“The launch of Fibre Power with increased broadband speeds and capabilities will deliver the opportunity to everyone in Malta to benefit from the on-going convergence of voice, video and applications all using and requiring fast and reliable internet connectivity,” says Melita’s CEO, Mr. Andrei Torriani.
Melita has launched Malta’s fastest broadband internet connection reaching up to 100 Megabits per second. Melita Fibre Power was launched today in the presence of Dr. Austin Gatt, Minister for Communications, Melita’s Chairman Mr. Joseph A. Gasan and Melita’s CEO Mr. Andrei Torriani during an event held at the Westin Dragonara to mark Melita’s 20th anniversary.
To reach these ultra-fast speeds, Melita is deploying a new technology developed by global networking giants, CISCO. DOCSIS 3.0 allows internet users to reach very high broadband speeds. By adopting this technology, Melita is placing the Maltese Islands ahead of other European countries such as Germany, where the roll-out of DOCSIS 3.0 technology is expected to reach 75% availability by the end of 2012.
Melita said it’s 100 megabits per second broadband is already available throughout Malta and Gozo. Customers subscribing to this new product will have their modem changed without disturbing any existing wiring in the home or office. The new CISCO modems will also have in-built Wi-Fi routers as standard specifications.
Launching the new product to an audience of around 100 guests including members of Government, members of the Opposition, business and civil society leaders, representatives of the regulating bodies and media, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Andrei Torriani said that Melita’s aim is to provide Fibre Power speeds and the benefits of convergence to as many people as possible. “The pricing of our 100 Megabits per second service reflects our ambition to make faster broadband speeds available to a larger section of the population,” explained Mr. Torriani.
Melita said that packages start from as little as EUR 18 per month (promotional price) for the Fibre Power 25 Mbps connection (EUR30 after nine month promotion) or for an additional EUR 10 per month when combined with other services.
Melita went on to say it has added its computer servers to the global broadband and independent speed testing website http://www.speedtest.net [1] which provides internet users with free speed tests to measure upload and download speeds.
“Our investment in broadband is an investment strategy of choice. Owning a fibre-rich, broadband platform enables Melita to provide products and services which converge voice, data and video technologies into entertainment and communications applications,” said Mr. Torriani.
Mr. Torriani also announced two new applications which will be released shortly. One application will allow users to use Facebook on their television sets instead of using a computer and another application uses the mobile phone as a remote control for the Melita NetBox HD.
Mr. Torriani said that entertainment patterns worldwide are changing. “Malta is no exception and our clients are telling us that they want to be in control of what they watch and when they watch it on TV. We have the solution to satisfy this demand and this summer, Melita will launch video on-demand services on a nationwide basis.”
Describing Melita as a young person full of energy and ambitions, Chairman Mr. Joseph A. Gasan said that “Melita had shaped the home entertainment and telecommunications landscape ever since it started off from scratch in 1991.”
“We grew in sync with the country’s progression towards a free, diversified and knowledge-based economy. In many instances, Melita provided the necessary infrastructure to assist and support the Government’s strategy for social and economic development,” Mr. Gasan said.
“Our passion for innovation and our financial investments in the region of 200 million Euros over a 20 year period provide a clear testament of Melita’s strong belief in Malta’s potential,” he added.
Mr. Torriani explained that Melita has registered a 50% increase in bandwidth demand over a one year period and a further 10% increase since Melita upgraded its internet clients for free for a one week period, from 5 and 10 megabits per second to 20 Megabits per second. Last month, the company announced free upgrades to almost 50,000 families as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.