Melita customers will be the first in Malta to make use of a mobile internet service capable of reaching speeds of up to 1GB per second, the telecommunications company announced earlier on Tuesday.

Harald Roesch, Melita’s CEO, said that all of Melita’s Endless bundle subscribers with a 5G-enabled device can now benefit from the latest frontier of internet speed.

“Malta is one of the very few countries in the world with 5G nationwide coverage, and is now unparalleled in the EU. This investment benefits our economy in general,” Roesch stated.

The company’s chief technical officer, Simon Montanaro, stated that the latency, or delay in data transfer, stands at just ten milliseconds, a speed which goes faster than human beings’ ability to perceive it.

“If we are thinking about a future with driverless vehicles or precision manufacturing, it’s clear that this very low latency will be incredibly powerful,” Montanaro stated.

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, who spoke at the network launch, said that within the EU, Malta is the top-ranking country for fast and ultra-fast fixed broadband coverage.

“5G provides connectivity that is ten times faster than what we currently have. The government remains committed to establishing Malta as a leader in innovative technologies and services,” the minister said.

The launch of the fifth-generation mobile network follows a multi-million euro investment in a state-of-the art Ericsson network, a world leader in its field, according to the chief technical officer.

Melita’s CEO referred to health risks associated with the use of 5G, and pledged that the company will monitor emission levels of electromagnetic radiation that is produced to provide the service.

“We wanted to ensure we prevent risks associated with 5G, keeping emissions as low as possible. We can confidently say that emissions of mobile communications including 5G remain at less than 1% of the maximum level of emissions allowed,” Roesch said.

The head of Melita’s marketing team, Mireille Muscat, further explained that the company has lined up “affordable 5G-enabled phones at very competitive prices”.

“We are ahead of some of the biggest tech companies in the world. Apple and Samsung, for example, do not yet have 5G-enabled phones pending updates from the manufactures,” Muscat said.