Baixa Digital – Second Phase of Obsolete Cabling Removal from Building Facades Completed
Baixa Digital – Second Phase of Obsolete Cabling Removal from Building Facades Completed
As part of the Baixa Digital project, led by the Porto City Council and funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), Porto Digital completed the second phase of the obsolete cabling removal operation on the façades of buildings along Fernandes Tomás Street, in Porto, during the third week of May.
Following the first phase, carried out and completed in February 2026 on 31 de Janeiro Street, the intervention continued throughout May, enabling the removal of additional unused telecommunications cabling from building façades. In total, the operation on Fernandes Tomás Street resulted in the removal of approximately 3,500 metres of obsolete cables and 25 Optical Distribution Points (fixed signal distribution boxes attached to building walls), contributing to a cleaner, more organised, and more sustainable urban landscape.
The intervention was carried out in coordination with telecommunications operators and forms part of the broader strategy for digital regeneration and public space enhancement in Porto’s downtown area.
The Porto City Council, together with Porto Digital, AHRESP (Portuguese Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Services), SAOM (Maria Organisations Assistance Services), and Maus Hábitos, developed this project, which covers more than 400 commercial establishments and services located on the following streets: Santa Catarina, Sá da Bandeira, Passos Manuel, Santo Ildefonso, 31 de Janeiro, and Fernandes Tomás.
The removal of obsolete cabling is part of a wider integrated effort within Porto’s digital transition strategy, aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of commerce and services, upgrading urban space, improving the city’s visual identity, increasing infrastructure safety and efficiency, and promoting a more balanced and sustainable public realm.
According to the City Councillor responsible for Digital Transformation and Citizen Services, Rodrigo Passos,
“We are transforming Porto’s downtown area into a more qualified, sustainable, and future-ready urban environment. The removal of obsolete cabling represents not only an aesthetic and functional improvement to public space, but also an important step towards modernising urban infrastructure, enhancing local commerce, and improving the overall experience of living and visiting the city centre.”
With the completion of this new phase, and looking ahead to the post-Baixa Digital period, the Porto City Council and Porto Digital will launch the project Fim da Linha (“End of the Line”), an initiative aimed at removing all overhead cabling across the Municipality of Porto. The project seeks to enhance public space, protect telecommunications networks, and create better conditions for ensuring essential services to the city’s population. Fim da Linha will bring together public decision-makers, telecommunications operators, and citizens in a joint strategy towards building a better city.