Streamyx, the ADSL broadband service from Telekom Malaysia is a decade old, but there are still some 1.13 million subscribers out there, as of March 2018.
ADSL is becoming obsolete today however it is still able to deliver speeds as high as 100Mbps (VDSL2) and 52Mbps (VDSL), deployed over existing copper wires. Unfortunately, the fastest Telekom Malaysia Streamyx plan currently offered today is only available at 8Mbps.
While Streamyx is old and slow, why are Telekom Malaysia customers paying a high price compared to the faster, newer, Unifi fibre broadband plans?
Here’s a simple comparison between Streamyx plans and the Unifi 10Mbps plan:
- Streamyx Broadband 8Mbps (RM160/month) vs Unifi Lite Plan 10Mbps at (RM129/month)
- Streamyx Broadband 4Mbps (RM140/month) vs Unifi Lite Plan 10Mbps at (RM129/month)
- Streamyx Broadband 2Mbps (RM130/month) vs Unifi Lite Plan 10Mbps at (RM129/month)
- Streamyx Broadband 1Mbps (RM110/month) vs Unifi Lite Plan 10Mbps at (RM129/month)
Telekom Malaysia is not making any sense with its broadband pricing- Could TM explain why the 2Mbps-8Mbps plans cost more than 10Mbps?
There’s also a huge difference for those paying RM110/month for 1Mbps vs those paying RM129/month for 10Mbps.
Why is Telekom Malaysia punishing users who can’t get the 10Mbps plan at their home? Even in existing Unifi coverage areas, customers who wants Unifi can’t get it because there isn’t any “ports” available – thanks to TM’s foolish way of deploying the Unifi service. These customers have no choice but to get Streamyx and pay a higher price, for slower speed.
Customers who can’t get Unifi at their home must be able to enjoy Streamyx at low price. Its not their fault if Telekom Malaysia can’t provide them Unifi. These customers should be given the fastest Streamyx plan at their area at a maximum price of RM50/month, subject to be upgraded Unifi, when available.
Most Malaysians don’t really have a choice when it comes to fixed broadband service. Streamyx is available almost everywhere while the new fibre services such as from TM’s Unifi, Maxis and Time dotcom are available at limited areas, mostly in cities.
Recently, the World Bank said that Malaysian consumers are paying a “considerably” high price for fixed broadband service, compared to other countries with similar level of economic development.
Telekom Malaysia does not share its cable landing station with other operators and it chargers a high fee for point-of-access connection outside these cable landing station, resulting in costly broadband rollout for other ISPs.
Apart from these, the HSBB and SUBB project were given to TM exclusively without contest.
When will Malaysians truly enjoy a cheap, fixed broadband service?
TM announced last week that it will offer a new Unifi 30Mbps plan priced at less than RM100/month, targeted at the B40 segment (with household income less than RM3k/month).
TM made the announcement following pressure from the Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo who wanted broadband pricing to reduce by half.
Here’s my question for the Minister- Does the B40 segment live in Unifi coverage areas?
The reality is, Unifi is rolled out at targeted areas where TM thinks there are potential rich customers living at these places, high-density areas. These customers can afford to pay between RM100-RM300 a month for broadband and voice services.
Has TM rolled out Unifi in the kampungs or low-density areas? Where do you think the poor B40 segment lives?
If TM really cared about the B40 segment, broadband should be made free to these group of people. The Government should heavily subsidise it.
Moving forward, the Government should put an end to TM’s monopoly. Other operators must be encouraged to build their own cable landing station and the HSBB network should be opened up to all ISPs.
Its quite simple really. If TM can’t provide cheap broadband service to all Malaysians, then the Malaysian Government can always work with other ISPs, for example TIME dotCom which already offers a 100Mbps at RM149/month, way cheaper than TM’s Unifi.
The Minister should also guarantee cheap fixed broadband service for all Malaysians, and this should be included in the Federal Constitution.