In just two weeks, people visiting Paceville and using Melita’s free Wi-Fi accumulated some 2000 hours of internet browsing. The service was launched just before Christmas and enabled anyone using a Wi-Fi enabled smartphone or tablet computer to make use of free Wi-Fi offered as part of a technical trial launched by Melita.

“The trial will gather data on equipment performance and other relevant technical parameters. Through this trial Melita will identify the technical enhancements and the customer experience improvements required ahead of commercial deployment” said Simon Montanaro, Chief Technology Officer at Melita.

The service is available to everyone, and customers do not need to be Melita customers to access the Free Wi-Fi trials. Hundreds of customers connected in this two-week and in fact, some 86% of the users in the trial period where not Melita customers.

The free Wi-Fi service is simple to access. When in the Paceville area, users may use their 3G mobile phone to complete a one-time registration process. Scan for Wi-Fi networks and select the network “M FREE Wi-Fi”. Users will then be requested to enter their mobile number, following which a SMS will be sent to that mobile number with a registration code. Enter this number in the login screen on your phone’s web browser, and one may proceed to browse the World Wide Web for free.

In a recent press comments about this Wi-Fi trial, Mr Andrei Torriani, Melita’s CEO was quoted to say “There is a pent-up demand for higher speeds in Malta and fibre power delivers speed and service. This is a natural extension of the success Melita has enjoyed since we rolled out the network.”

For the trial period, the service is currently available in the main streets of Paceville covering an area of almost half a square kilometre including; Xatt Ta’ San Gorg, Triq Santu Wistin, Triq Santa Rita, Triq San Gorg, parts of Triq Elija Zammit, parts of Triq Id-Dragunara, Triq Il-Wilga and Triq Ball.