Melita has just launched a new 250 megabit/second fixed internet access service, the fastest for home and office users in the country and more than double the former top speed of 100 megabit/second.
In recent years, Melita made strategic investments in its infrastructure to provide for current and future demands
The service is already available at TignéPoint and Fort Cambridge and will be gradually rolled out to other localities in the coming weeks.
Multiple personal and home devices connected to the internet, the content being accessed online and demands from industry, especially social media and online gaming, are pushing for ever higher internet access speeds and better quality.
“The main driver I see locally is that people are increasingly connecting via multiple devices simultaneously,” Simon Montanaro, chief technical officer at Melita, explained to i-Tech.
“The days where households owned one PC at home and family members took it in turns to use it are long gone. Today’s reality is that several people access more content and applications over more devices, all at the same time, even in homes.
“The type of content being accessed is also an important factor. The increase of video content is another demand driver in itself. Video content consumes the largest portion of internet traffic and video is increasingly being watched online, both via streaming and/or download platforms. The quality of this content has improved dramatically and it is now quite common to get full HD video via the web, which requires yet more bandwidth.
“These two factors live together, significantly impacting the speed required to be considered a valued home service.
“Another point is the real time/on demand expectation. We’ve noticed that local utilisation patterns are changing and that while previously it was quite common for individuals to set their PC to download at night and then view their favourite movie or series later in the week, the higher speeds currently available are enabling customers to decide what to watch, download or stream there and then, instantly, and this situation is already taken for granted.
“In the business world, even in small businesses, simultaneous usage takes on an even more important dimension in considering speed requirements. Practically all businesses are now connected to the internet and increasingly have some form of dependency on their internet service. Furthermore, there are specific businesses (design, social media, online gaming and trading, some teleworking roles) that require very high bandwidth internet connectivity to be productive,” Mr Montanaro Explained.
In recent years, Melita made strategic investments in its infrastructure to provide for current and future demands. These included the commissioning of a high capacity submarine link connecting Melita to mainland Europe, an upgrade to the EuroDOCSIS 3.0 standards used by cable companies, and multiple capacity upgrades to enhance local network performance. Melita also extended its international connectivity with a dedicated link directly to Milan which connects Melita to so-called Level 3 Communications, one of just six major global top-tier internet operators.
Other smaller projects include the local presence of international content delivery networks to provide better access results for popular sites such as YouTube and Facebook.
These investments were made with a clear strategy in mind, embracing all of Melita’s services and include the rollout of a public wi-fi solution, according to Mr Montanaro.
“Melita has embraced convergence and will continue to go down the IP trail. The fixed platform in use by Melita is already classified as an NGA (Next Generation Access) network and there is sufficient spectrum on Melita’s HFC (hybrid fiber-coax) network to cater for all the services without them interfering with each other.
“On wireless, we started tests about a year ago on delivering a next-generation wi-fi solution in Malta. These tests have been successfully concluded and we shall shortly be announcing our partners and rollout schedule for this project. The solution to be delivered will leverage the capacity and quality of the Melita fixed broadband network to provide wireless internet services that will significantly enhance our current 3G wireless products.”
Developments are the order of the day in the ICT industry and Melita is conscious of the fact that Malta has EU targets to reach too.
The cable industry is already working on a new standard, DOSCIS 3.1, that is intended to enable speeds of up to 10 gigabits/second download and one gigabit/second upload. This is happening while the EU Digital Agenda expects all EU member states to achieve a penetration of at least half of internet subscriptions having speeds of 100 mbps or more before 2020.
“We look forward to working hand in hand with the Malta Communications Authority and the Government to continue to successfully facilitate access to ultra-high speed broadband at good value,” concluded Melita’s CTO.