The Malta Communications’ Authority has issued International Connectivity Regulations to ensure that local internet and mobile phone service providers have contingency plans in case of faults developed in submarine cables.

The regulations come after, last year, two faults with submarine cables for internet bandwidth connectivity interrupted communication on the island.

Malta’s economy is evermore dependant of international connectivity and faults to submarine cables, linking Malta to Sicily, negatively impact businesses and consumers, MCA chairman Philip Micallef said this morning.

The gaming industry, that can not afford any interruptions to their service, use up 50 per cent of Malta’s international bandwidth, Communications’ Minister Austin Gatt added.

The regulations were issued after consultation with the main players and are aimed to ensure that service providers were thinking ahead by ensuring that can a contingency plan, extra bandwidth and were willing to help out competitors in case of a fault. Failure in reaching such measures would result in a penalty.

He stressed that the authority preferred it if arrangements were made between service providers but, given the economical impact of such faults, the need for regulation was felt.

Due to Malta’s position, at the southern-most tip of the EU, over the past months Malta had been trying to persuade the EU commission to allow the government to incentivise companies interested in entering the market.

By the end of this year Malta will have four submarine cables linking it to Sicily. Go has two, one to Catania and another one set up in December to Mazara del Valleo. Vodafone has one link to Catania and Melita is in the process of linking up with Pozzallo. Mr Gatt added that he was informed that another provider was interested in setting up a cable in Malta but did not reveal more.