World Report

An interview with Sonny Portelli, chairman of Maltacom

Sonny Portelli
Chairman of Maltacom

‘Maltacom will continue to be an important player on the national stage’

stablished in 1997, Maltacom, Telemalta Corporation’s successor, is now in the process of privatisation. The reason behind the change is to provide Maltacom with a strong technology partner that will help the company be a catalyst for the information society. Sonny Portelli, Maltacom’s chairman, discusses the evolution of the business.

How has Maltacom changed since Malta became an EU member?
The competition is there and we are meeting it head-on. The worst thing one can do when managing a business is to try and resist change. The trick is to be ahead of the change curve and to be proactive rather then reactive. One of our major advantages is our location. Also, there is a general positive disposal towards IT environments. Maltacom is no longer just a provider of voice communications and an ordinary provider of telecommunications. As we continue to move forward, our service will include video, interactive communication and other developments which will provide a whole new lifestyle.

How do you see Maltacom developing after privatisation?
Maltacom will continue to be an important player on the Maltese stage regardless of the owner. There is a consistent stream of investment going into telecoms and the sector is still considered an area of future growth. The rest of the economy is, whether it realises it or not, dependent on telecoms: that is where the money is going to come from.

Smart city, Malta’s new ICT project

On April 7, the Minister for Investment, Industry and Information Technology, Austin Gatt, signed the Heads of Agreement with Ahmad Bin Byat, chairman of Dubai-based Tecom Investments, on Malta’s new Smart City, paving the way for the final agreement to be finished by this summer.

“SmartCity@Malta” is set to be the largest ever ICT private sector project and single foreign direct investment to Malta.

It will also be the largest ever new source of knowledge-based jobs to be secured by the country.

The new techno city, based on Tecom Investments’ “Dubai Internet City”, which groups together over 700 tenant ICT companies, will take over the site of the existing Ricasoli Industrial estate and adjacent land, putting it to state-of-the-art use with the additional development of a hotel and other activities to help attract knowledge-based operations to the site. According to Mr Gatt, the choice of location serves two purposes: improving an otherwise dilapidated and abandoned area, and promoting ICT development in the south of Malta. The creation of knowledge-based jobs, value-added services and tourist attractions in the area is expected to become an important step towards establishing a balance across the country.

An important stipulation in the agreements is that all public areas at SmartCity@Malta as well as the Ricasoli foreshore will remain entirely accessible to the public.

The project will be a first for the EU, making it an ideal European outpost for global ICT/media companies wishing to establish a presence in Europe.