On an annual basis, the European Commission publishes its Digital Agenda Scoreboard, a report showcasing the performance of the EU digital economy and that of the 27 Member States.

The ‘basic broadband target’ of the Digital Agenda for Europe requires that broadband services should be available to every citizen, in all Member States, by 2013. In the report published this week, statistics show that Malta has reached this target with 99.95% of the Maltese territory today covered by both fixed and mobile broadband infrastructures.

The Commission reports that fixed broadband subscriptions, as a percentage of the population in Malta (penetration rate), reached 32.6% in January 2013, 3.8% above the EU average of 28.8%.

Malta has one of the highest availability rates for Next Generation Access, that is, the availability of very high speed broadband services, with speeds of at least 30 Mbps available to at least 99.9% of homes in Malta, as opposed to the EU average of 53.8%.  This means that Malta has reached the Digital Agenda for Europe target in this regard, well before the stipulated target of 2020.

While the report states that local broadband subscriptions reaching a speed of at least 30Mbps accounted for 1.7% of total subscriptions, as against the EU average of 14.8%, we have been witnessing significant growth in this area so that as at the end of March 2013, 10.4% of local subscribers had a connection of at least 30 Mbps.

In terms of general Internet usage, Malta fairs slightly behind the EU average of 70%, with 66% of the Maltese population using the Internet on a regular basis. 29% of the population has never used the Internet, against the EU average of 22%.  On this front, a number of initiatives are underway to raise awareness regarding the benefits of ICT and provide affordable learning opportunities for people who have not yet started to make use of ICT.

On a more positive note, the report shows that Internet usage through mobile devices (e.g. Smartphones and tablets) is above the EU average, with an average rate of 40% in Malta, in contrast to the EU average of 36%.

The Commission also reports that Malta has a larger proportion of the population with medium and high-level Internet skills when compared to other Member States.  

“Whilst Malta is performing well in areas such as broadband accessibility, it is evident that more needs to be done to get the general public using these services and enjoying the benefits that this brings with it. Our performance amongst business is encouraging, but this does not mean that our efforts stop here. More can be achieved across the board, particularly in getting subscriptions to higher broadband speeds up and ensuring that our nation has the skills to fully participate in this digital economy,” Edward Zammit Lewis, parliamentary secretary, said.