Overview

Malta has made great strides in developing an information society.   According to the 2020 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) published by the European Commission, Malta ranks 5th out of the 28 EU Member States.  Malta performs above the EU average in all five dimensions of the index.  Malta remains a European leader in the availability of fixed broadband (basic, fast and ultrafast), being the only EU Member State with full coverage of ultrafast networks.  It does well in human capital, mainly because it has a large number of ICT graduates.  Maltese internet users score particularly well on online consultations and voting.   An increasing number of people in Malta use the internet (with a percentage of internet users now in line with the EU average) and engage in a number of activities (scoring very high when it comes to selling online).   Maltese businesses rank first on the use of big data.  However, Malta scores below average in digital public services.  Although it is a leader in the provision of e-government services, the country’s performance in digital public services continues to be negatively affected by the low use of e-government services by the public.  Low progress on open data policies is another reason Malta falls behind other EU Member States.  Malta continues to emphasize the role of digital policies as key to shaping its competitiveness.  The National Digital Strategy 2014-2020 is the general framework guiding government action in the digital field.  Malta also launched a blockchain strategy and regulatory framework in 2018 (see next section ‘Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence’ for more information), and several new strategies in 2019: (i) a national strategy on Artificial Intelligence (AI); (ii) a comprehensive ‘National eSkills Strategy’; and (iii) ‘Mapping Tomorrow’, a new strategic plan for the digital transformation of the public administration.

The implementation of these strategies continues and builds on various initiatives started in previous years on digitization of business, digital skills, and improvement of e-government services and m-services. The government recently introduced a new scheme to help businesses strengthen their capacity against cyber-attacks. Malta also launched a National Data Portal enabling access to government data in a number of fields.

There are considerable ICT investment projects set up in Malta.  The Maltese national regulatory authority, MCA, launched a consultation on the new National Broadband Strategy in 2019.  The strategy has paved the way for the future of fixed and mobile broadband in Malta that includes the establishment of the 5G ‘path-to-deployment’.

Opportunities

Opportunities exist for U.S. suppliers of products and services in the e-business and e-commerce fields.  The Maltese ICT sector needs assistance in the ever-growing software support and process management sectors.  Opportunities also exist for ICT research, intelligence, cybersecurity, and data-monitoring organizations that might be interested in setting up regional operation centers in Malta.  The focus on the local ICT sector will also increase local demand for highly specialized staff.  As a result, opportunities for U.S. companies in the ICT training and human resources fields abound.

Malta has a healthy and growing ICT and high-tech industry that generally views expansion into the United States as the next step for growth and accessing the global market.  This view provides opportunities for U.S. partners.

Resources

• Malta Communications Authority: www.mca.org.mt
• Ministry for the Economy and Industry :  economy.gov.mt/en/Pages/Home.aspx
• Malta Information Technology Agency: www.mita.gov.mt