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Maltacom yesterday announced it was nearing finalisation of upgrades to its local fixed line telephony switching network, and another to its international internet bandwidth, claiming it was re-affirming itself as “the local leader in cutting edge, state-of-the-art telecoms solutions.”
Internet bandwidth has now been trebled with the connectivity between Malta and the rest of the world increasing from 620Mb per second to 1.8Gb per second in November 2006. The local network is also being upgraded to the next generation soft-switch architecture at a cost of EUR6.7 million. This upgrade will be completed by next month.
Chief Commercial Officer Keith Fearne said the internet bandwidth upgrade is of a national importance, as Maltacom’s data subsidiary Maltanet is the major supplier to local ISPs, as well as to a number of international companies hosting their e-commerce and e-gaming servers in Malta, and to the government – which plans to turn Malta into ICT centre of excellence.
Maltanet is connected to the world through two high-speed internet connections – one via Palermo, and another via Milan. “Apart from the Malta-Palermo IP connection, operated in conjunction with Telecom Italia – Maltacom now has also an additional IP link with Milan. This adds resilience and, in order to ensure continuity of service, the company last year invested in a micro-wave link with Palermo,” Fearne said.
Fearne said that initial trials for the provision of DSL services at very high speeds are being scheduled for first quarter of 2007, further strengthening Maltanet customer proposition in terms of dedicated, high-speed connectivity for corporate and business customers.
Speaking about the upgrade of Malta’s fixed line telephony switching network to a next generation soft-switch architecture, Maltacom’s technical director Joe Bugeja said that this upgrade commenced in January 2005 following the signing of the contract with Ericsson. He added that this multi-million liri upgrade will facilitate the eventual roll-out of next generation services, such as services resulting from the convergence of fixed and mobile services.
Bugeja explained that the new switching network has enhanced resilience, as it includes a standby backup node assuring a guaranteed level of service. “In fact, the telephony servers are so powerful that one would have been enough to carry all traffic in the Maltese islands,” Bugeja said.
Maltacom communications head Franco Aloisio said the upgrades confirm once again Maltacom as the leading telecoms operator on the island. “Thanks to these investments, Maltacom is consolidating its position in the market by ensuring that it has the latest technology backed up by its suppliers for years to come. With a strategy of offering state-of-the-art fixed line telephony, mobile telephony and broadband Internet, Maltacom is well placed to offer its clients a total telecoms solution. With the launch of its TV offering, Maltacom will be the only telecoms company in Malta with a quad-play strategy, which translates in a range of value-for-money services for all of Maltacom’s customers,” Aloisio said.
Aloisio added that the Maltacom Group was today ideally positioned to satisfy the market demand for a single source technology provider. “The group’s strength lies in synergy – the ability to provide a wide range of converged technologies. Maltacom was the first telecoms operator to offer bundled services, and will eventually be in a position to create a quadruple-play bundle by giving its customers a mix of communication and entertainment services, which include the company’s quality telephony and broadband internet access, coupled with mobile telephony and TV.” |
