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Broadband wireless access (BWA) is set to be experimentally operational by the end of the year, and its rollout is expected to cover large parts of the Maltese islands as of next year.
BWA or WiMax, is a technology aimed at providing high-speed wireless access to data networks, and is equivalent to wired broadband technologies such as ADSL or cable modems.
The network, practically identical to Wi-Fi but on a wider exterior platform, is able to support triple play services like internet, voice and video applications, making it possible for anyone to log into email accounts anywhere around the country through his cellphone network.
ISP consortium Cellcom Limited, Mobisle Communications Ltd (Go Mobile) and Vodafone Malta Ltd, have been granted licenses by the Malta Communications Authority to roll-out the latest technology, and are currently awaiting standard certification of the technology platforms in development by major telecom manufacturers.
The news about the imminent roll-out of ‘WiMax’ technology for Malta, considered to be the new 4G platform, was revealed through a series of meetings held last week in Malta between US experts from the Department of Commerce and local key players in the sector.
Speaking to Business Today at the end of a ‘Doing Business with the US’ seminar organised by the US Embassy, expert and researcher Joe Burton from the US Department of Commerce in Washington stated that Malta’s advanced state of legislation and technology based preparedness, wins it the right credentials to start being considered as a test bed for new technology roll-out.
While he points out that not many in the US know about the potential Malta has to offer in this sector, he is aware of a certain interest that major US technology firms are starting to show in the island.
“It is a very exciting time for Malta,” he says in an interview with Business Today, and encourages Maltese businessmen to tap into the resources offered by the US Department of Trade in Washington to connect with potential business partners, and most of all strengthen the existing ties between the two countries. |
