Bundled calculator - how it works


On this website, you will have the possibility to use a computer tool comparing the cost and the quality of bundled tariff plans - that is a tariff plan that offers numerous bundled services including any combination of Fixed Telephony, Mobile Telephony, Broadband Internet and Digital TV.

This indicative tool can help you to choose a specific tariff plan offered by your current provider or by another provider.

To use the calculator you need to enter usage and other information so that the calculator can accurately determine the relevant cost of each bundled tariff plan based on your usage profile.

Step 1:

The first step is to enter some basic information about your usage:

1) Post code - enter your current Maltese post code which allows the calculator to tailor the results specifically to your current location as some operators do not provide coverage or access to all areas in Malta.

2) Select the bundled services that you wish to be included in the results - a minimum of 2 services should be selected.

3) Your quality requirements. So you can indicate if you wish that the comparison tool shows you in priority the tariff plans to which one of the three following qualitative elements is linked: access to helpdesk, consultation of the bill status at any time, availability of sales outlets. If these qualitative aspects are not important for you, you can also indicate it and in this assumption all tariff plans will be shown to you.

Steps 2 a & b: Now that you have selected the services that you wish to be included in the calculations the tool will request some usage information for each selected service. The information requested is outlined in the tabs below:-

Fixed

Step 2a

The first step consists in entering the usage details of your fixed connection.

To establish which operators are offering services to the location where the connection for which you are asking tariff simulation is situated, you first have to indicate the postcode of the place where this connection is situated.

You are then requested to mention if you are entering a daily or a monthly usage profile.

Then you have to answer a series of simple questions to have a correct estimation of your consumption profile. So you have to indicate:
- The time period during which you motstly use your fixed connection to make calls. By clicking on the right arrow ( ), you will have the choice between the following options :
- At any time
- Nearly everything in weekday time;
- Nearly everything at weekends;
- Weekend ;
- Monday to Friday on daytime;
- Monday to Friday in the evening;
- Monday-Friday on daytime and in the evening;
- Monday-Friday in the evening and at weekends;
- Monday-Friday on daytime and at weekends.
- The estimated number of call minutes to a calling party using a fixed connection in Malta (national calls);
- If you wish so, the operator with whom you have a fixed connection contract. In this case you are requested to specify the call percentage you make to calling parties who have subscribed to the same operator. This information is useful for the search of the most advantageous tariff plan for you as some operators offer preferential tariffs for the calls between their customers;
- If you mostly make your calls to a different operator from your current operator, the name of the master operator to which you make these calls. In this case you are requested to specify the call percentage you make to parties belonging to this operator;
- The estimated number of call minutes to mobile phones; - The name of the mobile operator to which you mostly make cal
ls. In this case you are requested to specify the call percentage you make to parties having subscribed to this operator;
- If you make international calls, the time period during which you mostly use your fixed phone to make international calls as well as the countries the most frequently called (maximum three countries) with the estimated number of call minutes;
- If you meet the conditions to benefit from a discount for a social tariff. For more information on the granting conditions of a discount for a social tariff, you can consult the Website of MCA on page http://www.ibpt.be/fr/196/ShowContent/1042/Tarifs_sociaux/Tarifs_Sociaux.aspx
- Your quality requirements. So you can indicate if you wish that the comparison tool shows you in priority the tariff plans to which one of the three following qualitative elements is linked: access to helpdesk, consultation of the bill status at any time, availability of sales outlets. If these qualitative aspects are not important for you, you can also indicate it and in this assumption all tariff plans will be shown to you.

It should be pointed out that this screen ask you two times the time period during which you mostly use your fixed phone to make calls, once for national calls and calls to national mobile phones and another time for international calls. The reason is that consumers often have different calling slots for national and international calls.

Once you have entered this information you have two possibilities. Either you still wish to refine your consumption profile and you click on the button « Enter more detailed information on your usage” (step 2b). Or you wish to immediately obtain the results proposed by the tool according to the simple profile you have entered, then you click on the button “Get results immediately” (step 3).

Step 2b


The second step is optional and enables you to define your consumption profile more precisely. This step can be activated by clicking on the button to enter more detailed information on your consumption profile.

At this moment you can see the work assumptions selected by the tariff comparison tool for the distribution of the call minutes you have indicated at step 1. The tool distributes these minutes between the different time periods. For example if you have entered at step 1 an estimated number of call minutes to mobile phones and specified the period during which you mostly use your fixed telephone to make calls, you will get the distribution of minutes according to days (week and weekend) and hours, as well as between mobile operators. This last estimation of the distribution between mobile operators is set by default according to their market shares.

Therefore you can refine the usage estimations of your phone according to hours, days and operators.

You have the possibility to detail your consumption profile for calls to fixed phones situated in Malta, for calls to national telephones and international calls.

Once you have entered these optional consumption details, you can choose the button “Get results now” to have immediately access to the results proposed by the tool.

Mobile

Step 2a

You first have to mention if you would rather have a Prepaid or Postpaid payment method or if you don’t mind.  

You are then requested to mention if you are entering a daily or a monthly usage profile.  

Then you have to answer a series of simple questions to have a correct estimation of your consumption profile. So you have to indicate:

  • The time period during which you mostly use your mobile connection to make calls. By clicking on the right arrow, you will have the choice between the following options:  
    • At any time;
    • Week-end;
    • Monday to Friday on daytime;
    • Monday to Friday in the evening;
    • Monday-Friday on daytime and in the evening;
    • Monday-Friday in the evening and at weekends;
    • Monday-Friday on daytime and at weekends.
  • The estimated number of call minutes to a calling party using a mobile connection in Malta (national calls);
  • The percentage of your call minutes to other mobile phones (this field is filled in by default by the model assumptions; the percentage to fixed lines is automatically calculated by the tool); 
  • If you know it, the name of the mobile operator you call the most frequently.
  •  In this case you are requested to specify the call percentage you make to parties using the network of this operator;
  • If you make international calls, the time period during which you mostly use your mobile phone to make international calls as well as the countries the most frequently called (maximum three countries) with the estimated number of call minutes;
  • The number of short message services (SMS);
  • The number of multimedia message services (MMS);
  • The data use (in Megabyte per month);
  • If you meet the conditions to benefit from social tariff.  For more information on the granting conditions of social tariff, you can consult the website of MCA on page http://www.ibpt.be/en/196/ShowContent/1042/Social_tariffs/Social_tariffs.aspx
  • Your quality requirements. So you can indicate if you wish that the comparison tool shows you in priority the tariff plans to which one of the three following qualitative elements is linked: access to helpdesk, consultation of the bill status at any time, availability of sales outlets. If these qualitative aspects are not important for you, you can also indicate it and in this assumption all tariff plans will be shown to you.  

It should be pointed out that this screen ask you two times the time period during which you mostly use your mobile phone to make calls, once for national calls and another time for international calls.  

Indeed, consumers often have different calling slots for national and international calls.

When you have entered this information you have two possibilities.

Either you still wish to refine your consumption profile and you click on the button « Enter more detailed information on your usage” (step 2b).

Or you wish to immediately obtain the results proposed by the tool according to the simple profile you have entered, then you click on the button “Get results immediately” (step 3).

Step 2b

The second step is optional and enables you to define your consumption profile more precisely.  

This step can be activated by clicking on the button to enter more detailed information on your consumption profile.

At this moment you can see the work assumptions selected by the tariff comparison tool for the distribution of the call minutes you have indicated at step 1.

The tool distributes these minutes between the different periods.

For example if you have entered at step 1 an estimated number of call minutes as well as the percentage of calls to mobile phones and specified the period during which you mostly use your mobile telephone to make calls, you will get the distribution of minutes according to days (week and weekend) and hours, as well as between mobile operators.

This last estimation of the distribution between mobile operators is set by default according to their market shares.  

Therefore you can refine the usage estimations of your phone according to hours, days and operators.

You have the possibility to detail your consumption profile for calls to fixed phones situated in Malta, for calls to mobile telephones and international calls.

When you have entered these optional consumption details, you can choose the button “Get results now” to have immediately access to the results proposed by the tool.

Internet

Step 2

The first step consists in entering the usage details of your Internet connection.

You first have to specify if you would rather have a fixed monthly fee regardless of your connection time to the Internet.  

To establish which operators are offering services to the location where the connection for which you are asking tariff simulation is situated, you have to indicate the postcode of the place where this connection is situated.

You are then requested to mention if you would like to have free 24/7 helpdesk.

Then you have to answer a series of simple questions to have a correct estimation of your consumption profile. So you have to indicate:

  • The information on broadband use:
    • The minimum volume required in data upload (data to be entered in Gb);
    • The number of hours spent on line on the Internet per month;
    • The download speed required;
    • The upload speed required;
  • The characteristics wished for:
    • The necessity for one or several email addresses;
    • The necessity to have precautions against viruses;  
    • The necessity to have precautions against spams;  
    • The necessity to have space for a personal website;
    • Although some broadband services do not need any telephone line to work, you might still need it for your fixed telephone service, you are then requested if you would like to include or not the leasing fee for the telephone line in the calculation;
    • The main reason for using the Internet (consulting Internet websites, electronic messages and/or downloading files);
  • Your quality requirements. So you can indicate if you wish that the comparison tool shows you in priority the tariff plans to which one of the two following qualitative elements is linked: access to helpdesk, availability of sales outlets. If these qualitative aspects are not important for you, you can also indicate it and in this assumption all tariff plans will be shown to you. 

When you have entered this information, you can immediately obtain the results proposed by the tool according to the profile you have entered by clicking on the button “Get results immediately” (step 3).

Digital TV

Step 2

Currently for the DIgital TV service there is no requirement to enter any usage information

Step 3:


The third step consists in getting and viewing the results.
The software provides you with a list of the tariff plans sorted out on the most advantageous tariff in the light of the usage details you have entered. These plans can be delivered to you in the geographical area indicated by the postcode shown on the screen.

This list is sorted out in ascending order of monthly cost for the consumer. This list indicates the following information:
- the name of the operator, possibly with his logo;
- the name of the tariff plan
- the monthly calculated cost
- the average monthly cost (average cost per month once promotions/disocunts have been applied)
- a note will appear when mousing over the broadband service icon explainging what type of broadband service is offered
- a list of graphical icons that show what services are included with the tariff plan
- the indication of the coverage of subentities in the postcode; it is indeed possible that an operator only covers a part of the geographical area corresponding to a given postcode. This indication is shown to you in a window when you put your cursor on the corresponding icon « xxx »;
- The customer service hours provided by the tariff operator for all available services is detailed when mousing over this icon
- the different billing options linked to the tariff plan that are shown to you in a window when you put your cursor on the corresponding icon « xxx »;
- the different payment options linked to the tariff plan that are shown to you in a window when you put your cursor on the corresponding icon « xxx »;
- the different quality information linked to the tariff plan that is shown to you in a window when you put your cursor on the corresponding icon « xxx »;
- other features linked to the tariff plan that are shown to you in a window when you put your cursor on the corresponding icon « xxx »;
- A button is shown labelled 'Check operator site' - clicking on this button will take you to the relvant operator's web page for the listed tariff
- By clicking on the button « Show filters », you can refine the selection of tariff plans by asking the tool to only show the tariff plans meeting some quality requirements, of which the list is below:
- the maximum number of months wished in the contract;
- xxxx

The list of results that is shown to you will be adapted according to your quality requirements when you will click on the button « Recalculate the result ».

You can change the sorting order of this list of results by clicking on the title of the column you want to get (operator, tariff plan, monthly cost, single bill).

If you want to view the specific details of one of the tariffs displayed on the result screen you can do it by clicking on the name of the particular tariff (step 4).

If you want to modify the consumption profile that you have entered, you can do it by clicking on the button “Modify / Edit the information on your usage”.

You can print the list of results by clicking directly on the button “Print results”.

Step 4:

This step makes it possible to consult the specific details of the tariff plan of one operator. You can access to them by clicking on the name of one particular tariff in the list of results.

This page gives a series of information on:
- the operator’s identity (name, address, contact phone, Website, description);
- the detail, the distinctive features and the information on the service quality of a tariff plan for all supplied services.

Need Help?

For more information about the portal visit our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us by email at customercare@mca.org.mt or by phone at +356 21336840