Infrastructure for the second fibre optic cable in Gozo has been completed and is expected to be in operation in the coming weeks, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said on Friday.

Speaking during the debate on the budget estimates for Gozo, the minister said the cable was the first step towards attracting gaming and digital companies to set up office in Gozo. The cable will secure and continuous connection with the rest of the world.

The project will see 24 fibre optics installed guaranteeing huge amounts of data.

The minister said the government is also committed to implementing the fast ferry service and build the tunnel connecting Malta to Gozo. The next step, he said, is the choice of a commissionaire to plan, build and execute the project.

Camilleri said that 11,615 Gozitans are currently working in Gozo against the 876 in 2012, a 42% increase.

He went through several schemes which had been initiated in Gozo and others in the pipeline. These included the Menqa project, which had just been inaugurated and the regeneration of the Marsalforn waterfront, which was being embarked upon.

Increase in social cases

Earlier, Gozo shadow minister Chris Said said the number of Gozitans working in Malta had shot up to 3,750, one of every four full-time Gozitan workers.

Wages in Gozo are lower than Malta, one factor leading Gozitans to relocate. 

The population in Gozo is increasing with people with social cases seeking to rent their residence on the sister islands because rates there are more affordable. 

This has alarmingly changed the fabric of Gozitan society with criminality increasing extensively as a result.

On the fast ferry service, Said said he is convinced that the tender had been tailor-made for a particular bidder. Otherwise, it was gross incompetence to have such a tender cancelled three times.

Turning to the permanent link, Said said that not one consultation meeting with Gozitans had been held in seven years and no studies were published and explained to the people. The Nationalist opposition wanted consultation and all the necessary studies to be undertaken before a final decision is taken to ensure the project is feasible.

Should the studies show that the project is feasible, the Opposition will be in favour, he said, adding that because of the government’s incompetence, Gozitans had become sceptical of it.