Three MNOs – GO, Epic and Melita provide connectivity across the Maltese islands of Gozo and Malta.
Epic leads by number of customers with approximately 42% market share. Formerly Vodafone Malta, it rebranded to Epic after it was bought by Monaco Telecom. The company, which is owned by the Principality of Monaco and French billionaire Xavier Niel’s firm NJJ Holdings, purchased Vodafone’s operations in the country in 2020.
In March 2021, Phoenix Tower International announced its acquisition of Epic’s passive infrastructure which was part of a sale and leaseback deal covering the countries of Malta and Cyprus. It included a 20-year leaseback agreement for the MNO as well as a build-to-suit programme for an undisclosed number of sites.
Epic has received EUR20 mn funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate the roll-out of its 5G network to reach nationwide coverage by end 2024 and to expand its fibre optic network.
GO is the second largest mobile operator with around 34% market share. In September 2023 it sold its passive infrastructure to local IT firm BMIT Technologies. The deal valued the 280 sites at EUR47.1 million (US$49.8million) and included the installation of 30 more sites by 2030 with GO as the anchor tenant.
Melita, which was sold to EQT Infrastructure in 2019 for an undisclosed amount, has the smallest market share and also offers fixed telephony and co-location services. In end-November 2024 EQT infrastructure announced it has sold the Maltese mobile operator and its fiber and passive telecom infrastructure to Goldman Sachs Alternatives.
Malta is also home to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) including YOM and Smarty that lease network access from the main MNOs.
