GO set for faster mobile internet speed
GO plc said today that it is set to raise mobile internet download speed to 21 Mbps within a few weeks.
"Thanks to the substantial investment programme started last September, GO is already in a position to offer 14.4 Mbps speeds for mobile internet downloads nationwide - the best speed currently available on the island – and within just a few weeks, that already impressive speed will be increased to 21 Mbps across the whole country," the company said.
Speed acceleration has gone hand in hand with a dramatically enlarged area of 3G coverage.
"GO will be the first telecommunications provider in Malta to actually offer this speed across the entire country. And thanks to the massive investment made in our mobile network – including the core equipment upgraded earlier in 2011 – GO now has a top-quality, reliable network with the speeds needed for not only present but also future demand for mobile internet, especially via smartphones and tablets," chief technology officer Dr Michael Mertsch said.
According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index, worldwide mobile data traffic will increase 18-fold over the next five years, so the speed of the connection will be a key factor in the customer's experience.
GO said it is the only provider in Malta whose base stations are linked to the network core and the internet via fibre, so customers benefit from superb fast links all the way from their mobile to the base station, as well as from the base station to the world wide web.
"Our customers have already noticed the improvement in mobile coverage and connectivity over the past months but the better speeds and larger coverage now available mean that they will now be able to download and upload data via the mobile network much faster - wherever they are. Already more than half our postpaid mobile customers use smartphones and tablets and they expect to be able to connect to the internet on the move just as they do when they are at home or in the office, whether to keep on top of their work emails, check their social networking sites, or download music and film clips," chief commercial officer Yiannos Michaelides added.
GO signed a contract with Nokia Siemens Networks last September, which launched a process to completely replace GO's existing radio mobile network with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient base stations, as well as to add new sites to expand coverage and improve network performance.
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24 Comments
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P Vella
Feb 23rd, 10:43
It is interesting how Go are claiming that the internet speed they provide on mobile phones is faster than their fastest Adsl internet connection.
This must mean that their Adsl connections are pretty slow by today's standards.
James Fenech
Feb 23rd, 11:22
You're right!!!!!!
W Cassar
Feb 23rd, 12:27
LOL The Marketing department just shot themselves in the foot with that statement!
M. Attard
Feb 23rd, 07:32
GO's ADSL is very bad infact if they do not fix it I already making arranging to change the provider.
Joe Grech
Feb 22nd, 23:06
This is excellent news from the best Internet provider on our islands.
Reuben D. Spiteri
Feb 22nd, 19:57
They really should get cracking at upgrading the FIXED connections. Even if I wanted to upgrade to 12Mbps my connection can only support up to 7Mbps, so I would end up paying for 12 but get less. Ain't gonna happen.
Also, in this day and age 25GB per month is a bit low. I swear if it weren't for the fact that Melita are a bunch of no good hooligans (who incidentally charge €90 premature disconnection fee for EACH service (TV, fixed line, +internet = €270) I'd go for their package as it would be better value for money.
Gordon Farrugia
Feb 22nd, 19:55
I'm another one that is fed up to the brink with GO. I have a 12mb line and often the internet slows down meaning that it cripples my work efforts substantially. Complaining to customer support gets you nowhere. WE SIMPLY WANT WHAT WE ARE PAYING FOR GO!!
S. Magro
Feb 22nd, 19:30
Hehe, l-ewwel t'April ghad jonqsu.
Ahjar jirrangaw dak li diga ghandhom.
U wkoll ILI 3 XHUR NISTENNA RISPOTA minghand il-GO, imma ghadni nittewweb.
James Fenech
Feb 23rd, 08:21
U ha ddum titteweb siehbi. Jien ili li ghamilt rapport rigward 3G mil-2010 u l-ebda risposta mil-inginiera ma rcivejt. Dak servizz..
Reg Fitzpatrick
Feb 22nd, 19:02
"that already impressive speed will be increased to 21 Mbps" Wow! That is slowwwwwwwwwwww!
I feel sorry for Go customers who have to rely on mobile downloads.
I have a fibre-powered connection to my house in Gozo of up to 100 Mbps!
Yes! That's what I said! One hundred Mbps!
I don't always achieve that because a lot depends on the website you are accessing.
But when measured, I regularly average 70 Mbps.
My ISP provider? Melita!
A. Abela
Feb 22nd, 22:03
Mhux kulhadd jaffordja nofs gidu fuq l-internet habib. U tal-Melita lanqas ghandom xi reputazzjoni tajba fejn jidhol kwalita ta servizz...
Joseph Camilleri
Feb 22nd, 22:25
Get an N network card... will give you 100 Mega when doing a speed test. I am still on the old 10 mega of Melita however pretty soon i'll be on fibre power :D cannot wait!! Its the best on the island at the moment.
Alfred Bugeja
Feb 22nd, 22:34
Oh! So you were the man who I saw thugging a modem with a wire attached on the Gozo ferry. I guess Melita sold you their broadband connection as a mobile one. Only that can explain while you are mixing up two completely different services.
Start again from the top, focussing on the three words in the headline "mobile internet speed".
Steve Mizzi
Feb 23rd, 06:21
Please compare apples with apples
Reg Fitzpatrick
Feb 23rd, 10:58
@Alfred Bugeja
I suggest you focus on the second line of my comment!
"I feel sorry for Go customers who have to rely on mobile downloads".
MOBILE DOWNLOADS!
I didn't mix up the systems, I simply illustrated how slow a MOBILE DOWNLOAD speed is in comparison with the speed at which I like to work at from home.
In my opinion mobile downloads are a waste of time and just a gimmick!
W Cassar
Feb 23rd, 12:31
Hope you are happy with their customer service ...or maybe you have had no need to yet! Enjoy hahaha
A Cachia
Feb 22nd, 18:46
I suggest they also invest in a state of the art billing system and I just hope Vodafone are in the process of upgrading their their mobile internet....
Luke Stivala
Feb 22nd, 18:29
Mghandkomx ghaggla ta !!
Philip Pryce
Feb 22nd, 18:17
I have had enough of Go. When my last contract was due to expire they 'coerced' me into signing a new agreement saying my services would revert to the full rate for each service, instead of the package deal I had been on. I said I would sign if they could assure me I could have their much-advertised IPTV service. 'Yes, you can' was the answer from their customer service. So desperate were they for me to sign up for another 2 years they sent a courier round to my house. I signed as I wanted the IPTV service. After a week, I went to their offices at Naxxar and asked when I would get the IPTV service. 'It's not available in your location' they said. After speaking to the manager, who accepted Go were in breach of contract back in November 2011, they STILL can't tell me when Go will upgrade the system in Zebbug. It is totally unacceptable, and, if there was another service available, other than Meluta who I left for sheer incompetence, I would leave Go. The whole telecom industry in Malta is a complete, overpriced shambles. Shame on them. Their senior management simply doesn't give a damn.
j brincat
Feb 22nd, 17:27
It is the same GO whose customers are bound by a contract but not them. They raise their fees when they deem fit even if the two year signed contract has not expired!
Such customer care and loyalty!
But strong market players always have it their way!
(jb)
Rachel Williams
Feb 22nd, 17:26
Errm sorry no, haven't noticed faster internet service recently....... anzi...
Reuben D. Spiteri
Feb 22nd, 17:22
may i point out that there is no reception whatsoever inside the freeport area where I work? would be nice to be able to send a text when i'm running late
A Borg
Feb 22nd, 17:06
GO better ensure coverage before promising faster speeds. At the moment, I barely get a 3G connection in most places.
Michael Flaherty
Feb 22nd, 16:53
All's well and good, now how about giving home users the service they already pay for, instead of not just crippling it with random disconnects (faulty proprietary firmware, which more often than not, requires a visit to a Go store to fix - waste of time), but also by throttling speeds - they would be as advertised on the first week following purchase, after which, they suffer a substantial hit.
How about removing bandwidth caps, an asinine concept in a world that's moving towards a digital distribution service?
As an aside, how about giving their stance on ACTA and the likes?