It’s vision, responsibility and an obligation to society that drives our networks, says Andrew De La Torre, head of technology, Vodafone Malta.
Andrew De La TorreThe internet gives us the illusion that there is an endless supply of it, that it’s free, and that our devices just source and stream it from the air. The reality, however, is that the backstage of the internet is a busy place, with people building networks to supply our increasingly insatiable demand for data.
One of these people is Andrew De La Torre, head of technology at Vodafone Malta.
“The sheer volume of data that people consume is increasing year on year,” he says. “Consumers want ubiquitous coverage: we all want a signal all the time without having to plug in. As an operator in the sector, this always-connected lifestyle brings its challenges, with the main one being to continue building networks that provide this capacity.
“Internet supply is not unlimited,” he adds. “Moreover, you cannot build a data network on the assumption that the optical fibre or wireless connection each customer is connected to will be constantly operating at its full capacity. Therefore, as demand for data increases, we need to improve our networks accordingly. Is there a limit? Probably.
However, two decades ago, no one thought that 4G was possible – it was beyond our imagination. And yet today, thanks to 4G, we already have a technology delivering download speeds of up to 150Mbps.
“That means that we can ‘always’ build something faster. Who knows – maybe one day we will have 5G and 6G. That depends on the telecommunications industry continuing to be visionary and continuing to invest heavily in research and development.”
Last year, Vodafone Malta became the first telecom operator to roll out a 4G network locally.
“4G is my proverbial baby,” De La Torre says. “Currently, we have 60 per cent population coverage and in the next few weeks, we will be adding another 10 per cent. Sometime next year, we will have full 4G coverage across the Maltese islands.
“Locally, we have good 3G networks. However, 4G is something else. It is a killer technology. Theoretically, our 4G can deliver up to 150Mbps for downloads and 75Mbps for uploads. In real terms, we have seen speeds very close to the theoretical maximum in the download, and for the upload users are more likely to experience speeds up to around 50Mbps. As broadband technologies go (fixed and wireless), this upload speed is like nothing normal consumers have been able to experience before. In fact, the market still needs to develop applications that can showcase such speed.
“When we built our 4G network, we acted on the belief of what was coming. We were visionary. Our strategy was based on the belief that the demand for data will continue growing and that 4G is the right tool for that. And we were right. With the power of our 4G network, everything is faster. You can notice the difference when browsing, downloading and uploading, and streaming video, which is the medium that is driving the demand for connectivity.
“As a part of Vodafone’s worldwide Group, we have access to speed test results from customers around the world who constantly test the quality of mobile service providers. These figures help show us how we are performing here in Malta, and we consistently see that out of 48 networks observed across Europe, Vodafone Malta’s speeds are consistently the fastest. Outside Europe, out of 29 networks, only one other gets close to us.
Our strategy was based on the belief that the demand for data will continue growing and that 4G is the right tool for that
“However 4G is not just speed for the sake of speed, it also delivers huge improvements in terms of reliability, consistency and reduced latency, which is the time delay from your mobile device to the content you are accessing on the internet. For our customers, this is translated into a much better overall data experience. I take myself as an example. In the three years that I have been living and working in Malta, I have only ever used a wireless connection. I hammer the network but it still delivers data in a consistent, reliable way. I just don’t need to plug in.
“That strengthens my personal belief that one day, the only device that we will need and use will be our mobile phone. That, of course, brings with it other challenges, such as a whole new security profile. However, we are working towards providing higher security for all our clients, including our corporate clients. For instance, we provide our corporate clients with Vodafone Secure Device Manager, which gives businesses the ability to manage their smart devices and their data in a secure manner.
“Businesses also have their concerns when working in the cloud. The cloud is a huge enabler and gives small businesses in particular the tools that in the past were financially out of their reach. Now, through access to these tools, there is the potential to see a huge positive impact on productivity and economic growth. Our responsibility is to accompany businesses on this journey and keep their data safe. In fact, we have our owndedicated data centre here in Malta that gives Vodafone added flexibility and control for supporting these kind of services on behalf of our customers.
“For other clients, we have developed another app that provides parental controls. This app empowers parents and guardians to control what devices their children use, at what time, and what content they consume. We will continue doing more because while the internet can provide an entertaining and educational experience, it can also be an unscrupulous place.”
De La Torre believes that as an operator, Vodafone’s challenge is not only to provide safe, fast and reliable networks, but also to do this in a responsible manner.
“To put it crudely, any operator would reason that the more megabytes clients download, the more euro cents in the bank account. However, we’re not just any operator. We believe we have a moral obligation to our business, our customers, and society as a whole.
That is why we need to ensure that our networks run smoothly and that we continue to protect the integrity of the services that our customers use, all within the context of delivering an excellent customer service and being a company you can trust completely.”