“Epic’s vision for the future and digitisation is about enabling businesses to improve their customer service, rethink their business model, run more efficiently and have a growth mindset”, says Epic CEO Tamás Bányai as he discusses the role of digitisation as an enabler in a post-pandemic world.

Epic, formerly Vodafone Malta, has been around for over 30 years and is renowned for its value-added proposition to businesses including international roaming services, mobile service, fixed connection and bandwidth. The company has been a leader in connectivity and has been connecting people and companies to mainland Europe and beyond for decades.

Taking part in Wednesday afternoon’s session of The Boardroom, Mr Bányai shared some insights on what the company has been heavily investing in over the past 12 months, including the start of a complete mobile network modernisation programme. This means Epic is not just modernising newer networks, such as 4G and eventually 5G, but also legacy technology such as 2G and 3G.

The company is also focusing on customer care, placing increased emphasis on digitising the experience without detracting from quality, including within the business segment of its client portfolio. This ensures that Epic’s dedicated unit for dealing with business clients, both large and small, sees unique business concerns and requests dealt with in a timely and efficient way.

The telecoms giant has also kicked off its Network of the Future project, providing “the fastest fibre connectivity which allows households to operate multiple devices at high speed” as well as providing crucial capabilities to businesses throughout their day-to-day operations.

Mr Bányairemarked that Malta has strong infrastructure in terms of telecommunications, which is vital for businesses to grow.

“From Epic’s point of view, we feel unique as we have a strong international background, and are part of a network of companies within the Monaco Telecom Group with unique experience in smaller state economies. This allows us to learn from previous best practices and localise them as much as possible.”

He added that with Maltese businesses in mind, "we can develop the services they need. We know connectivity is critical. We operate our own submarine cable to mainland Europe and provide connectivity to multiple routes, thereby securing critical services for businesses”.

Asked about the long-and-short term future of digitalisation, Mr Bányai said that for the short term, “the future is happening now”.

“Digitalisation is not about the future, but we are living it, making the right decisions and enabling organisations to have a growth mindset. Thus why we offer a Great Network and Great value to our Epic for business customers.”

On broadband networks, Mr Bányai said it is time to bring better service to customers. “This is why we are building the network of the future,” he said, adding that the security element is also critical.

“When we talk about critical connectivity and bandwidth, we know that we want to be prepared. Our role is evolving from a telecom company towards a tech company that can partner with businesses, understanding their need and helping to unlock potential.”

Stressing again the company’s dedicated business unit, he said the Epic for business team’s mission “is to understand what businesses need in today’s world”.

“We have been around for 30 years, and a lot of businesses have trusted us through their support which we are grateful for. Notwithstanding this positive legacy, we see that we have to constantly evolve and understand where such businesses want to go in the future. Therefore, we are happy to help in the full service and value-added offering, not just basic connectivity.

“We are bringing the international know-how, and we support businesses through their own journey of digitisation.  

Closing off, Mr Bányai said that from a digital perspective, companies should still start from the customer-first point of view, ensuring a positive experience and understanding the challenges that businesses face regularly.

“We see our role in this environment as an enabler. We see our network as a critical component of the success of businesses in Malta and beyond to support them on their digital journey. We also see that we need to step up our game, which is why we are investing so heavily into a mobile network, fixed network and broadband.

“We are providing the Network of The Future. This will revolve around what Epic is building today….building on the strength of the past and taking it to the next level to help businesses in Malta unlock their full potential.”