Germany company to use local ISP’s gateway

by David Kelleher

A German company specialising in on-line betting services is close to finalising a deal with a local ISP to use its gateway with a local bank for credit card transactions. Video On Line will provide the company with access to a local bank through its gateway to enable online verification of all credit card transactions sent by punters.
Speaking to The Malta Business Weekly, VOL’s managing director and head of Melita Cable’s Data Services Division, George Galea said the ISP was in final stages of the deal.
“We expect to sign the deal within the coming weeks. Our ventures into e-commerce are paying off and the interest in the services we offer have also attracted two UK companies who are interested as well in using our gateway,” Mr Galea said.
“VOL has also concluded a number of contracts with betting companies and has helped them relocate their services to Malta. The services offered by VOL include 24x7 technical support, network consultancy and co-location services. Through the new e-commerce gateway we are also in a position to offer added value services and this can only attract further e-business to Malta,” Mr Galea explained.
VOL has come a long way since they started out in 1995. One of the first to enter the Internet market, VOL has consolidated their position as one of the leading ISPs in Malta. The acquisition of the company in 2000 by Melita Cable also meant that VOL, as a fully owned subsidiary, could also provide Internet via cable.
In fact, in the space of five years, international connection speeds for users have increased from 128K to 12Mb. In January 1999, VOL had just under 500 paying subscribers. To date this figure has increased nearly nine-fold.
Commenting on these improvements, Mr Galea said that VOL’s main goal was to provide the best Internet service on the island.
“A good service depends on two factors: reliability and quality. Over the past few years we have moved from analogue to digital modems, changed our systems and platform and set up an alternative connection. Instead of being solely connected through Seabone in Italy, we also have a connection from Sicily to Teleglobe in the UK,” Mr Galea explained.
The company always focuses on providing the best customer service possible. “Our customer service section is open from Monday to Saturday. Hours will be extended to 10pm very soon and technical help will also be available on Sundays,” Mr Galea said.
VOL is at present in the process of increasing its complement of fully trained technical staff. “All our customer care staff is being given the necessary training. As much as possible, they will try and solve the problem over the phone, but in the event that they cannot, technical support staff will also go to the client’s home or office,” he added. VOL’s technical staff all receive the necessary training on the latest Internet technologies, especially those related to cable Internet.
The uptake of broadband technology overseas by individual and business users has grown phenomenally over the past 12 months. In the US the battle between cable TV companies and Telcos has intensified to the extent that prices have fallen to attract customers.
While still in its infancy in Malta, the number of subscribers using Cable Internet is very encouraging. Mr Galea told The Malta Business Weekly that VOL is very satisfied with the public’s response to this new cable service and also to ADSL.
“We are very happy with the way people are moving into the broadband, especially Cable Internet. The number of subscribers who have opted for this service is very good considering we started the service in December. Our dial-up subscription base is also important and we are also very pleased that our PayPerUse service has mushroomed after just a few weeks,” Mr Galea said.
VOL recognises the need for increasing public awareness in the use of the Internet. The ISP has over the past months started a training program, Learn@VOL, which is being offered at various locations, mainly Internet Cafés powered by VOL.