Today’s Newspaper Cuttings
24 April 2015
Today’s online news Maltatoday.com.mt Melita launches “The One” pay monthly plan – Melita Direct
Timesofmalta.com 4G rather than Wi-Fi “no brainer” – Nelson – Vodafone Direct Vodafone introduces web chat – Vodafone Direct GRTU and ministry clash over eco-tax removal - Issues
Vodafone in the news
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Vodafone Direct timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 €230.00
Thursday, April 23, 2015, 00:01
4G rather than Wi-Fi ‘no-brainer ’ – Nelson
The choice to invest in 4G rather than Wi-Fi was a “no-brainer” as there was no comparison between the two technologies, the chief executive officer of Vodafone Malta Amanda Nelson said. “Nowhere in the Vodafone Group have we implemented Wi-Fi, and for very good reasons. “4G is extremely high speed, between two and 10 times faster than public Wi-Fi according to our measurements. “People think about home Wi-Fi which is shared with just a few people and which is relatively secure. It is very different with public Wi-Fi, which is not always secure. There is no password and since you cannot control how many people are going to be using it at any point in time, the oper-ators cannot give any kind of guarantee on speed. “Of course, the closer you are to where the Wi-Fi is transmitted, the better the signal, as with any technology, but the difference is more extreme with Wi-Fi than with mobile,” she said, adding that for people on the move, the experience with Wi-Fi was not as seamless as it would be for mobile. Vodafone realised it had to act fast to ensure that the (4G) service did not get a bad name when people received their bills
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Vodafone Direct timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 €230.00
“Another thing that people overlook is that when you open up people’s home Wi-Fi to public use, you are still using their electricity! I don’t think anyone has ever asked for their permission as it is all in the terms and conditions!” Vodafone Malta introduced 4G 18 months ago and is still the only operator offering the service – at present covering 70 per cent of the country. “I can assure you that it is the right 70 per cent,” she smiled, noting that the most densely populated areas had been covered. “I cannot tell you exactly when the remaining 30 per cent will be covered, as that is commercially sensitive, but we will be going for 100 per cent nationwide coverage.” The shift to 4G took many by surprise as the quantum shift in speed – five to 10 times faster than 3G – meant they could consume considerably more data – even though they may have been browsing for the same length of time. “For example, You Tube videos load faster, so you can watch more of them,” she explained. This generated a number of complaints when people received their bills, but Vodafone realised that it had to act fast to ensure that the service did not get a bad name. “People are afraid of bill shock with data, much more so than with voice where they know what a call will cost. However, the reality is that 90 per cent or more of those who use 4G are within their bundles and were not paying anything extra. We do appreciate that if you make data easier for customers to use you need to adapt your pricing and way of charging for it. “We have seen data growing not just this year but also in previous years, including with 3G, and we have been adapting as we went along,” she said. Vodafone Malta tackled the issue in four ways: lower rates; notifications about usage; larger allowances for business users; and an educational campaign. It introduced 80 per cent lower rates for out-of-bundle usage of just €2 for 100MB – a few days’ worth for the average user – and whereas before notifications were sent only when people had reached 80 per cent and then 100 per cent of their usage, they are now being sent one after each €10 extra has been run up. “While we were developing the automated notifications, we were actually calling people if they were coming to the end of their bundle, and adjusting their pricing manually,” she said. For heavy users they also brought out large add-on bundles, while the Red business tariffs also include hefty data allowances: the Red Premium allows 5GB of data and the Enterprise tariffs up to 8GB. Ivan Zammit, the head of the Enterprise Business Unit, said business models were changing. “There has been a tremendous shift in the way businesses use fast mobile networks to mobilise their workforce and increase productivity – as well as making sure that customer care can also be given outside normal working hours. Apart from this, mobility gives employees flexibility in terms of work-life balance.”
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Vodafone Direct timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 €230.00
The education campaign is also very important, as many people are not really aware of their data usage, especially when it comes to social media. For example, Facebook videos play automatically unless the phone settings are changed, and some apps also use high-definition video as a default. Even with Whats App, there is a great difference in data usage between text, photos and videos. “This has been part of our Relax campaign. Our radio ads, brochures and website explain what you can do with 100MB and of course our staff in stores are also there to help,” he said. The changes to pricing do not apply only to 4G data: there has also been a massive reduction over the years in roaming, much of it under pressure from the European Commission. However, Ms Nelson said that some of the initiatives went beyond what had been mandated. “We offer a very low rate for roaming – not only to the EU but also a cluster of other countries where Vodafone is present, such as Australia, Egypt and so on. We also have a daily rate of €1.50 if you are in the UK or Italy. Unfortunately, there are some countries where we cannot charge a low fee as the cost to us is very high.” We have been over-investing for a few years to get 4G, and the level of investment will not drop back. I can tell you that network improvements are our top priority
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Vodafone Direct timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 €230.00
Europe is still not satisfied with the significant decrease in roaming tariffs, and there is still debate on whether the way forward will be a full ‘take your home tariff abroad’ approach or a daily allowance, although Ms Nelson believes the former is unlikely. “The reality is that our premium tariffs have really large roaming and international calling bundles so that they are worry-free for our very-high-value customers. But there are also many people who only need roaming once or twice a year who would not want to pay extra every month, which is why we believe in the daily rates,” she said. Ms Nelson admitted that the roll-out of 4G had used up more than the company’s normal annual investment, but the Vodafone Group had made a two-year global investment of billions of euro which Malta was still tapping into. “We have been over-investing for a few years to get 4G, and the level of investment will not drop back. I can tell you that network improvements are our top priority – though I cannot disclose what and when. I can tell you that IT and improving the customer experience are right up there too, around billing and online. “Another investment you will have seen this year is on the retail experience. Our new destination store in Birkirkara, with its very different look and feel, will remain the key destination store for us. We are also going to be investing in other retail outlets,” she said. Another investment which has proved to be very popular is the free upgrade to high definition for Vodafone to Vodafone voice calls – for those with the appropriate handsets – which now account for one in every five calls. “We have already had four million calls on HD Voice and since we recently also rolled it out to our 4G customers, use will grow dramatically. Customers notice the difference immediately as there is no background noise when you are speaking, which is especially good when you are in a busy place,” she said. Vodafone may already have an investment plan, but things change constantly. Recently, for example, the Malta Communications Authority launched a consultation paper on the wholesale access to Go’s planned fibre-to-the-home network. Would it interest Vodafone? “Yes, it would interest us. If you look at our strategy in Europe, Vodafone is moving from being a mobile-only operator and fibre is the most future-proof technology. So yes, we would always look at opportunities, although I cannot guarantee or commit.” Vodafone already uses fibre to provide telephony and broadband connectivity to offices and large business, Mr Zammit explained. Ms Nelson added that Malta “absolutely” needs an FTTH network as cable would not be enough to cope with customer needs – but that Go could not shoulder the burden alone. “I believe that the best way to go about this would be to have a network with fair access. Otherwise it would probably not happen fast enough as you would need more than one operator to justify building the network. We would also need a lot of government support because of the practicalities of building that sort of infrastructure in Malta. That would be our position: do it once; have some kind of independent infrastructure provider; and then compete on service,” she said.
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Vodafone Direct timesofmalta.com 24 April 2015 € 230.00
Friday, April 24, 2015, 00:01
Company briefs
Vodafone introduces web chat Customers can now get in touch with Vodafone via its new Web Chat service. Vodafone is the first mobile service provider in Malta to offer this service, which will be available every day between 8am and 10pm. Through Web Chat, customers can engage with Vodafone agents online and obtain immediate replies. “We are working to make online the first point of reference for our customers, giving them full control of their account,” Matthew Zammit, Vodafone’s digital customer experience senior executive, said. “The idea behind Web Chat is to make this experience even more seamless. Being able to chat directly with our agents, rather than having to e-mail or phone our call centre, provides a fast and effective way for customers to engage with us whenever they need to.”
Other stories in the news
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Melita Direct maltatoday.com.mt 22 April 2015 €145.00
Melita launches 'The One' pay monthly plan 22 April 2015, 12:09pm
Melita launched ’The One’ - a new mobile pay monthly plan aimed at giving customers the best value and peace of mind through price protection on calls, data and SMS. The plan offers free calls with no limits to everyone in Malta and a huge 10GB bundle of melitaWIFI internet for as little as €30 per month. Customers already subscribed to Melita’s Entertainment Pack get bigger discounts and better value. Data and SMS bundles are also price protected. Bundles cost as little as EUR 5 per month for 1GB of mobile data or 300 SMS respectively. When the bundles run out, customers will be automatically rolled onto a new identical bundle. That way, usage costs are always capped at a maximum of Eur5 per bundle. “The One mobile tariff plan is designed on feedback received from our customers and on Melita’s consistent objective to offer the best value tariffs. This new tariff plan eliminates shocks from unexpected high bills and makes unlimited local calling accessible to more people at just €30 per month. With mobile internet becoming increasingly important we also give our customers immediate free access to melitaWIFI with superfast internet in more than 20 outdoor Wi-Fi zones and some 50,000 indoor hotspots”, commented Mireille Muscat, Head of Marketing at Melita. Families can also benefit from ‘The One’. Discounts are now available on any second line within this plan, and lines thereafter. Ms Muscat added, “Feedback we received from our clients suggests preferential prices on new offers for existing customers. With ‘The One’ pay monthly plan we did just that. Customers already subscribed to our fixed services benefit from additional discounts monthly discounts on their mobile subscription.” To learn more about ‘The One’ plans and how you can benefit visit any Melita retail outlet, authorised resellers, or www.melita.com
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Issues timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 €
Thursday, April 23, 2015, 00:01
GRTU and ministry clash over eco-tax removal
The Environment Ministry has issued a consultation document on the removal of eco-tax and its replacement by the WEEE Directive – but it has already met with resistance from the GRTU. All member states were supposed to transpose the WEEE directive into national law by 2004 and actually did so by 2006. But Brussels was not happy with the way Malta interpreted it and issued first a formal notice and then a reasoned opinion. Malta had anyway pre-empted WEEE by introducing the eco-contribution in 2004, based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle, ostensibly making importers pay towards the recycling or treatment of a list of items ranging from beverage containers and mattresses to car tyres and fridges. It ranges from a few cents to €69.88 per item. The new WEEE tax would apply to everything that operates with either electricity or batteries, from white goods to toys, from sports equipment to power tools. The new system will cover hundreds of items, a considerable increase compared to the eco-tax, and would be implemented in two phases across various categories of products. The promise to remove the unpopular eco-contribution was made in Budget 2015. It is estimated that the financial contributions imposed by the directive should be lower than those under the eco-tax regime for most products.
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Issues timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 €
Minister Leo Brincat has already held separate meetings with the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry as well as the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU). He also plans to consult the Malta Council for Social and Economic Development. One of the stipulations of the draft law is that importers need to take up one of the various waste management schemes by mid-June or submit a plan on how they would align themselves with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) of the EU. The GRTU is demanding “without any reservation” a clear guarantee from the government that it will first exempt all those operators that between 2007 and 2015 were carrying their environmental obligations under eco-contribution, from the legal obligations under the WEEE Directive covering the same period. “This is a cardinal point for the GRTU and a priority because it is not acceptable that an operator pays an environmental tax twice on the same product. GRTU will be evaluating the draft Legal Notice and will be consulting its members before presenting its official comments to the minister in the coming weeks,” the GRTU said.
The new system will cover hundreds of items, a considerable increase compared to the eco-tax The government is proposing to introduce a bank guarantee imposed on each self-compliant producer or third parties placing electrical and electronic waste (EEE) on the market showing that the management of all WEEE will be financed. The level of bank guarantee is calculated on the basis of a flat rate per tonne of the average weight of EEE placed on the market in Malta in the three preceding years. A capping of €50,000 is being established such that the bank guarantee for self-compliant will not exceed for individual producers. By way of example, a self-compliant producer who places 50 tonnes of EEE on the market would require a bank guarantee of about €10,000 in 2016 increasing to €15,000 in 2021. For producers placing more than 50 tonnes of EEE on the market, the bank guarantee would increase accordingly, to a maximum cap of €50,000 for a single producer. The bank guarantees would provide cover against the costs required for the management of a producer’s WEEE if he defaults for any reason, limiting the government’s exposure to resultant liabilities. The amendments also propose a fine at a flat rate of €750 per tonne of EEE for unregistered operators. Collective WEEE management schemes will pay the proposed bank guarantee based on the waste placed on the market by its members – but this would comparatively be less than that required from self-compliant producers. The government estimates that the global bank guarantee to be paid by all the scheme(s) would range between circa €300,000 in 2016 to circa €460,000 by 2021. The consultation is asking for feedback on the guarantees as well as asking whether any other changes should be made to the WEEE regulations.
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Issues timesofmalta.com 23 April 2015 â‚Ź
It isalso asking for the main reasons why producers fail to register with the competent authority in a timely manner. Eco-tax has to be removed by September 2015. The government brings in â‚Ź7.8 million a year from it. This consultation closes on May 8. Feedback should be sent to consultations.msdec@gov.mt.