Malta boasts 34 broadband connections per 100 inhabitants, significantly above the EU average, according to an annual report on the state of the telecommunications markets in 2013.
The European Commission report states that, in July last year, fixed broadband penetration in Malta rose by 1.6 percentage points to reach 33.8 per cent, higher than the 29.4 per cent EU average.
Brussels lauded Malta for achieving two important targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe in the broadband sector. Apart from having a nationwide basic broadband service, all Maltese customers have access to a speed of at least 30Mbps. While the EU has set such a target for 2020, Malta connections of up to 100Mbps are already available in all regions of the island.
The report also gives an indication of the market shares of the three major telecommunication companies. GO and Melita together have 97 per cent of the fixed broadband market, with both operators neck and neck, each with about 48.5 per cent of subscribers.
In the mobile market, Vodafone retained its strong position with a share of 49 per cent. It is the only operator offering 4G services in selected areas, planning to extend its coverage further.
Melita, which entered the market in 2009, had a share of 13 per cent. Its venture in mobile telephony led to a considerable drop in the cost of domestic calls.
The report noted that 79 per cent of the contracts in the mobile market were prepaid.
In the traditional fixed-line telephony sector, GO remained the largest operator with 70 per cent of subscribers. However, at the end of last year, 73 per cent of all voice calls originated from mobile networks and the trend is likely to continue.
The introduction of Voice over IP, some 10 years ago, which led to cheaper international calls, did not have a significant impact on fixed telephony services.
The report referred to initiatives taken by the communications watchdog, through which consumers could obtain free advice on which telecommunications package best suited them by logging on to the telecosts. com website.
From a business perspective, revenues and investment in the electronic communications sector dropped slightly in 2012 in line with the general trend within the EU.
On the other hand, there was a slight increase in investment in the mobile market, the Brussels report noted.
Malta Communications Authority chairman Edward Woods welcomed the findings, saying the report made a very positive assessment of the work done on the regulatory front.