Update 4: Melita to offer free downloads for a month after internet disruption

Updated 6.10 p.m. Adds GO, Vodafone reactions

Melita plc said this afternoon that it was offering its customers unlimited internet downloads free of charge for a month as compensation for disruption caused by a technical fault this morning.

“This is the first time that a local communications provider is offering compensation for a technical outage, Stephen Wright, Melita’s Chief Executive Officer said.

He added that the company was working closely with the Malta Communications Authority to ensure that this situation would be avoided in the future.

The company said the outage developed at 8.35 a.m and services were restored at 3 p.m.

Simon Montanaro, Melita’s Chief Technology Officer, explained that the cause stemmed from Italian telecom giant Wind, from which Melita sources its international connectivity.

The fault led to disruption of Melita’s international phone, data and internet services. Sites hosted overseas were unavailable while locally hosted websites and mail servers were available at slower speeds. Local telephony was available but international telephony was also affected by the technical difficulties.

The fault also affected timesofmalta.com. Go plc made its facilities available for timesofmalta.com to transfer its services.

Melita said that throughout the day it issued information updates to its customers through its website and through electronic news portals.

Additional resources were provided in Melita’s customer care centre to handle incoming enquiries faster and more efficiently. Some 10,000 calls were registered in a short time span.

The company apologised for the inconvenience caused.

MCA REACTION

The Malta Communications Authority said the fault experienced today was the result of a software failure which not only effected operative equipment but also redundant equipment intended to come into operation in the event of equipment failure.

The Authority said it was in constant communication with Melita during the incident and advised Melita to ensure, as a minimum, that customers were:

· regularly and promptly informed of developments and progress made in restoring services; and

· provided with an indication of anticipated time-frames for restoration of services.

The Authority also required Melita to keep it apprised of steps taken to reinstate services.

GO REACTION

GO plc in a statement said that its internet services and international services were functioning normally and GO’s customers had not experienced any disruption in the provision of any of their services.

“As soon as GO was aware of Melita’s outage, its representatives immediately contacted Melita to offer international connectivity over GO’s infrastructure. GO is capable to provide such assistance in view of the fact that GO is the only communications provider in Malta to own and operate two independent submarine cable links to mainland Europe, in addition to its redundancy agreement with Vodafone.”

GO denied a Melita’s statement which alleged that GO has delayed any proposals for redundancy agreements earlier this year.

“It was only recently, on 15 June 2009, that GO received a formal request by Melita to enter into redundancy agreement for the provision of international connectivity, and one meeting was held between both parties since then,” GO said.

VODAFONE STATEMENT

Vodafone also said its home internet and international services had functioned normally.

The company denied Melita's claims that Vodafone has delayed any agreements for redundancy.

"Vodafone provided Melita with different options for redundancy and contacted them numerous times without receiving any feedback. It was only on June15 of this year that Vodafone received a formal request for redundancy from Melita in order to comply with the MCA's requirements. Vodafone proceeded immediately by initiating negotiations. These discussions are still ongoing," Vodafone said.

"At no time during this fault; did Melita contact Vodafone to obtain international connectivity over Vodafone's cable."