Go has welcomed recent developments at a regulatory level which should facilitate the rollout of ultra-fast broadband internet access to Maltese homes, known as fibre-to-the-home (FTTH). Furthermore it is willing to allow third parties to use its upgraded fibre network to provide their data services within a “fair” framework.
In an interview with i-Tech, Go’s chief technical officer, Kelvin Camenzuli, reveals the company’s plans in this regard and the extent of the technical upgrade which the company has gone through in the past months to be in a better position to cater for the ever-increasing communication needs of the country.
“Go is greatly encouraged by recent developments, both at EU level, and with the pace at which the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) is reacting to these changes. Commissioner Nellie Kroes has indeed made a number of positive statements on both the regulatory approach and the pricing of services to third parties who use the FTTH infrastructure.
With every new network element introduced, engineers and system specialists undergo extensive training to ensure there is full local support in case an issue occurs
“Last September the Commission also published a recommendation on the treatment of broadband investment which provides much better visibility and security to investors. These are heartening signals of a clear break from the previously rigid stance on regulation.
“The recent interview in i-Tech with the chairman of the MCA, Edward Woods also made reassuring reading. His specific reference to the EU recommendation, and his vision of the MCA’s role as a facilitator and motivator, as well as a regulator, is also worthy of note. We believe that Maltese businesses and consumers stand to benefit once sustainable and fair investment programmes in FTTH are encouraged,” Mr Camenzuli said.
Go has already rolled out its FTTH service to a large part of Sliema and Lija to conduct an extensive field test.
“Obviously, the pace at which we can roll out FTTH could change considerably when the current positive signals translate into clear policy decisions. Go does not object to allowing third parties to offer their services over its network. But this has to be done within a framework that is fair, that takes the local competitive situation into account and that is not overly burdensome on the company that is putting in the investment to create the network in the first place.”
The company’s chief technical officer revealed that 2013 has been a “transformational” year at Go, when it partnered with leading telecommunications equipment providers and embarked upon a technology-refresh programme. This will ensure that its current key networks will be kept updated with the latest technology developments for the next five to seven years, thus giving the company the opportunity to invest in new technologies.
The company has signed a major technology refresh agreement with Ericsson which is currently upgrading the fixed line core network; it has also invested in two new data centres in Mosta and Żejtun, updated its electrical power systems across various sites and improved the resiliency of the international submarine cables joining Malta to Sicily and mainland Europe.
Mobile internet is another area where investment through Alcatel Lucent should provide better speeds and a smoother customer experience. Mobile transmission stations are no longer connected through microwave links but are linked up via fibre cables.
“Thanks to this superior level of connectivity, we have eliminated bottlenecks in the mobile backhaul network. This allows us to offer a mobile internet experience that is difficult for our competitors to match while they continue to use copper or microwave backhaul networks. This is the fundamental building block of a true 4G network experience,” Mr Camenzuli insisted.
Go has also contracted a major upgrade to its intelligent network platform and carried out a major upgrade on billing and order management systems to be able to provide better commercial offers and a better customer experience. A new fraud management platform was also deployed last September.
“With every new network element we introduce, our engineers and system specialists undergo extensive training to ensure we have full local support in case an issue occurs. Over and above that, we then contract major companies like Alcatel, Ericsson, Cisco or NSN to provide us with 24x7 support to assist our teams in case of need. We have a very clear plan of investment across all four areas of service we provide and we are committed to providing holistic, hassle-free entertainment and communications. Expect to hear plenty of exciting news in the months ahead,” Go’s chief technical officer concluded.