At a conference held last Wednesday, attended by Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri and chief executive Jesmond Bugeja, the MCA gave an account of its work over the past year, took a look at the successes achieved in recent years and highlighted statistical developments of the use of communication in the Maltese islands over the past two decades.During a presentation, the head of external relations of the MCA, Robert Mifsud, gave an overview on a number of key developments in the communications sector over the past 20 years.
Among the statistics evaluated, it turned out that fixed broadband subscriptions have almost doubled over the last 10 years, so that today, 60 per cent of subscriptions to this service are for speeds of 100Mbps or more.
According to the latest Eurostat figures, 90 per cent of Maltese and Gozitan families and 95 per cent of enterprises in Malta and Gozo have access to broadband. Therefore, Malta is at the forefront of the EU in terms of internet connectivity and usage.
Regarding the use of mobile phones, there has been a sharp increase in the number of calls made through this service as well as in the minutes consumed.
As far as the postal sector is concerned, statistics have shown a consistent increase in the number of mailed parcels, as almost a million parcels were sent in 2020, compared to only 290,000 in 2010.
This development mainly reflects the growth in the use of e-commerce, as 58 per cent of the Maltese population used e-commerce services in 2020, compared to the 26 per cent recorded in the first MCA survey in 2007. Moreover, last year, 53 per cent of these online shoppers purchased from Maltese electronic platforms.
In his address, Minister Schembri explained how the country is benefitting from more investment within the communications’ economic niche. He said that this is due to Malta’s strong technological infrastructure which offers a solid foundation to sectors such as gaming, financial services and new digital sectors such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and e-sports.
“All this is expected to translate into the creation of more jobs. In the next decade, it is estimated that jobs in the field of ICT will grow by more than 20 per cent,” Schembri said.
He recalled how in the last year, a record investment has enabled Malta to benefit from the most modern networks for essential services such as mobile telephony and broadband. Earlier this year, two major operators in the sector announced investments amounting to €65 million along with several new job opportunities.
The MCA annual report for 2020“We also witnessed the introduction of 5G in Malta. Therefore, our country has reached another goal related to 5G nationwide connectivity, a goal set by the EU for the year 2030, nine years earlier.”
He added that, simultaneously, it is being ensured that the regulatory framework is modernised to adapt to new technologies and challenges. Schembri thanked the MCA for all its work and for the top-notch competitive service it offers to the Maltese telecommunications’ consumer and hailed the authority as a fair and just regulator.
MCA chief executive Bugeja said: “The reputation that the MCA has built rests on 20 years of hard work and regulation which have fostered the industry and market developments we see today in the communications sector. This reputation is rooted in vales of independent and proactive regulation, and a vision towards the future – a future where Maltese citizens and businesses are able to benefit from the highest quality communications infrastructure and technology possible.”
He added: “The MCA’s aim is to remain dynamic and adapt to evolving developments so that it can implement the necessary regulation to safeguard the progress we have achieved so far, while also anticipating market changes so that we can continue to meet the needs of all end-users across all sectors of communications, including that of the postal services.”
MCA announced that the authority will be commemorating its 20th anniversary with an international conference on November 25, which will also be virtually accessible through a live-stream, and will discuss the role of regulation in the future, within the context of an increasingly digital world.