2006: Technology in Malta
by Martin Debattista

The major events of 2006 in the field of information technology centred very much on Tecom, the Dubai-based company.

There are two events in particular related to this company: in February the Maltese Government signed the heads of agreement to create SmartCity@Malta, an investment of Lm110 million and which would create around 5,600 new jobs; and the second is the fact that the Maltese government sold its 60 per cent shareholding in the incumbent telecoms operator Maltacom to Tecom. The SmartCity@Malta full agreement had not been signed before the end of 2006 amid reports that negotiations were difficult.

Tecom’s takeover of Maltacom means the company and its subsidiary are fully privatised and the first changes were being felt both internally and externally.

The first immediate result was the fact that Maltacom’s planned launch of its Digital Terrestrial TV (DTTV) services and 3G mobile communication, due in 2006, were postponed to 2007. Another effect was that Maltacom’s subsidiaries started to market their services together, a sort of one-stop-shop for users who want fixed-line telephony, mobile telephony, broadband data and TV. The latter, not yet provided by Maltacom, was roped in through Multiplus, the existing DTTV operators, which is rumoured to be on Maltacom’s shopping list.

This new trend in bundling different communications services into offers seems to have brought to life the concept of ‘multiple-play’ in Malta, with voice, mobile, internet and TV services bundled together.

While Maltacom’s subsidiary Go Mobile missed out on 3G, the other local operator Vodafone Malta launched its 3G service in August and then in December launched 3.5G with faster speeds for internet access over mobile handsets. The use of video telephony also seems to be increasing.

Maltese mobile and fixed-line subscribers in 2006 were also offered number portability, i.e. the facility of changing operator while retaining the same number. A single directory for both mobile and fixed-line subscribers was also launched. Both were pushed by the European Union, which in 2006 continued with its crusade against the high mobile roaming tariffs, using Malta on several occasions to illustrate its point.

For the first time ever the Microsoft Windows operating system was launched in the Maltese language in the XP version. In December the Maltese government once again offered Microsoft software at nominal prices to students, teachers and selected users. This time the offering was the new Windows Vista and Office 2007.

The Malta Labour Party in summer launched its draft vision statement for information and communication technology (ICT). The aim of the proposals is to create an inclusive ICT driven society.

The strides made by Malta in the technology field were recognised when in its annual report on global competitiveness, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Malta as the 21st country in the world which is most technologically-ready, up from 30th place the previous year.

Once again MaltaMedia was a protagonist with its pioneering online services. For the second time running and the third time in four years MaltaMedia won the e-journalism category of the Malta Journalist Awards. Robert Micallef made history when his blog on MaltaMedia was the first Maltese blog to be officially recognised for its contribution towards the Maltese media landscape.