Go’s recently announced multi-million investment in its mobile network, which is part of the €100 million that Go is committed to investing over a six year period, shows the company’s commitment to improve its services, Go’s chief technical officer, Michael Mertsch, tells the Times Business.
Yes, I am certain that this €100 million investment will take place
“We are placing a huge emphasis on the quality of our services. Since we launched our mobile services we have continuously upgraded our equipment and there was really a need to change to a new generation of technology, which is what is happening now,” the German engineer says.
Go will soon be able to offer faster mobile broadband and more reliable voice services to its subscribers. It is revamping its existing GSM and 3G networks through the replacement of the current infrastructure and doubling the number of base stations to provide high quality network and reliable voice and mobile data connections, both indoors and outdoors.
He explains: “We are replacing the radio network we have right now, and a lot will be offered to our mobile subscribers in terms of data and 3G, besides the traditional services. This will go hand in hand with the expansion for coverage which will be more reliable. We will get better signals and services in buildings where previously we didn’t get the service we wished for.”
This particular investment makes up about 10 – 20 per cent of the total investment programme over the six year period, which also include plans to upgrade Go’s fixed line service.
Nokia Siemens Networks, a leading global enabler of telecommunications services, was chosen for this particular project. The company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology and is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world.
“We had been looking at various suppliers, and we went through a thorough investigation of all the candidates, where we considered technical aspects, commercial aspects and their references, and we came to the conclusion that Nokia would be our preferred partner,” he says.
Mr Mertsch says the demand in Malta for improved data services is very high and this partly explains why Go is investing so much money in upgrading its broadband services.
“Customers are moving towards more sophisticated devices. Right now smartphones account for about 20 per cent of our phones and demand is growing. Looking ahead to the coming years, our infrastructure will have to be able to be upgraded, to accommodate bigger bandwidths.”
He says will Go’s mobile operations will be “among the top” in Europe when this upgrade has been completed. “We will be the leading network in Malta with our new network, we will really be using the latest available systems in the market,” he points out.
He explains: “Go’s customers will now have improved coverage and we will have the widest possible reach. There are pockets where we can’t reach at the moment and in some areas our main competitor, Vodafone, has the upper hand, but overall we hope to have a situation where our system will be able to provide a strong signal to more and more areas.
“There will also be an immediate improvement in transmission speed. Today we have a moderate throughput which is acceptable if you are in a static environment, but we need an improvement in certain areas such as if you are on the move, for example in a car, and with this new upgrade we will jump to a bandwidth of 7.2 megabits which is a very tangible improvement for customers.”
Mr Mertsch says there are a number of different areas where the company is moving ahead. “Mobile of course is one focal point, but Go is providing four different business areas, and we have been investing in all these areas. In the mobile sector the upgrade of the RAN and mobile core is not the only thing we are doing, we are replacing and upgrading additional components, like for instance our message centre for SMS, and voicemail, where we are going to carry out upgrades and replacements.
“In fixed line we are moving towards implementing new technologies by a gradual replacement of the existing aging customer axis structure, with a more modern digital system which is less vulnerable against any environmental impact. In terms of internet access we intend to provide a much better broadband connectivity to customers. We are also at an advanced stage of the so called 1.5 kilometre project, which will be 70 per cent complete by the end of the year, a project where we can offer customers at least 16 to 20 megabit in access and fibre very close to houses.”
Go also intends to start providing direct fibre access to households and businesses, and the company already has a scheme where businesses that need a higher bandwidth are being provided with fibre.
“We are working on a programme for certain localities, to literally roll out fibre connectivity,” he points out. He says Go had a good response to its TV service, and its offer of new features, such as the storing and recording of programmes, has been appreciated by customers.
“There was a slight slowdown in August, which is to be expected but things picked up again in September and we are preparing ourselves for a major rush,” he says about Go’s new TV subscribers.
Asked if he was confident that the €100 million investment by Go will materialise, he answers emphatically: “Yes, I am certain that this €100 million investment will take place”.
Mr Mertsch has worked in the telecoms business for 25 years, mainly with mobile and fixed operators. He has been based in Asia, Europe and Africa. Before joining Go he was based in Romania.