The telecommunications company Go will be obliged to provide the infrastructure to allow internet access at speeds of 4Mbps across the island, according to a proposal published by the Malta Communications Authority.
In the document, open for consultation until June 1, the MCA says access to electronic communication networks and services is such an “essential part of life” that without it, people would be unable to take part in various activities, risking “social exclusion”.
Sixty-five per cent of the population uses the internet, with 96 per cent of youths and children regularly accessing the internet from home, according to the authority’s statistics for 2010.
Go, which is so far being considered the universal service provider, will not be required to give an internet connection itself but only to provide the infrastructure necessary to provide a 4Mbps connection, which is a speed that 98.5 per cent of internet users on the island have.
After the company protested to the MCA, saying it would not be feasible to have 100 per cent coverage, the authority said that in exceptional cases, the minimum speed should not be less than 2 Mbps.
The company is not required to use a particular kind of technology for network access, meaning it can opt for wireless technology if it deems this best.
When consulted, however, the local telecoms giant protested that the base speed of 4Mbps was “overambitious, unrealistic and unattainable universally”.
It also noted that the speed of its minimum service was a low 1Mbps and that to have 100 per cent of fixed lines capable of those speeds “would require a significant number of years and substantial investment”. It would divert funds from other initiatives and impose costs which were an “unfair burden”.
Meanwhile, competitor Melita agreed that the speed proposed was viable.
The document provides for another company to assume the role of universal service provider if a suitable offer was made.
Access to communication technology is increasingly being seen as a right and not an option, with the United Nations pushing for it to be recognised as a human right and a high court in France ruling that internet access was a basic human right. Estonia, Finland and Greece also recognise access to internet as a human right.
On the occasion of world telecommunications day yesterday, the International Telecommunications Union called for rural communities to be provided with access to technology so that they would not fall behind.