As announced by Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, new broadband installation is now permitted during the movement control order as the internet is viewed as an essential service. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has also issued a statement on the new directive. Telcos are only allowed to proceed with new broadband installations depending on the risk profile of the location.
Fixed broadband installations for green zones only
According to the MCMC, new installations and troubleshooting at customer’s home are only permitted if it’s located in green zones with no confirmed COVID-19 cases. If an area is categorised as yellow and red zones which has positive cases of COVID-19, installations are strictly prohibited.
Troubleshooting until DP for yellow and red zones
For restoration works in yellow and red zones, telco technicians are allowed to troubleshoot until the Distribution Point (DP). They are not allowed to enter the premise unless it is a premise that provides essential and critical services. TM has recently issued a similar guideline for installation, restoration, maintenance and installation of new infrastructure during the MCO.
Before a job can be carried out at a customer’s home, both service provider staff and customers must present their declaration of health. During the installation or troubleshooting, technicians need to comply with customer interaction guidelines set by the respective service providers. According to the MCMC, both parties must have their face masks on and practise social distancing at all times.
Telco technicians are not permitted to enter customer premises in yellow and red zones as it poses a high risk and could cause both workers and customers to be exposed to COVID-19. They added the standard procedure requires service providers to send at least two staff to a customer’s home to conduct a technical assessment on the suitability for fixed broadband installation.
Wireless Broadband as an alternative
For those who can’t install fixed broadband at their homes, MCMC is urging customers to consider using wireless broadband services. These broadband alternatives are easier to install without any wiring or hacking, and there are various packages offered from telcos through their websites.
Although new broadband installations are now permitted during the movement control order, it is only limited to areas with no positive COVID-19 cases. For those are waiting for their Unifi fibre broadband to be installed at home, TM is offering free Unifi Air which is a wireless broadband solution that provides instant connectivity. This allows you to connect your household without extra wiring or wall hacking required.
The announcement was made via Unifi’s channels and it is applicable to those that sign up for Unifi Home plan. The free Unifi Air service will be delivered to your doorstep and it will be valid until your fibre broadband is connected. This could mean that TM will collect back the Unifi Air router once your fibre is installed. The offer is somewhat similar to Maxis’ broadband promo during the MCO.
Unifi Air typically costs RM79/month and it is tied to a 24-month contract. The plan is typically bundled with a free Huawei B618 4G LTE wireless router and the plan offers unlimited quota. When it was announced, the service is offered as an alternative for Streamyx customers who are staying in areas without fibre coverage.
According to TM, it can provide an average speed of 20Mbps and the router can support up to 64 devices. However, the performance may vary depending on location as it runs on TM’s TDD-LTE network. You can find out if your area is covered here.
At the moment, the free Unifi Air promo isn’t reflected yet on Unifi’s website but we reckon that it should be updated soon.
[ UPDATE 23/4/2020 20:15 ] Maxis has announced that the slow loading issue has been resolved. Below is their official statement:
We have identified the root cause of the recent fibre issue experienced by some of our customers, which was due to our partner’s submarine cable. We are pleased to inform that the service has since been restored. We apologise for the inconvenience.
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It appears that Maxis Fibre broadband users are having trouble accessing Twitter via web browser since Sunday. The problem seems to be limited to Maxis Fibre users and it doesn’t affect those on mobile postpaid plans.
As a Maxis Fibre user myself, Twitter on web browser was noticeably slow on Sunday and Monday, but it returned to normal on Tuesday after restarting the wireless router. However, the slow loading issue came back again on Wednesday but it’s back to normal today.
When the problem occurred, the Twitter website layout could load but it could take more than 15 seconds for the feed, search results and the trending widget to appear. Sometimes, it just refuses to load at all and new tweets wouldn’t go through.
I've been having trouble connecting to Twitter on my home WiFi (Maxis). Desktop and laptop won't load twitter, but the mobile app on my phone works fine. Turns out I'm not alone.@Soya_Cincau care to get in touch with Maxis for us? pic.twitter.com/W5tIarg1tC
Maxis is aware of the issue and they are currently trying to solve the problem. From the tweets on social media, it appears that Maxis Fibre users are also facing issues connecting to game services including PlayStation Network, Ubisoft, Epic Games and Steam.
Kerja-kerja baikpulih sedang dijalankan buat masa ini. Mohon maaf atas kesulitan yang dialami. Terima kasih-Tya (2)
According to DownDetector, there were outages reported for Twitter in the past few days. Users have complained that Twitter hasn’t been loading properly for several days and if you look at the heatmap, most of the complaints come from the US and Europe.
Initially, we suspected that the slow loading issue could be caused by the AAG submarine cable which connects service providers in the region to Hong Kong and the United States. However, the maintenance works were completed on Tuesday morning. Two weeks ago, another submarine cable had suffered a fault but service providers such as TM have rerouted traffic via alternative routes. On top of that, based on DownDetector, there are more complaints about Twitter coming from other regions outside of Asia.
However, it seems that users can currently overcome the issue by changing the DNS on their device. You could use either use Google DNS or Cloudflare. From our initial checks, although a significant number of Maxis fibre users are affected, there are users on Digi and Time broadband that have reported slow Twitter issues as well.
Had the issue two days ago. On Digi broadband but also happened on my mobile both digi and maxis.https://t.co/SeX0bHuSj7
Just slightly more than 14 months in operation, Nex.Life is shutting down. This is a no-frills fibre broadband + mobile internet service that’s managed by TM subsidiary, Webe Digital.
As highlighted by one of our readers, customers have received a notification that Nex.Life will end its service on 30th June 2020. To ensure continued connectivity, existing users will be offered to switch to Unifi with a special introductory offer.
Nex.Life users can get a 30Mbps Unifi Home Fibre Broadband with Unifi Media Box for RM99/month. Subscribers can also pick their preferred pack (Varnam+, Aneka+ or Ruby+) for the Unifi TV service. As a special offer, the first 6 months will be offered for free and it’s only valid until 20th May 2020. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of any alternatives for the mobile internet line.
According to the notice, Nex.Life will be reaching out to its customers to follow up on the next course of action. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, it is mentioned that Unifi installations will be arranged after the movement control order is lifted.
To recap, Nex.Life was launched with a single service which provides unlimited 20Mbps fibre broadband plus a SIM card that provides unlimited data on 4G for only RM100 per month. There are no voice calls and you’ll need to buy your own wireless router for the plan. While most fibre broadband services are tied with a 24-month contract, Nex.Life tenure is much shorter at only 12-months.
A few months later, Nex.Life had upgraded its fibre broadband speed to 30Mbps. The service utilises TM’s HSBB network and it was initially introduced in limited areas in Kelantan and Terengganu. Eventually, it was expanded to more locations in West Malaysia.
For the past couple of days, Maxis home fibre broadband users had experienced problems accessing Twitter and various online gaming services. Loading Twitter on a web browser was sluggish and some had complained about issues connecting to PlayStation Network, Ubisoft, Epic Games and Steam.
According to Maxis, the fibre broadband issue was due to a partner’s submarine cable. They didn’t name the undersea cable network but TM had recently reported a fault on the Asia Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2). On top of that, there was a scheduled maintenance work on the Asia-America Gateway which was completed two days ago.
At 8pm this evening, a Maxis spokesperson had informed us that its fibre service has been restored. Below is the official statement from Maxis:
We have identified the root cause of the recent fibre issue experienced by some of our customers, which was due to our partner’s submarine cable. We are pleased to inform that the service has since been restored. We apologise for the inconvenience.
At the time of writing, it appears that Twitter on desktop is working fine on Maxis’ fibre broadband network. If you’re a Maxis Fibre customer, do let us know if you’re still facing connectivity issue.
Astro and Allo have signed a strategic partnership which offers fibre broadband and pay-TV content bundle from RM99. Unlike the previous RM99 bundle offer, the new offering provides a higher speed of 50Mbps.
Under this new partnership, Astro is offering TV content with 50Mbps fibre broadband on Allo’s network for RM99/month. If you want higher speeds, there’s the 100Mbps option for RM129/month. Both plans come with Astro Family Pack that offers more than 60 channels including Astro Ria, Astro Prima, Astro Arena, Astro Awani, Astro AEC, NatGeo WILD, FOXlife and HD content.
As a comparison, Allo’s City Broadband is currently charging RM79/month for 50Mbps, while its 100Mbps offering is priced at RM99/month. The provider is also providing higher speeds of 500Mbps at RM139/month while 1Gbps is going for RM199/month.
According to Henry Tan, Astro Group CEO, the partnership with Allo will help to expand its current broadband home passes from TM, Maxis and Time by over 150,000 new households and businesses over the next 18 months. This will also increase its reach beyond urban areas that are currently not covered such as Alor Gajah, Cyberjaya, Bangsar South and more suburban areas.
Under the partnership, Astro will be able to resell all of Allo’s broadband products including broadband speeds up to 1Gbps but Astro will focus on its 50Mbps and 100Mbps options at the time being. In addition, Astro customers will also get to enjoy free access to Astro Go and unlock more than 15,000 on-demand titles under their pack entitlement.
At the moment, this offer is only applicable to homeowners in residential areas that are connected by Allo. Those interested to sign up may provide their name, telephone number and address to 03-9543 3838. An Astro representative will contact you within the next 48 hours.
In case you didn’t know, Allo is a subsidiary company of Tenaga Nasional Berhad. According to Allo CEO, Rodzi Ahmad, they are continuing to expand its fibre footprint nationwide under the NFCP initiative starting with Melaka, Perak, Johor, Kedah, Selangor and Pulau Pinang. With the wholesale open-access infrastructure concept, customers can look forward to multiple services from Retail Service Providers (RSPs).
Last year, Maxis had signed an access agreement with Allo, for the provision of High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) network services. This will allow both Maxis and Allo to tap onto their respective networks to reach more customers.
With more Malaysians staying at home during the movement control order (MCO), telcos are experiencing a surge in data consumption as consumers rely on the internet more than ever. Maxis has assured that they are continuing its efforts to ensure that the connectivity lifeline remains uninterrupted as much as possible. In addition, they are also providing even more support for all employers, consumers and businesses throughout the MCO.
According to the green telco, data consumption is currently at unprecedented rates with home fibre traffic and daily mobile data volume has increased significantly since the start of the MCO on 18th March. Apart from data, there’s also an increased in voice call traffic on the first day of the MCO but it has since normalised to pre-MCO levels.
Morten Bangsgaard
Maxis CTO Morten Bangsgaard said its network technicians are working around the clock to monitor the internet traffic and to keep their fixed and mobile networks running healthily. The telco is making investments to strengthen its network performance and to increase capacity from their fibre partners and international internet gateways. Maxis is confident that its network BCP architecture is well-positioned to help navigate the challenging demands.
Maxis shared that internet browsing, video streaming, instant messaging and collaboration tools account for a bulk of the increase in data traffic. While mobile devices are mostly used for browsing activities, there’s an increase in data volume for streaming apps for home internet. They added that YouTube usage have increased by a few thousand TeraBytes while instant messaging and VoIP services have seen an increase of approximately 50% in data volume.
There’s also a significant increase in usage of collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and Google Hangouts which are heavily driven by users that work and study from home. Internally, Maxis conducts an average of 1,500 Teams meetings on a daily basis.
Maxis admits that some customers may not have an optimum internet experience on some occasional evenings. To mitigate the issue, they are increasing its sites upgrade production by 100% and they are also expediting capacity rollout in meeting the growing demands. According to Morten, they have 800 of their own people in the field serving customers in stores and field technicians keeping the network up and running. Maxis also encourages all members of the public to stay at home and stay connected during the MCO.
During the MCO, Maxis has introduced several initiatives including free 1GB data daily for its mobile users. Selected Maxis fibre broadband customers were given an optional free fibre speed upgrade up to 300Mbps for 1 to 2 months in the form of a bill rebate. Meanwhile, for new Maxis fibre signups, the telco is offering free unlimited 4G WiFi usage which allows customers to get connected immediately before the fibre connection is installed at their premises.
For those who are still hesitant to install fibre broadband at home, TM has announced a new Unifi Fibre broadband promo where you can enjoy a 30-day trial for free. If you’re not satisfied, you can return the equipment within 30-days without any penalty.
The trial campaign is applicable to all Unifi fibre broadband plans with unlimited quota which starts from RM89/month. The 30-day trial offer is available for new customers only and it will be running until the 30th June 2020.
Below are the eligible plans for the 30-day trial:
According to TM’s website, installation is now available in all zones except for areas under Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO). If you wish to terminate, you could only do it at a TMpoint outlet and it must be within 30 days to avoid additional charges. You must also bring all equipment which includes the modem, broadband termination unit (BTU) and Unifi Media box (if applicable), or else there will be a RM500 charge.
However, do note that an upfront payment of RM100 is applicable to Malaysians or RM500 for non-Malaysian passport holders. The FAQ states that the upfront payment is only for applications made without MyKad reader verification and the amount will be refunded back to the customer by cheque within 3 months from the date of termination.
Customers will have to pay for any additional add-ons activated during the trial subscription period such as the RM60 add-on for Unifi TV Ultimate Pack and Unifi Media Box. Phone calls, on-demand content and other value-added services are chargeable as well. Interestingly, there’s no mention of any installation charges. If you decide to continue, you will be tied to a 24-month contract period.
Turns out this promotion was available since 16th March but TM wasn’t promoting it due to the movement control order. This is understandable since TMpoint outlets were closed and new fibre installations were not permitted during the early phase of the MCO.
To learn more, you can view their FAQ and T&C. If you’re interested to subscribe, just head to the Unifi website.
For those without fibre broadband coverage, Maxis has revised its MaxisOne Go WiFi offering and it now provides unlimited 4G LTE data. The data-only plan is going for RM138/month and eligible Maxis customers can enjoy the plan with a RM30/month rebate.
The MaxisOne Go WiFi was previously known as MaxisOne Go WiFi 138 that comes with 65GB of data for RM138/month. Starting from 28th of May, the plan will be upgraded with unlimited quota and existing customers will be switched over automatically.
If you need a home 4G LTE WiFi router, Maxis is offering it for RM1 with a 12-month contract. Interestingly, Maxis no longer offers a pocket MiFi bundle but you can always buy it separately without a contract.
Since this is a data-only SIM plan, it doesn’t support calls or SMS. If you’re only signing up for the SIM, you won’t be bound to a contract. As usual, there’s Fair Usage Policy apply but there’s no mention of a maximum data cap in the T&C.
The RM108/month rate is only applicable to existing Maxis postpaid customers on a RM98 subscription plan and above, and the rebate is valid for 12 months. If you’re interested, you’ll have to pre-order the plan from the Maxis website.
If you prefer something different and with a lower subscription fee, there’s Unifi Air. It is also a 4G LTE wireless broadband plan that provides unlimited quota for RM79/month. The plan is bundled with a free Huawei B618 4G LTE wireless router on a 24-month contract. Alternatively, you can go for the SIM-only option without a contract. You can find out if your area supports Unifi Air here.
It was recently reported that Unifi is offering selected customers 30Mbps fibre broadband for as little as RM39/month. The offer isn’t published on Unifi’s website but a Lowyat.net forum member has shared what appears to be an email from TM on the purported deal.
According to the screenshot, the 30Mbps plan is going for as low as RM39/month and customers can enjoy savings up to RM1,500. The 100Mbps plan starts from RM79/month while the higher 300Mbps option starts from RM149/month.
It was reported that the plan is only offered for selected customers only and it isn’t available to anyone in the public. The email mentions “come back” and “we miss being the bridge that keeps you connected”. This sounds like a subscriber retention campaign to keep their existing customers that have terminated.
Another Lowyat.net forum member has posted an image which highlights the breakdown of the “Win Back” offer. For those that want to take up the offer with an ultimate Unifi TV pack, you’ll get RM60 discount for the first 12 months followed by an RM50 discount for the following 10 months.
If you look at the lower half of the table, there’s an option for a “TV”. If you take the TV option, you’ll get RM50 discount for the first 10 months. We are guessing that the TV option could be a Free TV offer that was posted on the same forum thread last week. If you look at the promo image below, it mentions RM500 rebate which is equivalent to the RM50 discount for 10 months offer. On top of that, you’ll get a TV worth RM1,000.
When we reach out to Unifi customer service, they didn’t deny the existence of the offer but we are told that it isn’t available for new sign-ups. When we asked another customer service representative, interestingly, the person said that the promo is old. In addition, the person also told us to refer unifi.com.my and not any forum.
At the moment, TM is offering free 30-day trials for Unifi Fibre broadband. If you’re not satisfied, you can return the equipment and you won’t be charged any penalty charges.
Did you receive any discounted subscription offers or a free TV promo from Unifi? Please let us know in the comments below.
[ UPDATE 14/06/2020 19:40 ]: It appears that ZTE Malaysia has updated the spec sheet of its MF286C router. More details below.
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Unifi Air is currently one of the most affordable unlimited wireless broadband in the market. This is the next best alternative for homes that are out of a fibre coverage area. The plan costs RM79/month and you can get a wireless router for free if you sign up with a 24-month contract.
When the plan was introduced, the service is bundled with a Huawei B618 4G LTE router that’s easy to set up on your own. However, if you try to sign up on their website, you’ll notice that Unifi is now bundling the ZTE MF286C LTE.
The front page of the website and the shopping cart is still showing the Huawei B618 despite a different model is being listed. Even the FAQ still states that the device included for the wireless broadband plan is a Huawei 4G B618-65. It isn’t clear if the switch to ZTE is permanent or perhaps it is due to insufficient stock for the Huawei router.
According to ZTE Malaysia’s product page, the MF286C supports 4×2 MIMO instead of 4×4 MIMO. It is still a 4G LTE router and it supports both FDD and TDD bands. Surprisingly, the device is listed with a non-removable 3,000mAh battery which could come in handy when there’s a power outage. Similar to the Huawei router, it also claims to support up to 64 simultaneous devices.
Previous spec-sheet
[ UPDATE 14/06/2020 19:40 ]: ZTE Malaysia has updated its spec-sheet as shown below which now states that it supports 4X4 MIMO but they have removed the mention of a 3,000mAh battery. The updated spec-sheet also lists Full SIM card instead of Nano-SIM.
It is reported that Telekom Malaysia is looking forward to the allocation of the 700MHz spectrum which will enable them to offer fixed wireless access (FWA) to rural folks in an economical and feasible manner. According to HLIB Research analyst, Tan J Young, TM has mentioned during a meeting that isn’t keen on C-Band (3.5GHz) and it is better suited for wireless players.
It is mentioned that TM does not intend to be another player in the already overcrowded and oversaturated mobile market which currently has a high penetration rate of approximately 130%. According to the HLIB Research, the current Unifi Mobile offering is merely positioned “to complement fixed offerings with a convergence proposition”.
TM’s infrastructure company (InfraCo) is separated from its service arm (ServiceCo) and it allows the company to be more agile and neutrally positioned for all access seekers including its own. The InfraCo is focused on providing connectivity which includes fibre rollout and quality of service. Meanwhile, TM’s ServiceCo is focused on delivering services to address customer needs.
It was announced early this year that TM is the first in the world to trial 5G SA in both 700MHz and 3.5GHz bands simultaneously. Its 700MHz 5G SA network is said to be the first of its kind outside of China.
During the 5G Demonstration Project in Langkawi, TM had highlighted the importance of 700MHz to provider faster broadband access with a wider coverage. This is seen as a possible solution for customers that lack fibre broadband access. Since 700MHz is a lower frequency band, a single tower can theoretically cover an area up to 10 km which is ideal for rural areas.
Although 700MHz could also be used for 4G, 5G would provide greater efficiency with 20-30% better performance. During their tests in Langkawi, TM’s 700MHz SA network can deliver download speeds of over 200Mbps, which is 7x higher than the current NFCP’s target of providing an average of 30Mbps to 98% of populated areas by 2023.
The government had recently allocated the 700MHz spectrum to TM and 4 other players under a ministerial order by the Communications and Multimedia Minister. According to the letter, TM was assigned 2x 5MHz blocks of the 700MHz band. After it the move was publicised, the minister had retracted the spectrum assignment order and have promised to review the spectrum allocation.
The country’s largest electricity utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) will expand the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) project nationwide to enable more consumers to benefit from the service.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said, to date, five states, namely, Melaka, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Johor would enjoy the high-speed broadband services by the first quarter of next year.
“This is a pilot project by TNB and I am led to understand that they are preparing to expand the development of the optical fibre nationwide under NFCP to other strategic states throughout peninsula Malaysia.
“We laud TNB’s involvement in this area. Most importantly, is that I see this as a complementary project between TNB and the telecommunications company to provide benefit to the people,” he told reporters after visiting the NSCP pilot project here, today.
He said, to date, the NFCP pilot project in Melaka encompassed 1,100 homes in three areas, namely, Felda Kemendor, Taman Merbau Perdana and Taman Maju in Jasin district.
Meanwhile, TNB’s wholly-owned unit, Allo Technology Sdn Bhd, in a statement, informed that the open-access services network for the NFCP project was being expanded gradually to urban and rural areas in Malacca especially in areas with limited fibre-optic infrastructure such as Alor Gajah, Malim Jaya and extended to the additional area involving 15,000 homes in Jasin.
For the record, so far there are four retail internet service providers, namely Digi, Astro, Maxis and City Broadband offering broadband bundled service packages, and through the offerings, houses in the areas involved with the NFCP project would enjoy high-speed broadband service from 30 Mbps to 1 Gbps.
The implementation of NFCP, which combines the use of optical fibre and wireless connectivity, is aiming towards achieving a 98 per cent broadband coverage in residential areas by 2023, with a minimum bandwidth speed of 30 Mbps. — Bernama via Malay Mail
Digi has announced its new Digi Internet Freedom which promises to provide total connectivity not just for the home but also on the go for everyone in the family. On the surface, this looks like the yellow telco’s answer to MaxisOne Prime but upon closer inspection, it isn’t what you think.
When you visit the product page, it seems to suggest that you could get fibre broadband and a postpaid plan from RM130/month. In reality, the RM130/month is actually just for the 100Mbps fibre broadband connection without any additional mobile plan. You’ll have to pay at least RM80/month for an eligible postpaid plan to enjoy the “Internet Freedom” perks. The next fibre broadband option is 500Mbps at RM190/month and 1Gbps at RM290/month.
Across the board, if you pair it with a Digi Postpaid 80 plan and above, Digi is providing 6 months of Amazon Prime Video subscription worth RM162. However, you won’t get any additional savings or discounts for pairing the postpaid plan on the 100Mbps fibre broadband option.
For customers that sign up for the 500Mbps and 1Gbps fibre plans, you can get RM40 off on your home broadband subscription and up to 20% off on your Digi Postpaid line. The amount of savings that you’ll get depends on how many lines you have in your account.
If you have 1 line, you’ll get 5% discount and if you have 2 lines, you’ll get 10% off. If you have 3 or more lines, Digi offers 20% off. Do note that the discount is only applicable to the principal line only and you won’t enjoy any savings on the supplementary line subscription fee.
The issue with Digi’s Internet Freedom offering is that it isn’t clear how much you should pay each month for the fibre + mobile plan combo. It is as if Digi wants its potential customers to whip out their calculator and perform their own calculation.
We did the math and below is the total monthly subscription cost for the fibre broadband plan + 1 postpaid line (excluding 6% tax):
Digi 100Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 80 – RM210
Digi 100Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 120 – RM250
Digi 100Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 160 – RM290
Digi 100Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 190 – RM320
Digi 500Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 80 – RM226
Digi 500Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 120 – RM264
Digi 500Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 160 – RM302
Digi 500Mbps Fibre + Postpaid 190 – RM330.50
Digi 1Gbps Fibre + Postpaid 80 – RM326
Digi 1Gbps Fibre + Postpaid 120 – RM364
Digi 1Gbps Fibre + Postpaid 160 – RM402
Digi 1Gbps Fibre + Postpaid 190 – RM430.50
With the additional discounts offered, the price gap between the 100Mbps and 500Mbps plan is quite minimal and it makes more sense to go for the 500Mbps option if you pair it with a postpaid plan. Do note that you could save a bit more if you have additional supplementary lines under your account.
Higher subscription fee than before
Previous Digi Fibre Plan
Overall, Digi has increased the prices of its fibre broadband subscriptions across the board. When Digi introduced the plans last year, the 100Mbps plan was going for RM129/month, 500Mbps was priced at RM159/month and 1Gbps was going for RM199/month. When we asked Digi about the price difference, we are told that the old prices were an introductory offer when it kicked off its Fibre pilot launch in Melaka, Klang Valley and Sabah.
New Speed
Old Speed
Another thing to take note is that the upload speeds are slightly different as well. The 100Mbps plan was previously offered with 100Mbps upload but Digi Internet Freedom is now offering a lower 50Mbps upload. There’s no change in speed for the 500Mbps and 1Gbps plan as both options continue to offer 200Mbps upload.
What’s interesting is that Digi is now using the term “up to” to describe its download and upload speeds. When we asked Digi if the advertised speeds are guaranteed, we are told that it is provided on a best effort basis.
Similar coverage as Time?
We are told that Digi Internet Freedom is available at selected locations in the Klang Valley, Penang and Sabah. When we did a quick search on Digi’s coverage checker, it appears that its availability is similar to Time Fibre Broadband. The search results are mostly high rise residential addresses. This isn’t surprising as Digi had announced early this year that it is tapping on Time’s network to expand its fibre broadband footprint.
So here’s the thing, if the availability is the same as Time, why should you pay more on Digi? At the moment, Time is offering 100Mbps at RM99/month, 500Mbps at RM139/month and 1Gbps at RM199/month.
If you get Time’s 1Gbps plan and Digi Postpaid 80 separately, that would cost you RM279/month versus RM326/month on Digi Internet Freedom. That’s RM1,128 worth of savings for a 24-month period. Since Digi isn’t providing any savings for its base 100Mbps fibre plan, you can save RM31/month if you subscribe to Time broadband’s 100Mbps directly for RM99/month.
As usual, the fibre broadband plans from Digi are tied to a 24-month contract. If you plan to make voice calls at home, take note that the fibre plans don’t come with fixed voice service.
Digi can soon offer its fibre broadband service to more households in Malaysia. Telekom Malaysia through its wholesale-arm, TM Wholesale and Digi have announced a collaboration to boost nationwide broadband access.
With this collaboration, TM will provide Layer 3 HSBB network service to Digi, which will enable them to extend its footprint to more areas throughout Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak. Digi will leverage on TM’s extensive and robust fibre network infrastructure. Early this year, Digi has announced a similar collaboration with Time to tap on their 100% fibre connection to apartments and condominiums.
TM Wholesale Executive Vice President Amar Huzaimi Md Deris said, “We are excited to establish yet another collaboration with Digi, which reflects our shared commitment of ensuring seamless, stable and always-on connectivity for Malaysians, and this remains essential to revive Malaysia’s economy post-pandemic and beyond. As the national telecommunications and digital infrastructure provider to drive the nation’s Digital aspirations, TM has always been a strong advocate of infrastructure sharing and this industry-level collaboration using our HSBB network service as the platform reiterates our commitment towards accelerating broadband adoption. As such, we will continue to play our unique role as a neutral provider by providing open access for access seekers amongst fellow industry players.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Digi Chief Marketing Officer Loh Keh Jiat said “This collaboration with TM will enable Digi to connect an additional 3 million households across the country with fibre internet services, providing more customers the option to enjoy total connectivity experience at home and on-the-go with us. We have always viewed collaborations as a positive way to deliver efficient and widespread access to Malaysians nationwide, which is even more important to support our customers’ connectivity needs during this time.”
At the moment, Digi is offering 100Mbps fibre broadband at RM130/month and 500Mbps at RM190/month. The yellow telco is also offering 1Gbps at RM290/month. If you’re a Digi subscriber, you can get additional savings if you subscribe to its higher 500Mbps and 1Gbps options.
In case you didn’t know, Connectme is a satellite-based broadband service that boasts 100% coverage throughout Malaysia. This is an alternative internet option for places that are not covered by fibre and 4G coverage. After the MCO, it appears that Connectme has increased its subscription fee and the cost of installation has also gone up by a lot.
New Subscription Rates
The entry-level Connectme @ Home Super plan that comes with 60GB of quota now costs RM198/month which is an increase of RM100 per month. If you need more data, there’s now a Supreme option with 100GB of data that’s going for RM298/month.
As a comparison, the 60GB plan was previously priced at RM98/month and if you need unlimited, the ultimate plan was previously offered for RM138/month. Unfortunately, the Ultimate option with unlimited quota is currently not available.
Old Subscription Rates
Apart from subscription fees, the installation cost has also gone up significantly from RM300 to RM700 in West Malaysia, and RM600 to RM1,200 for East Malaysia. Do note that the installation might cost more if your location is more than 30km away from the nearest town or city. The plans are tied to a 24-month contract.
Connectme’s satellite broadband service boasts download speeds of up to 25Mbps. Since it is satellite-based, the latency is significantly higher at over 500ms. While the advantage of satellite broadband is having the widest coverage, the technology is still susceptible to weather conditions. For more info, you can check out Connectme’s website.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) are working together to address exclusivity arrangements between telcos and property developers in high-rise buildings including residential properties.
The MCMC has received several complaints from the public and it viewed the matter seriously as such arrangements deprive users from accessing their preferred telecommunications provider. As a result, the exclusivity could lead to high prices and poor quality of broadband services.
All telcos and building managements with existing exclusive arrangements are told to take immediate remedial measures. Those that failed to do so will face appropriate action under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 by the MCMC and the Competition Act 2010 by MyCC. This means it would be illegal for one provider to monopolise an entire building and the building management must not prevent other telcos from providing its services.
According to the MCMC, the published guideline for infrastructure planning, “Garis Panduan Perancangan Infrasruktur” (GPP-I), prohibits exclusive arrangements between telecommunications service providers and property developers or building managements. With this collaboration between MCMC and MyCC, it hopes that end consumers would be free to select their preferred telco based on price and quality of service.
Maxis is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and they have introduced several offers for its Maxis, Hotlink and Maxis Business customers. This includes RM25,000 worth of app rewards, free 25GB data offer and the latest smartphones that are going for RM25 each.
Discounts and promos via Maxis apps
Apart from offering 25% discount on Malaysia Airlines and Firefly flight bookings, Maxis and Hotlink customers can also enjoy over 200 deals via the MyMaxis, Hotlink Red or Hotlink Postpaid app. This also includes Lazada vouchers worth up to RM80 off and Tesco online shopping voucher up to RM25 off.
RM25 phone deals
If you’re looking for a new smartphone, Maxis is offering special RM25 smartphone deals for 25 days from 25th August. According to the green telco, this includes the latest devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G, iPhone 11 and Huawei P40 5G.
The RM25 deal will be open to all Maxis Postpaid, Maxis Fibre, Hotlink Postpaid and Fibre customers. The promo is also offered to all Maxis Business SME and corporate customers as of 31st July 2020.
There isn’t much details on the actual promo and Maxis will reveal more info soon. We are guessing that the phone deals are tied to a contract and offered via a flash sale.
Free 25GB data via HotlinkMU
For Hotlink customers, you can get 25GB free internet when you purchase any valid HotlinkMU Merdeka deal. This will be offered to all Hotlink prepaid users and it will run from 20th August until 16th September 2020.
250 loyalty points for Digitalisation Grant offer
For SME, Maxis is offering 250 loyalty points (worth RM375) to those that take up the SME Digitalisation Grant offer offer. The offer is available starting today, 18th August and it is limited to the first 250 eligible existing Maxis Business customers.
Below is the full list of offers for Maxis’ 25th Anniversary:
Maxis has officially revealed its new brand today and some of you may have noticed the new logo when they started transitioning since March. According to Maxis, their new brand purpose is to bring together the best technologies to help people, businesses and the nation to always be ahead in a changing world.
With the ‘Always be ahead’ spirit, the telco says it’s committed to all Malaysians that they will be their digital enabler and coach to help them leverage the best technologies on the No. 1 network so that they can always be ahead. Looking back, Maxis is the first to offer the iPhone 3G and they are also the first to offer 4G LTE services.
The green telco is looking forward to be the first to offer 5G services in Malaysia once the spectrum is ready. Maxis expects substantial 5G rollout to take place in 2021.
If you need faster fibre broadband speeds, TM has introduced new Unifi broadband options with speeds up to 800Mbps. If you bundle a Unifi Plus Box, Mesh WiFi and a 4G LTE Mobile SIM, you can save up to RM200 per month.
The top of the line 800Mbps plan that offers 800Mbps download and 200Mbps upload with unlimited quota is going for RM349/month. The plan comes with free 600 minutes of bundled calls and free Mesh WiFi.
The 500Mbps option is going for RM249/month and it also comes with free 600 minutes of calls as well as free Mesh WiFi. The upload speed for the plan is also 200Mbps. According to TM’s website, the bundled Mesh WiFi is a TP-Link Deco M9 worth RM999.
For better value, you can add-on Unifi TV with the Plus Box and Unifi Mobile for an additional RM29/month. The Unifi TV add on provides you with access to all channels and it comes with complimentary VIU and Yuppflix access for 6 months. Meanwhile, the Unifi Mobile SIM comes with unlimited data, calls and SMS along with 10GB of LTE hotspot data per month. According to TM, the extra bundle provides savings of RM1,560 per year.
The add-on for Mesh WiFi, Unifi TV and Unifi Mobile is also available for the 300Mbps plan and below. Take note that the promo price is only valid for the first 24 months and you’ll have to pay RM10-RM40 extra each month after that.
Prior to this, the 500Mbps and 800Mbps plans were available for existing Unifi customers that take up the Unifi Turbo upgrade. As a comparison, Maxis’ 500Mbps fibre broadband plan is going for RM219/month while its 800Mbps option is going for RM299/month. Meanwhile, Time charges RM139 for its 500Mbps plan and RM199 for 1GBps.
[ UPDATE 19/09/2020 15:00 ]: TM says 200Mbps upload speed for 500Mbps Unifi plan was a mistake. More details here.
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Last month, TM had introduced faster Unifi broadband plans with speeds up to 800Mbps. On top of that, you can get the option to add bundles such as Unifi Plus Box and Unifi Mobile with a significant discount.
When the plans were announced, both 800Mbps and 500Mbps plans were listed with 200Mbps upload speed. Turns out, TM has quietly reduced the upload speed of its 500Mbps plan by half.
Before (Left) and After (Right)
If you visit the Unifi Your World page, the 500Mbps plan is now listed with 100Mbps upload. The reduced upload speed is also updated on the main fibre broadband page.
This change of upload speed was discovered by one of our readers who had subscribed the 500Mbps plan on the 24th of August. Apparently, TM had stated the 200Mbps upload speed by mistake and it should have been 100Mbps.
The TM Unifi 500Mbps fibre broadband plan with 100Mbps upload speed is currently listed at RM249/month without the extra bundles but you do get a free Mesh WiFi Deco M9 Plus worth RM999. As a comparison, Maxis offers 500Mbps with 100Mbps upload speed at RM219/month, and it comes with 2 units of Mesh WiFi.
