Alongside the official announcement by TNB regarding the success of its National Fiberization and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) pilot project in Jasin, the company has also revealed the list of Retail Service Providers (RSP) that will be offering broadband packages for the areas involved in the project. One of the names in list is rather surprising though which is the satellite TV provider, Astro.
Deemed as a pilot project, the offering from Astro for the NFCP areas in Jasin combined its satellite TV package together with high speed fixed broadband from City Broadband for one single monthly fee. Available with two different speed packages, the 50Mbps is priced at RM 99 per month while the 100Mbps package goes for RM 129.
For both packages, subscribers will receive access to Astro Family Pack which include more than 40 channels for them to enjoy. Interestingly, we were told that Astro contents for these packages are still being delivered through conventional satellite set-top boxes.
Available from 1 February onwards, these packages do come with a 24-month contract. In conjunction with the launch, existing Astro subscribers in these areas who signed for either of these packages within January 2019 will able to enjoy free channel preview and broadband access without additional costs on top of their current monthly fee as they will only need to pay at the rate of their new broadband combo package starting from February onwards.
The same privilege has also been extended to NJOI customers as well, who would receive an upgrade to Family Pack if they choose to sign up for either of the new Astro broadband combo packages. Don’t worry if you felt rather confused by the offer though as Astro will personally contact all customers within the NFCP areas in Jasin that are eligible for it to provide more explanation.
With eight RSPs competing against each other, it is certainly not going to be an easy mission for Astro in Jasin. The move to bundle together its satellite TV and fiber broadband access could be the very factor that differentiates the satellite TV provider against other players within the area.
