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Molek FM25% Drop in Fixed Broadband Prices Expected by End of 2018
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Communications and Multimedia Minister, Gobind Singh Deo announced on Wednesday that broadband prices in Malaysia could be reduced by up to 25 percent by the end of the year. Cheaper broadband and connecting all Malaysians online is one of PH’s election manifesto pledges.
This predicted reduction is due to the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP) which took effect on June 8 as ordered by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). Wholesale broadband prices will be affected by the MSAP revision, therefore retail prices would also drop accordingly.
Gobind told The Star Online: “The relevant parties are currently in commercial discussions to finalise the wholesale prices. The process is scheduled to be concluded in July or August, after which new, lower price broadband packages are expected to be rolled out to consumers.”
The price adjustments should have been executed in January 2018, however, it did not happen because an appeal was made by Telekom Malaysia to MCMC to reconsider some of the prices. Thus, the implementation was put on hold awaiting for the previous Minister’s consideration but with the newly elected government, Gobind said that he has instructed the revisions to be done immediately.
Previously, he pointed out that neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Thailand are paying less for internet access compared to Malaysians. As such, he was ordered to review options to reduce broadband prices to facilitate more reasonable entry-level packages for Malaysian citizens, and also ways to increase the internet speed here.
The government is also considering to recognise Internet access as a basic human right in Malaysia, even to the extent of a constitutional right.
That would be great… but shouldn’t getting clean water and electricity to rural folks be the priority? Let us know your thoughts on this implementation in the comments.
