MCA's new TeleCosts service will let consumers compare telecoms services' cost and features

A new service by the MCA, entitled TeleCosts, is expected to lead to a stronger telecom service for consumers, operators and the industry.

The service will provide information tools on the bundled packages available on the market, for a better-informed choice.

When visiting the website www.telecosts.com, consumers can conveniently compare all local tariff plans available for mobile telephony, fixed telephony, internet, as well as bundled services for telephony, internet and TV. Consumers can filter the options in the telecommunication services in accordance with their personal needs. Consumers are then provided with a list of the cheapest services offered on the market, in accordance to their preferences and needs.

MCA CEO Jesmond Bugeja said the TeleCosts service will be useful in helping consumers get the most value out of their chosen service plan, by providing transparent, up-to-date and comparable information by all local service providers.

Economy minister Silvio Schembri said government’s vision for the Malta Communications Authority should lead Malta to having a more inclusive digital society, where the benefits of digital technology are felt by society at large.

He said that the MCA had invested heavily in monitoring and training facilities in the field of telecommunications, including a state-of-the-art system with monitoring facilities strategically located around the island, over a period of three years.

Malta currently benefits from three mobile telephony network providers offering 4.5G services nationwide, with one of the operators already investing in 5G-ready infrastructure.

Schembri said that, following the success of the ‘eBiznify’ project in recent years through which almost 200 micro and SMEs have been trained, the MCA will continue to invest more in this e-commerce online training programme. It would also be investing an additional €90 thousand to attract an even wider audience over the next year.

He stressed the importance of strong connectivity, especially for an island like Malta which depends on interaction with Europe and international markets, to remain competitive.

“The success we have achieved in the Maltese economy would never have been possible if it were not for the advanced infrastructure of the telecommunications sector,” he said. “I will give priority to the communications industry that supports any other industry. This is particularly true at a time when we are looking at the diversification of the Maltese economy into technologically advanced sectors.”

Schembri said the telecommunications infrastructure in Malta was the most developed in Europe. In fact, in the “Digital Economy and Society Index 2020” issued by the European Commission, Malta ranks among the top five countries in Europe in terms of digital progress, in particular on the use of broadband, the internet capability, and the integration of digital technology by local businesses.

In view of the changing needs of consumers, the MCA regularly monitors electronic communications to identify the main trends shaping the market. In its most recent data collection exercise for Q3 2020, the MCA recorded a total of 211,060 fixed broadband subscriptions as of September 2020, which translates into a 5.4% increase over the year before.

Meanwhile, with nearly 19,000 new takeovers from the previous quarter, mobile subscriptions reached 635,040 by the end of the reporting period.