A few weeks ago, we reported that local telco companies have generally agreed to lower down the prices for their broadband packages. However, the exact amount of price reduction was still under wraps until just a few hours ago through the official announcement by the Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
According to the subsequent press statement from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the reduction applies to both fixed line and mobile broadband packages. That being said though, the reduction seems to be limited to entry-level broadband packages at the moment.
For mobile broadband, the new price for basic broadband package has been set at RM 25 per month and will feature 1GB worth of data quota per month with a minimum speed of 3G-HSPA. To be made available for both prepaid and postpaid customers, the new price is around 14% lower than current prices according to the statement. For now, telco companies that have expressed their commitment to the new price are Celcom, DiGi, Maxis, and U Mobile.
Meanwhile, TM will also be offering a new fixed line basic broadband package with a monthly fee of RM 38, which is around 57% lower than the company’s most basic broadband package at the moment – the 1Mbps Streamyx package. The new and more affordable package will offer the same 1Mbps speed but only for the first 1GB of data, which is rather interesting because this is the first TM’s fixed line broadband package that comes with a data cap.
Another fixed line broadband service provider that is supporting this initiative is Time which will also be offering similar basic broadband package at RM 38. While the company has yet to specify the actual speed and data quota for the new package, it is also interesting to note that Time has no such package in its broadband offering at this moment.
Consumers can expect to see the new price scheme for basic mobile broadband packages within the next two months, while TM’s new basic fixed line broadband package will be made available from mid-June onwards. However, the timeline for Time’s new basic broadband package was not mentioned in the statement.
Truth be told, there are still plenty of details that were not clarified by the media statement, especially regarding TM’s basic broadband package and whether the prices mentioned above are inclusive of GST. Hence, we have begun to pursue clarifications on these new basic broadband packages from the respective telcos and service providers mentioned above.
[Source: Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia – 1, 2, 3, 4 / MCMC / Bernama]
