Telco commends government’s recognition on high speed broadband

KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) appreciates the government’s recognition on the importance of high speed broadband to support the development of Malaysia’s digital economy as reflected in the 2019 Budget.

TM acting group chief executive officer Datuk Bazlan Osman said the group will continue to play a major role in fulfilling their digital and communication needs.

“We have the capabilities and resources and are well-placed to help drive the overall ecosystem.

“As Malaysia’s Convergence Champion, we have always provided quality broadband and telecommunication services across all segments – consumers, SMEs (small and medium enterprises), enterprises and the public sector,” he said in a statement today.

In addition, TM also applauds the government’s emphasis in key economic sectors such as infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare and other sectors which are focused on helping the rakyat.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng while tabling 2019 Budget on Friday said the government is launching the National Fibre Connectivity Plan in 2019 with an allocation of RM1 billion to support the growth of the digital economy.

“The plan will develop our broadband infrastructure to ensure more efficient spectrum allocation to achieve the targeted 30Mbps speed at rural and remote areas in the country within five years as part of the overall plan to achieve world class infrastructure at affordable prices,” he said.

Lim said the government has also enforced the Mandatory Standards for Access Pricing (MSAP) which will result in fixed broadband prices to be reduced by at least 25 per cent by the end of 2018.

Since the implementation of MSAP, broadband pricing in Malaysia reduced by up to 56 per cent and made the new pricing applicable to all including telecommunication companies’ (telcos) existing customers.

Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia (CFM) chairman Mohamad Yusrizal Yusoff Mohamad Yusrizal said while prices had been reduced, the consumer body continues to receive number of queries as well as grievances expressed through CFM’s social media on detail information of the new offer.

“This review in pricing is new to all subscribers and consumers, and I believe, they did not get sufficient information of the new prices, speed, and the details of the terms and conditions.

“As the consumer forum on telecommunications and multimedia services, we continue to engage actively with our members (service providers) for the right information to be shared with the consumers,” he said in a statement recently.

Source: NST