MCA report shows sharp decline in telecoms complaints, drop in enquiries

The Malta Communications Authority (MCA) has published its latest half-yearly report covering January to June 2025, with results pointing to a notable fall in consumer complaints and enquiries in the electronic communications and postal sectors.

Complaints down 40 per cent, enquiries down 19 per cent

The MCA recorded 33 complaints in the first six months of 2025, down from 55 in the previous period (July–December 2024), representing a 40 per cent decrease. Enquiries also fell, with 288 received compared to 357 in the second half of last year – a drop of 19 per cent.

As in previous periods, almost all complaints (97 per cent) were related to electronic communications services, while postal services accounted for just one case. No complaints were registered in the e-commerce sector.

Billing issues rise as service quality complaints fall

Billing remained the most contentious issue, making up 47 per cent of complaints, followed by quality of service (31 per cent), contractual disputes (16 per cent) and termination/switching (six per cent).

Interestingly, service quality complaints continued their downward trend, falling sharply from 25 cases in the previous six months to just 10 in the first half of 2025. Fault-related complaints in particular dropped significantly.

On the other hand, billing complaints increased from 10 to 15. The MCA found that nearly half of these were due to misunderstandings by end-users over charges, promotions or billing cycles. In such cases, the MCA intervened to clarify matters, enhancing transparency between providers and subscribers.

Faster resolution of complaints

The MCA highlighted improvements in complaint handling times. Sixty-one per cent of complaints were resolved within two weeks, while 82 per cent were closed within four weeks. At the time of reporting, no cases were pending.

Postal sector: complaints almost vanish

Postal complaints were nearly eliminated, with only one case recorded compared to 10 in the previous six months. This single case involved a dispute over collection of registered mail.

Customer care responsiveness improves further

Through its mystery shopping programme, the MCA placed 1,020 calls to the customer care lines of Malta’s three main telecoms providers. Results showed that 90 per cent of calls were answered within five minutes (up from 89 per cent in late 2024), while 79 per cent were answered within two minutes (up from 75 per cent).

MaltaPost also recorded marked progress, with 96 per cent of calls answered within five minutes, a strong improvement from 82 per cent in the prior period. Calls answered within two minutes jumped to 77 per cent, up from just 35 per cent previously.

Consumer protection and awareness initiatives

Alongside monitoring and enforcement, the MCA advanced several consumer protection initiatives during the review period. These included a decision notice on new Quality of Service (QoS) parameters that providers must publish, and follow-up on a mystery shopping exercise testing telecoms providers’ compliance with consumer protection norms.

The MCA also continued awareness campaigns on issues such as roaming rights, scam prevention, contract changes, and the use of its telecoms price comparison portal, telecosts.com.

Industry implications

For businesses, the report signals a stabilising market where service providers appear to be addressing quality concerns more effectively. The fall in complaints, coupled with faster response times, points to improved customer care standards.

However, the rise in billing-related disputes suggests that clearer communication on tariffs and contract conditions remains essential.

As competition in Malta’s telecoms and postal sectors remains strong, providers that continue to prioritise transparency, efficiency and consumer trust will be better positioned to retain customer loyalty and meet regulatory expectations.