In the past year, Malta has continued to make "significant" strides in all-important indicators related to the information society, despite the global downturn, Communciations Minister Austin Gatt told the second Malta Communications Authority's eCommerce Forum on Friday.
Dr Gatt pointed out that in the eGovernment stakes, Malta was ranked second in the EU, while the World Economic Forum had ranked the government 10th in the world in terms of ICT readiness. Malta was also a leader in eCommerce.
The minister warned that there was still more to be done to facilitate investment in ICT: "We must continue to have the foresight to attract emerging ICT industries to our shores - mobile commerce and mobile banking services are two of the areas we are looking into."
He added: "In the words of the World Economic Forum, 'economies that will continue to invest wisely in these new opportunities will be the ones not only able to weather the current storm best, but to come out the strongest when the downturn subsides'."
MCA chairman Philip Micallef said the event, which aimed to provide opportunities for stakeholders to share experiences and knowledge and build partnerships to foster growth in the sector, should become a regular meeting, offering a platform for direct interaction between industry players.
He explained how last year, the government granted the MCA responsibility for implementing the eBusiness-related initiatives in the Smart Island strategy. This allowed the MCA to build synergies between its regulatory functions for the eCommerce and the electronic communications sector and its new role as facilitator for eBusiness.
He pointed out that this has allowed the MCA, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Communications, to address priority actions related to eCommerce. These include the provision of free internet hotspots, a Maltese certification scheme, financial incentives to eCommerce suppliers and awareness campaigns.
The forum also served to formally launch the MCA eCommerce guides for businesses. Celia Falzon, the MCA's chief of external relations, outlined how the guides are intended to provide essential information to any entrepreneur interested in providing eCommerce services. While focusing on online sales of goods and services, the guides also provide essential information for traders wishing to take the first steps in going online by building a website.
Ecommerce analyst Denise Borda presented the findings of the latest survey carried out by the MCA on internet and eCommerce use by individuals. Interestingly, it was found that people who regularly buy online claim that after-sales service is much more efficient than that provided through normal stores. For example, faulty items are replaced with no questions asked and complaints are dealt with more efficiently.
Consumer confidence and online dispute resolution findings were presented by lawyer Nicola Mallia on behalf of Fenech and Fenech Advocates. This was followed by first-hand accounts by three industry players' online business experience: that of Eden Leisure Group by Simon De Cesare, General Soft Drinks Ltd by Anson Aquilina and ChooseToTravel.com by Jonathan Shaw.