The latest Digital Agenda Scoreboard once again ranks Malta first, among the 28 EU Member States, in next generation broadband network coverage. Malta also climbed two places, ranking ninth overall, from eleventh in 2013, in the connectivity segment of this report, which assesses the deployment of broadband infrastructure and its quality. The Scoreboard, which is published by the European Commission on an annual basis, measures the progress of the European Digital Economy in the previous calendar year.
Malta’s success in these areas is further pronounced when comparing Malta’s performance against the EU average. Whilst network coverage for both fixed broadband and Next Generation Access (NGA) networks (i.e. networks capable of providing broadband download speeds of 30 Mbps or more) stands at 100% in both cases, the EU average stands at 97% for fixed broadband and 68% for NGA network roll-out.
Most notable, however, is the significant progress Malta has made in terms of subscriptions to high-speed broadband services. In just one year, the number of Maltese households subscribed to broadband speeds of 30 Mbps or more increased by 41 percentage points to reach 55% in 2014, up from 14% in 2013. The figure reported in 2012 was a mere 2%.
Commenting on this development, Edward Woods, Chairman of the Malta Communications Authority said: “These figures are nothing less than encouraging and are a reflection of the positive direction which the electronic communications sector is taking. Investment by local operators is certainly leaving its mark and their continuous efforts in rolling-out high quality, value-for-money products and services is bearing fruit.’
On the subject of LTE (4G mobile) technology, it is worthy to note however that such services were launched in late 2013. The latest Scoreboard positively reports that coverage now exceeds two thirds of the islands (vs EU average of 79%). This coverage is expected to increase considerably by the end of year, following continued investment by local operators. ‘The MCA remains committed to ensure the right conditions for continued investment, enabling industry players to continue on the path of rolling out new and better service offerings,’ concluded Dr Woods.
On his part, Dr José Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth stated that, “the progress reported is a clear sign that Malta is on the right track to reach the digital agenda targets in the stipulated timeframes. It also reaffirms the policy and strategic direction we have taken in recent years that is focused heavily on facilitating and encouraging investment by operators on the one hand, and on the other hand incentivising businesses and individuals to actively participate in a digital economy – both equally important for continued social and economic growth”.