 2014, PT Portugal extinguished TMN, changing its name to MEO - Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia e on the same day, PTC merged the MEO brand.
2015
In January 2015, PT decided to combine MEO and PTC into a single company, now renamed MEO - Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia.
On July 2, 2015, PT's MEO will be replaced by the Altice group.
2017
From 31 October the carrier name on the iPhone changed to altice MEO
2018
On August 8, 2018, MEO has reached one and a half million subscribers.
2020
MEO is the provider with the largest share of television subscribers, with 39.8%, followed by NOS with 39.7%.
2023
In June, MEO celebrates 15 years. Now, the protagonists from the iconic ‘Communicado à Nação’ are 4 15 year olds who, in the same scenario and with the same clothes, futuristic, with the same production team and photographer responsible for the 2008 campaign.
2024
In May 2024, MEO recently changed its logo, the third time to have the current logo.
From Wikipedia’s article on MEO (telecommunication company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4