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The Malta Communications Authority has confirmed with Business Today that Maltacom plc has requested an extension to their rollout obligations under the digital TV (DTTV) license.
According to the original license given to Maltacom plc in May 2005, the telco had to rollout a national DTTV network by this month.
This newspaper is informed that the company has raised technical difficulties relating to frequencies allocated for TV transmissions with the authority. In fact the MCA has confirmed that discussions with the company have been held and the authority will monitor the license obligations “as a matter of course”.
This is not the first time that the authority has consented to allow telecommunications license holders to revise their original rollout plans. Earlier this year, the MCA consented to a request made by broadband wireless license holders to delay the start of the launch of their network rollout.
This means that for some time Malta shall continue to be serviced by the existing five networks. Two networks for fixed and mobile telephony respectively are owned by the Maltacom Group, another mobile telephony network belongs to Vodafone. Multiplus has a DTTV network whilst Melita owns and operates a Cable TV and Data Network. Through investments made, Melita is expected to launch its own voice service.
However in this case for the DTTV rollout plan, the request by Maltacom for a delay was not issued for public consultation as happened for the broadband wireless access case.
Industry observers are following closely Maltacom’s landing in the TV arena. The group has a DTTV license, a mobile TV service provided by Go Mobile through EDGE technology, and for a long time has flirted with TV via its ADSL offering.
How and when Maltacom will take the plunge to join the TV fray is something which the consumer has to bear with. This delay has the blessing of the regulatory authority. |
