Melita's broadband internet subscriptions rose by almost 35 per cent in a year, helping it to retain the biggest share of the market, figures for the first six months of this year show.

According to Malta Communications Authority statistics, the company enjoyed almost 52 per cent of the broadband market, with 48,437 cable connections.

Go's retail arm was second most popular, with just over 36 per cent of the market share, or 33,732 DSL (digital subscriber line) connections.

Independent internet service providers shared the remaining 10 per cent, or 9,198 DSL connections.

Meanwhile, WiMAX operator Vodafone holds just over two per cent, or 2,038 connections.

As Melita and Go continued to capture more subscriptions, those with other DSL ISPs have gradually decreased over the past two years, MCA figures show.

Broadband refers to connections which are always online and have a speed of 144 kbps or more.

Internet subscriptions at the end of June totalled 96,667, an increase of almost one per cent over the previous quarter.

While broadband connections increased by 1,416, dial-up connections registered a fall of 651.

Nigel Curmi, Melita's head of information technology, noted that customers are more aware of the importance of having reliable, fast internet connections. The demand for higher internet speeds continues to be driven by convergence in technology. The more customers satisfy their requirements over the internet, the more speed they require, he added.

Melita recently announced a €10 million investment in a 100-kilometre fibre optic submarine cable linking Malta to Sicily. It expects to commission the link next year, increasing the island's capacity for international connectivity and improving reliability.