Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1334038
2 NEWS 28.01.2021 PAUL COCKS A new service by the MCA, entitled Tel- eCosts, is expected to lead to a stronger telecom service for consumers, operators and the industry. e service will provide information tools on the bundled packag- es available on the market, for a better-in- formed choice. When visiting the website www.tele- costs.com, consumers can conveniently compare all local tariff plans available for mobile telephony, fixed telephony, inter- net, as well as bundled services for teleph- ony, internet and TV. Consumers can fil- ter 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 prefer- ences and needs. MCA CEO Jesmond Bugeja said the TeleCosts service will be useful in help- ing 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 Com- munications 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 facil- ities 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 mo- bile telephony network providers offering 4.5G services nationwide, with one of the operators already investing in 5G-ready infrastructure. Schembri said that, following the suc- cess 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 au- dience 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 re- main competitive. "e 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. is 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 de- veloped in Europe. In fact, in the "Dig- ital 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 con- sumers, 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, mo- bile subscriptions reached 635,040 by the end of the reporting period. Minister Silvio Schembri (above) and MCA CEO Jesmond Bugeja (inset) MCA's new TeleCosts service will let consumers compare telecoms services' cost and features EXPRESS Trailers has started taking de- livery of a new fleet of refrigerated trailers to support its growing pharma and cold- chain operations. "THIS is the right time to invest because we believe the current situation will pass and when business picks up again, we need to be fully prepared," Franco Azz- opardi, Group CEO of Express Trailers, said. e first pharma trailers, acquired from one of the most established trailer build- ers in Europe specialising in the produc- tion of vehicles for the pharmaceutical industry, arrived in Malta over the past few weeks. "For many companies, these past months have not been very conducive to investment plans and most have chosen to tread with caution, opting for a more measured and contained strategy. But at Express Trailers, we know very well that when faced with a defining moment, this is an opportunity that can define us. is is why we chose to inves and gear up for the growing demands of the local cold chain market," Azzopardi said. ese trailers are equipped with the next generation cooling units and feature an all-electric design that significantly im- proves performance and efficiency with fuel savings of up to 30 per cent. eir diesel electronically controlled engine creates more efficient cold production with significant improvements in weight, noise, and vibration. "Whenever we invest in our fleet, it takes us back to our roots – back when the Vel- la brothers, upon the realisation that the world of transport and logistics was a fast paced one, sat down to decide where they wanted to go. eir agreement was unan- imous: to grow, they needed to invest in proper vehicles. Since then, investment in the fleet has always been Express Trailers' way of challenging the market forces," Az- zopardi said. "Today, investment decisions have de- veloped into a complex decision of how best to intersect excellence of service to the customer, with environmental consid- erations under our ESG (environmental, social and governance) policy, and with giving our people the best tools of trade." Express Trailers gets new refrigerated trailers DR Carl Brincat has been appointed CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority with immediate effect. Brincat is a lawyer by profession and previously held the role of Chief Legal & Enforcement Officer within the MGA. For the past four years, he formed part of the strategic direction of the Authority and its high-level regulatory Committees. He sits on the Board of the Finan- cial Intelligence Analysis Unit, and is a member of the Chamber of Advo- cates (Malta), the International Mas- ters of Gaming law (IMGL), and the International Association of Gam- bling Regulators (IAGR), and has also been a regular speaker in local and international conferences relating to gaming and international regulatory issues. New MGA CEO Carl Brincat