Vodafone Malta

Vodafone Malta Limited (formerly operating as Telecell), is a Maltese mobile network operator and a subsidiary of the British multinational telecommunications provider Vodafone. Vodafone Malta is the largest mobile operator in Malta by number of customers.^[1] The company offers a full range of Voice, SMS and mobile Data services over 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ networks.

History

Vodafone Malta was set up in 1989 and initially traded under the name Telecell Limited. The very first mobile call was made on the Vodafone Malta network in 1990 whilst the first GSM call was made in 1997. Vodafone Malta's international gateway was launched in 2004 making it the first company in Malta to offer resilience and backup on international connectivity to the local business community. The international gateway spans approximately 250 km between Malta and Catania carrying three main types of traffic: Internet, Voice and Data. During August 2006, Vodafone was the first mobile network operator to deploy 3G followed by the launch of HSDPA for high speed data transmission in December 2006. In June 2007, Vodafone Malta launched fixed broadband based on WiMax technologies.

In 2008, Vodafone opened its Mobile Network to Virtual Network Operators. This was made possible through an agreement with ASPIDER Solutions. One of the virtual operators using the Vodafone network is Redtouch Fone.^[2] In 2010, Vodafone added another first when it announced the launch of an even faster mobile data service with nationwide download speeds of 14.4Mbit/s. In 2012, another first for Malta was launched by Vodafone. The new 21.6Mbit/s HSPA capability was launched live across all of Vodafone's coverage area. Vodafone started also rolling out the very latest 42Mbit/s capability across key areas and high traffic sites on its network.^[3] Vodafone Malta announced its roll out of a 4G network in October 2013.^[4] It is the first mobile operator in Malta with an operating 4G network and in June 2017 Vodafone Malta has announced 4G+.

In 2017, Vodafone became the first network to introduce superfast 4.5G to the Maltese islands, making it the country’s fastest network. The new technology allows for the downloading of data at unprecedented speeds – 33 per cent faster than any other network available in Malta and Gozo – at 300Mbps.

Head Office

Vodafone Malta's head office is located in SkyParks Business Centre, at the Malta International Airport. Vodafone also operates a number of retail outlets across the Maltese Islands offering a range of customer services. On 11 November 2014, Vodafone opened its first destination store in Malta. The store occupies 417 sq metres and is situated on the Birkirkara Bypass.^[5]

Vodafone Malta Foundation

The Vodafone Malta Foundation was set up in 2003 and is an entirely separate entity from Vodafone Malta's commercial organisation. The Foundation focuses on supporting projects that make a difference to the Maltese Community. Its prime objective is to partner up with NGOs and co-create, support and fund projects that fall under the Connecting for Good Programme. The aim of this programme is to harness the power of innovative mobile technology to bring about social change. The Chairperson of the Foundation was Gemma Mifsud Bonnici until 2015. The current Chairman is Michel Macelli.

References