Third mobile operator still on the cards
The application for the third 3G mobile telecommunication licence, based on the UMTS standard, is being processed again by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA), i-Tech has learnt.Two of the three 3G licences were assigned to Vodafone Malta and Go...
The application for the third 3G mobile telecommunication licence, based on the UMTS standard, is being processed again by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA), i-Tech has learnt.
Two of the three 3G licences were assigned to Vodafone Malta and Go Mobile in August 2005 but the third one was not assigned. The application, submitted by 3G Telecommunications Limited, was going through the due diligence process when the MCA decided to halt the process as a consequence of "various material changes affected by 3G Telecommunications to its original application".
3G Telecommunications Ltd a few weeks later filed an appeal with the Communications Appeals Board against the MCA's decision. Exactly a year ago the Appeals Board decided that the MCA should continue to process the application through a due diligence process, with a view to assigning the licence if all the conditions are met.
An MCA spokesman has confirmed with i-Tech that the company has submitted an updated application and it is also in the process of submitting further detailed information including information of a technical nature.
"The due diligence process is expected to end in the second quarter of this year. The process has already started and we expect to start receiving the requested information within the coming weeks," the spokesman revealed.
If 3G Telecommunications Ltd is assigned the licence, it will launch its service more than a year after the roll-out by the first 3G operator in Malta, i.e. Vodafone Malta. The other licensee, Go Mobile, has already announced plans to launch its commercial 3G network in April. Go Mobile's plans were affected by the privatisation of Maltacom, its parent company, last year.
Both Vodafone Malta and Go Mobile in the past expressed their opposition to a third mobile operator in Malta, questioning its sustainability in the small Maltese market.
These issues were originally raised in reaction to a consultation document proposing the launch of 3G mobile communication technologies in Malta.
While Vodafone Malta claimed a third operator "will depress returns for existing investors and will jeopardise future foreign investment flows in the market", Go Mobile said "a third operator is likely to dump the prices for voice and basic messaging in an attempt to penetrate the market and will effectively destroy all operators' ability to invest in and sustain advanced 3G services".
Whether the third mobile operator in Malta becomes a reality or not, the roll-out of 3G networks means an increase in the number of mobile base stations across the Maltese territory.
As reported by i-Tech in recent months, both mobile operators requested Mepa a fast-track process to obtain planning permission to install 3G base station antennas.
Mobile phone antennas have stirred controversy over the perceived risks of their EMF (electromagnetic field) to people's health. Despite reassurances both from the Maltese authorities and from abroad, the Maltese media still carry reports of outright opposition from citizens against the installation of such antennas when these are anywhere near their homes or their loved ones.
An Ipsos MORI poll commissioned last year by Vodafone Group in 18 countries, including Malta, revealed that Maltese mobile users are neither the most concerned nor the least concerned.
The latest EMF report from the Health Council of the Netherlands for 2006 concluded that "at the basis of current scientific knowledge no long-term effects can be identified as a result of prolonged exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields. There is no reason to suppose that the situation is any different with regard to UMTS."
This latest report was highlighted by the GSM Association, whose members include the majority of mobile operators in the world, during its summit in Barcelona a few days ago.
The GSM Association commented that "this report is consistent with the overall scientific consensus from many expert reviews that there are no adverse health effects from exposure to radio signals at levels below the international guidelines recommended by the World Health Organisation."
The MCA has been conducting EMF audits on mobile base stations since 2002 and as from April 2005 the audits have included other sources of EMF such as broadcasting equipment.
All the 80 mobile phone base stations in the Maltese islands, including the new 3G stations, tested by the MCA during 2006 were found to be fully compliant with the legal requirements.
The MCA reassures that the public exposure limits as set in the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recommendations were not even approached, let alone exceeded. These recommendations have been adopted by the World Health Organisation and the European Union.
Two of the three 3G licences were assigned to Vodafone Malta and Go Mobile in August 2005 but the third one was not assigned. The application, submitted by 3G Telecommunications Limited, was going through the due diligence process when the MCA decided to halt the process as a consequence of "various material changes affected by 3G Telecommunications to its original application".
3G Telecommunications Ltd a few weeks later filed an appeal with the Communications Appeals Board against the MCA's decision. Exactly a year ago the Appeals Board decided that the MCA should continue to process the application through a due diligence process, with a view to assigning the licence if all the conditions are met.
An MCA spokesman has confirmed with i-Tech that the company has submitted an updated application and it is also in the process of submitting further detailed information including information of a technical nature.
"The due diligence process is expected to end in the second quarter of this year. The process has already started and we expect to start receiving the requested information within the coming weeks," the spokesman revealed.
If 3G Telecommunications Ltd is assigned the licence, it will launch its service more than a year after the roll-out by the first 3G operator in Malta, i.e. Vodafone Malta. The other licensee, Go Mobile, has already announced plans to launch its commercial 3G network in April. Go Mobile's plans were affected by the privatisation of Maltacom, its parent company, last year.
Both Vodafone Malta and Go Mobile in the past expressed their opposition to a third mobile operator in Malta, questioning its sustainability in the small Maltese market.
These issues were originally raised in reaction to a consultation document proposing the launch of 3G mobile communication technologies in Malta.
While Vodafone Malta claimed a third operator "will depress returns for existing investors and will jeopardise future foreign investment flows in the market", Go Mobile said "a third operator is likely to dump the prices for voice and basic messaging in an attempt to penetrate the market and will effectively destroy all operators' ability to invest in and sustain advanced 3G services".
Whether the third mobile operator in Malta becomes a reality or not, the roll-out of 3G networks means an increase in the number of mobile base stations across the Maltese territory.
As reported by i-Tech in recent months, both mobile operators requested Mepa a fast-track process to obtain planning permission to install 3G base station antennas.
Mobile phone antennas have stirred controversy over the perceived risks of their EMF (electromagnetic field) to people's health. Despite reassurances both from the Maltese authorities and from abroad, the Maltese media still carry reports of outright opposition from citizens against the installation of such antennas when these are anywhere near their homes or their loved ones.
An Ipsos MORI poll commissioned last year by Vodafone Group in 18 countries, including Malta, revealed that Maltese mobile users are neither the most concerned nor the least concerned.
The latest EMF report from the Health Council of the Netherlands for 2006 concluded that "at the basis of current scientific knowledge no long-term effects can be identified as a result of prolonged exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields. There is no reason to suppose that the situation is any different with regard to UMTS."
This latest report was highlighted by the GSM Association, whose members include the majority of mobile operators in the world, during its summit in Barcelona a few days ago.
The GSM Association commented that "this report is consistent with the overall scientific consensus from many expert reviews that there are no adverse health effects from exposure to radio signals at levels below the international guidelines recommended by the World Health Organisation."
The MCA has been conducting EMF audits on mobile base stations since 2002 and as from April 2005 the audits have included other sources of EMF such as broadcasting equipment.
All the 80 mobile phone base stations in the Maltese islands, including the new 3G stations, tested by the MCA during 2006 were found to be fully compliant with the legal requirements.
The MCA reassures that the public exposure limits as set in the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recommendations were not even approached, let alone exceeded. These recommendations have been adopted by the World Health Organisation and the European Union.