Following a tender process, the Malta Information Technology Agency has entered into a three-year agreement with Vodafone Malta Ltd for the provision of internet bandwidth and routing services to meet the continuous growing demand of internet bandwidth within government and state schools.

MITA has been acting as government’s internet service provider (ISP) since the mid-1990s, procuring internet bandwidth and routing services from local carriers and repackaging it with value added services, such as web filters, prior to providing it to public service users and state school students.

The agency explained in a statement that the global internet backbone is comprised of tier 1 internet carriers and Vodafone’s service will make use of one of these carriers. Apart from enhancing the quality of its bandwidth, through this agreement MITA will be doubling the internet bandwidth currently provided to government and schools, where it supports approximately 16,500 public service users and over 30,000 students across all state schools.

MITA said the performance enhancement and increase in bandwidth for state schools is a central element in government’s smart learning strategy which, from an infrastructural standpoint, is now approaching completion. The bandwidth enhancement caters also for the growing number of public officers making use of the internet as a business tool, hence strongly reaffirming government’s belief that appropriate access to the internet at a high performance and good quality is an enabler and an invaluable tool in today’s workplace, including within the public service.

This agreement will also increase local internet bandwidth and enable faster access to government’s portals and all the e-government services hosted by MITA.

MITA’s chairman, Claudio Grech said that such an enhancement in government’s internet services was the next logical step for the agency. “Having a high-speed and secure internet bandwidth is necessary for the implementation and delivery of bandwidth-intensive applications within government’s core operations. It also allows us to start laying the foundations for the rollout of a new generation of e-government services together with the strong vertical deployments of e-learning and e-health.”

Inaki Berroeta, Vodafone Malta Ltd chief executive officer, said: “Collaborating with MITA in its drive to propel the e-government proposition falls squarely within Vodafone Malta’s commitment to be a leading player in developing further the fabric of Malta’s knowledge economy. We are also thrilled that our infrastructure will be used by thousands of school children, and that it will ultimately carry different learning tools that will further entice them into their learning experiences and contribute towards their self-actualisation.”