Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1236030
16.04.2020 5 NEWS THE way in which people in Malta use communications services has undergone un- precedented change in the month since the first Covid-19 case was confirmed. Data from March which has been released by Melita, highlights dramatic changes across all of the company's services with fixed call min- utes increasing by over 60 per cent, internet use grow- ing 70%, and the number of people watching TV rising by 42%. Simon Montanaro, Chief Technical Officer at Melita Limited, said that the corona- virus pandamic has brought unprecedented changes to people's lives acround the world, including Malta. "As thousands stay safe at home, more and more people resort to the internet for work, to TV for entertainment and to voice calls to stay in touch," he said. "Connectivity is criti- cal right now as so many peo- ple rely on it to keep them connected to work, school, families and for access to in- formation." Among the most interesting trends is the return to the use of home landlines where the number of calls during peak hours has risen by 97%. Not only is the number of fixed line calls increasing but so is their duration with the total number of call minutes rising 70% and the average call time increasing by 28%. At the same time, mobile use has also increased with the number of call minutes grow- ing 29% and calls lasting 26% longer. An 18% rise in use of mobile data has also been re- corded. With so many people work- ing from home, children away from school, and an amplified exigency for information, the increase in internet usage has also been noticeable. Overall usage is heavier with uploads increasing tenfold, re- flecting the fact the many peo- ple are working from home, but also peak hours have in- creased from the evening and now extending throughout the day. Significant increases have also been recorded in the use of home wi-fi. e extended periods of time which peo- ple are spending at home has resulted in an increase in the number of people watching TV, and the amount of hours watched. Total daily hours, in- cluding use of interactive TV services such as catch up and record have increased by 19%. "Despite this additional de- mand on all of our services, Melita's networks continue to perform very well and we're proud to have completely avoided any congestion so far," Montanaro said. "We utilised contingencies and accelerated our planned capacity upgrades, so even though we continue to expe- rience higher demands we expect to remain capable of delivering services reliably to all our customers." Stay-at-home rules lead to shift in use of communications services FROM PAGE 1 54-year-old Pace was buried under the rubble of her home after it collapsed in Triq Joseph Abela Scolaro, on 2 March in Hamrun. Pace's house was right next door to a building site which was being excavated at the time. Her body was found hours after the collapse by the Civil Protection Department. e four accused - 36 year-old architect Roderick Camilleri of Rabat, Site Technical Officer, 72, Perit Anthony Mangion of Gzira, 37 year-old contractor Ludwig Dimech from Zebbug and a 42 year-old workman, Nicholas Spiteri from Mqab- ba - appeared before Magis- trate Natasha Galea Sciberras charged with negligently caus- ing Pace's death. is charge carries a maximum punish- ment of four years in jail. Camilleri, Mangion and Di- mech are also charged with making a false declaration to the authorities. Perit Mangion was accused of being absent from a site where dangerous works were being carried out. e prosecution asked that the accused's warrants be revoked. e four are also facing other lesser charges, that primarily carry fines. Dimech alone is also accused of recidivism. e original inquiry into the accident was held by Magis- trate Claire Stafrace Zammit. Prosecuting Inspectors Rob- ert Vella and Matthew Galea told the court how the accused had been among several people arrested after the collapse. Po- lice bail had been granted until the magisterial inquiry into the incident had concluded. Police had pressed charges after col- lecting evidence. e accused had been giv- en police bail "5 or 6 times" he said and had not given any trouble whilst on police bail. e court ordered the charges to be read out. All four accused men pleaded not guilty to the charges. Bail was requested. Inspector Vella said that while it was true that the men had cooperated with the police whilst on police bail, conditions must reflect the na- ture of the case. "One must understand the present situation we are living in and that some of the accused are vulnerable and this must be taken into account. But al- though the prosecution is not objecting to bail, we must bear in mind that we have a person who lost her life and the seri- ous charges at hand. Today's catchphrase is 'stay home, stay safe'," said the inspector, point- ing out the irony of the fact that the victim was killed in her own home. e evidence was preserved, argued the lawyers. e court granted the men bail, noting that two of the ac- cused were already prohibited from leaving home during the COVID-19 pandemic for med- ical reasons. Camilleri and Mangion were granted bail against a deposit of €1,500 and a personal guar- antee of €7,500. Dimech was released against a deposit of €1,500 and personal guarantee of €8,500 in view of his crimi- nal record. Spiteri was granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €9,000. Lawyers Alfred Abela, Arthur Azzopardi and Rene Darmanin are defence counsel to Archi- tects Roderick Camilleri and Anthony Mangion. Lawyers Michael Sciriha, Roberto Montalto and Franco Galea defended Ludwig Di- mech. Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri appeared for Nicholas Spiteri. Lawyers Joe Giglio, David Bonello and Stefano Filletti are appearing parte civile for the Pace family and owners of ad- jacent properties. MDA welcomes court action e Malta Developers As- sociation welcomed the court action and commended the speedy process that led to the arraignments. "Without entering into the merits of this specific case or the responsibility of those ar- raigned, as that is the court's remit which should be com- pletely respected, the MDA hopes that full justice is served in the shortest possible time," Marthese Portelli, MDA direc- tor general said. e MDA said that the var- ious amendments in the law made last summer, following similar accidents, the compe- tent authorities and the courts now had "sound, precise and established parameters" to de- termine responsibility in such accidents. Accused in Myriam Pace case granted bail Carmel Pace (centre), the widower of victim Miriam Pace exiting court with his lawyers Joe Giglio and David Bonello