Universal Services in Telecoms

What is the Universal Service?

The Universal Service is a safety net to ensure that at least a set of specified minimum services are available to all end-users and at an affordable price to consumers, where a risk of social exclusion arising from the lack of such availability prevents citizens from full social and economic participation in society.   

The universal services in Malta are specified by the MCA, and include the following:

• Provision of adequate broadband internet access service and voice communications services, including the underlying connection, at a fixed location

If you are moving to Malta and would like to subscribe to voice communications services and/or internet access service at a fixed location, you can contact a local telecommunications company to help you to have the services.

In case that no telecommunications company is in a position to provide broadband internet access service and/or voice communications services, including the underlying connection, at a fixed location in your area, you may request the support of the MCA. If the eligibility criteria are satisfied, the MCA shall then issue a request for interest to service providers in Malta to assess whether an existing provider is willing to provide you with voice communications services and/or internet access service that meet or exceed the minimum functional characteristics under normal commercial conditions. If there is no provider willing to provide the services, or if alternatively, an interested provider who applies does not satisfy the criteria set in the written request, then the MCA shall directly designate a provider it deems best suited to deliver the USO, taking into consideration the public electronic communications networks closest to your location.  

•  Provision of Reduced Tariff Options

Vulnerable users on low income or with special social needs are eligible to benefit from a reduced fixed line rental tariff scheme. A number of criteria established by the Ministry for Active Ageing are required to be met in order to benefit from this assistance. GO plc is the designated undertaking to provide this universal service.

• Provision of other specific measures for vulnerable users

Specific services are being offered to people with special needs including the elderly. These services include:

- One call per week, free of charge, to a directory enquiry service number available to eligible visually impaired persons; and

- A service allowing easy access to a specialist emergency call centre available to elderly or people with special needs at a reduced rate, referred to as a ‘Telecare’ type of service. A special telephone set is provided to such subscribers. The service includes an alarm function that once activated, either by means of a large button on the telephone set, or by means of a portable pendant, automatically dials the specialist emergency call centre.

GO plc is the designated undertaking to provide these universal services.

•  Control of Expenditure by Users

Service providers are required to offer facilities which allow end-users subscribed to voice communications services and/or internet access services to monitor and control their costs related to these services and avoid any unwanted disconnection of services. These facilities include:

- Free of charge call barring for outgoing calls to premium rate numbers (when available);

- Free of charge barring for either all outgoing calls (excluding calls to 112 and other national emergency service numbers), or outgoing calls to specific types of numbers including calls to mobile numbers, calls to international numbers and calls to other numbers which are charged at a comparatively higher rate than that applicable for calls to local fixed numbers

- Pre-payment facilities which allow end-users to have more control on their expenditure on voice communications services and/or internet access services and to plan the costs of their bill up-front.

The call barring facilities are to be made available by all providers of voice communications services in Malta. The pre-payment facilities are to be made available by all providers of voice communications services and/or internet access services in Malta, with the exception of providers having a low market share in terms of subscriptions in the respective market.

•  Comprehensive electronic directory 

If you would like your details to be included as part of an comprehensive electronic directory, you can simply contact your voice communications services provider in Malta with your request.  In this case, you will be asked to provide your consent in line with data protection rules.  The details will then be made available to other service providers who provide directory services.

The provision of a comprehensive electronic directory service is to be provided free of charge. This electronic directory is to be updated in real-time whenever technically possible and is to be made accessible by means of an online directory enquiry service. The comprehensive electronic directory shall, as a minimum:

(a) be web-based; and

(b) effectively provide the opportunity to easily and promptly look up directory-related data for subscribers of voice communications services in Malta regardless of technology and provider.

While GO plc is the designated undertaking to provide the comprehensive electronic directory service, all voice communications services providers in Malta shall ensure that their consenting subscribers’ directory-related data is made available for the sole purpose of providing directory information services. 

Contact details

If you wish further detailed information on the Universal Service components mentioned above kindly contact MCA office on +356 2133 6840 or send enquiries on https://www.mca.org.mt/contact.   

Last Updated on 15/12/2023