After picking Ericsson as its strategic partner in March of this year, Maltese telco Melita has launched its 5G-ready 4.5G mobile network in Valletta, in a bid to reach nationwide coverage by the end of the year.

Established in 1992, Melita is a quadruple play provider offering cable television, mobile telephone, broadband Internet, and fixed-line telephone services. The telco relies on the Ericsson Radio System (ERS), an end-to-end modular radio access network product designed to fit all site types and traffic scenarios and which can seamlessly scale to 5G.

“Ericsson is proud to work with such a forward-thinking company as Melita. Malta has always been at the forefront of digital technology. Today is a milestone in our long-term partnership with Melita as it starts its journey towards 5G,” said Mario Bacchini, Head of Ericsson Malta.

Melita customers with Unlimited plans and 4.5G-capable devices are able to access the new network at no additional cost. “With customer satisfaction at the forefront of Melita’s strategy, we’re building the best networks in Europe. This started with the launch of gigabit home internet — GigaPower — in November, which will be available to 60 percent of homes by the end of July,” said Melita CEO, Harald Roesch

“We are now complementing this with the launch of our 5G-ready mobile network that will be available nationwide by the end of the year,” he added.

Alongside the 5G-ready mobile network, Melita has also launched a new mobile plan, called Flow3, which offers 20 GB of MelitaWiFi, unlimited SMS, and 300 local minutes or 3 GB of data for €15 per month.

“Anyone subscribing to this plan will be amongst the first to benefit from our 5G-ready network’s capabilities,” explained Mireille Muscat, Head of Marketing at Melita.