[attach id=269779 size="medium"][/attach]
We have achieved a lot but we still need to do more to exploit the true potential of digital technologies to render our lives even better, according to the new so-called ‘digital champion’ for Malta.
Godfrey Vella was appointed as Malta’s focal point for digital initiatives a few weeks ago and in an exclusive interview with i-Tech he shares his views on the opportunities and challenges of the digital society in Malta.
“There are a number of indicat-ors which place us in a good position in EU rankings. One example is internet penetration in households. Enterprises on the whole are persuaded on the value of the use of IT. We have a pretty good telecoms infrastructure and we are committed to making extens-ive use of ICT in all layers of our educational system.
“However, there are still areas where we lag behind. Industry needs to be more innovative in the use of digital technologies and we need to dramatically improve the quality and take-up of e-government services. When it comes to research and innovation Malta lags considerably.
“In general, I feel that we still need to understand better how digital technologies can be used to solve this country’s problems.”
The idea for each EU country to have a digital champion was launched last year when Europ-ean Commission President José Manuel Barroso wrote to EU member states asking them to appoint a digital champion to act as a focal point for actions to promote e-inclusion, eliminate the digital divide and help make the European digital single market a reality.
Each champion works with citizens, communities and businesses to exploit the growth potential of the digital economy. They can do this in many ways: by helping individuals to enhance their IT skills, by ensuring that the public sector becomes more efficient and customer-friendly and by helping businesses to embrace new technologies which will allow them to be more productive and competitive at home and across borders.
The champions share similar challenges across Europe, and by keeping in contact they support the EU in exploiting digital technologies.
Mr Vella is a veteran of the IT industry in Malta, having held senior positions in the private sector and contributed to national ICT policy formulation. He is now a board member of the Malta Communications Authority.
“I still remember 5MB drives that weighed over 100 kilos and cost more than a brand-new car, and dial-up modems that struggled at 1,200 bits per second. And of course a world without internet or mobile phones. One thing I have noticed though is that it is a continual process of evolution. In general, I think that in the last decade the use of digital techno-logies in Malta has been following pretty closely trends in the rest of the world.”
Despite Malta’s efforts and progress in recent years, around 29 per cent of the Maltese population has never used internet.
“This is way worse than the EU average. So clearly we have to do more. However, let us recognise that considerable effort is already being expended in that direction. The main problem really lies in getting those who are 50+ to take advantage of digital technologies. I think the answers lie in more coordinated effort among all stakeholder entities, the use of all possible media channels to get the awareness and skills across and the creation of content that can interest all generations. It is a shame, for example, that we still do not have a spell checker in the Maltese language,” laments Mr Vella.
One area where significant investment is expected in the coming years is ultra-fast broadband internet access, both wired and wireless, to keep up with the pace of other European countries. Malta’s digital champion is optimistic about it.
“We are getting there. Broadband access speeds to the home keep getting faster and faster. Fibre rollout to the premises is set to increase and I am sure that we will be seeing wireless 4G technologies in the near future and much more public Wi-Fi. Of course we must strive to ensure that these investments in higher broadband speeds actually translate into tangible benefits. The actual investment for rollout of Next Generation Access should be left up to the private sector. But Government has a key role to play in at least ensuring a level playing field and removing any bureaucratic obstacles that lie in the way of Next Generation Access implementation and even providing direct aid to speed up network deployment if there are signs of market failure.”
At the end of the day it’s not a question of getting better internet speed, faster computers, better e-government services, and more people using internet. The Maltese digital champion wants to see a radical shift in the way we look at technology in our lives.
“Ultimately the only worthwhile objective in using digital technologies should be to help us lead better, more productive and fulfilling lives.
“I think there a few key thrusts that we need to focus on. We still need to work to make the telecoms services more affordable and more in line with European pricing, and I feel we need some bold approaches here such as more willingness on the part of oper-ators to share infrastructure. But the basics are fine. Education, instilling skills and raising awareness are obviously crucial.
“But I feel that we still need to make a fundamental shift in the way we look at digital techno-logies. Our perception of IT is still too keyboard- and screen-oriented. We still need to grasp better how digital technologies can change the fundamentals of a lot of what we do and of how they can help us find dramatically-different and better solutions to the problems and challenges we face.
“Issues related to health care, ageing, governance, crime prevention, transport and climate change – these can all be addressed more imaginatively with ICTs. I hope that, with many others, as digital champion I will play some small role in achieving this,” concluded Mr Vella.