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Monday November 16, 2009

Face reality, Malaysia's broadband nothing to shout about

Monday Starters - By So Ewe Jin


We hardly ever get what we pay for

LET’S face reality. Our broadband connection is nothing much to shout about.

We hardly ever get what we pay for and there is always some technical reason that the service provider can turn to if things are not up to speed.

So even if the players are trying to win new customers or entice loyal ones to defect to their side, it is more a battle of perception rather than reality. But they do keep us amused with their creative advertisements.

If you talk about speed, the good news is that 1.2 million households and business premises will, from next year, be part of the advanced national communications infrastructure.

The lucky ones will see their connection speeds zoom up to between 10Mbps (megabits per second) and 1Gbps (gigabit per second).

And how fast is that? Apparently, one will be able to download a full-length movie in two minutes, so being able to watch a YouTube video clip smoothly should be a cinch.

To be frank, and I know I am not going to get brownie points for saying this, I am content with my current Internet speed.

Coming from the era when I had to use a dial-up modem and patiently wait to be connected to Jaring, the country’s first Internet service provider, I see no real reason to complain.

The fact of the matter is most of us do not require a full-fledged superhighway in cyberspace.

We just need a reliable connection to check our e-mail, surf, look at some video clips without interruption, and connect to faraway family and friends via voice and video.

The other day, I set up a connection for an old couple in Petaling Jaya, to connect to their two grandsons in the United Kingdom. It was such a joy to see their faces light up, more so when their son-in-law took out his guitar and sang to them.

And all this was made possible because the wireless broadband account I recently set up for my sister-in-law allows me to take the modem anywhere there is a connection, something my fixed-line account at home does not allow me to do so.

The point is, both have their merits, and rather than argue over whose service is better, I feel the more important message to drive home is “value for money”.

And this is where I feel we need more Malaysians to be able to go online at a reasonable price. These are the ones who do not need fibre optics but just an ordinary connection.

The current competition should spur the providers to revise their rates downwards. The rate I am paying for my home broadband connection is RM88 a month, so I am “vulnerable” to switching sides simply on account of the pricing.

When I first went broadband, I happily shared my connection with my neighbours because they just needed a connection now and then, and it would not be worth it for them to be full-time subscribers.

Imagine, if the rate had been, say, RM40 a month, then this provider might have added on four new subscribers. Together with mine, it would have earned RM200 a month instead of just the RM88 from me.

It will not only get more income, but more customers. Its corporate social responsibility index will also zoom up because such a move will help narrow the digital divide.

Those who want super speed should pay for it, but the providers will do more for the greater good if they allow more people to get connected under the current speed by lowering the rates substantially. This will also be in tandem with the RM500 tax break for broadband subscription announced in Budget 2010.

It will be a win-win situation for all.

l Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin wonders why new customers always get a better deal than loyal ones, in the same way that those who delay paying their traffic summonses always get a discount.

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