Singaporean boutique ISP, ViewQwest, has announced that it has entered the Malaysian market via a joint partnership with local telecommunications engineering services company, Televenture Sdn Bhd.

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If the ViewQwest name sounds familiar, that’s because the ISP made huge waves in late 2014 when it announced a fibre Internet plan in Singapore with speeds peaking at 2Gbps at a time when the fastest fibre Internet plan in Malaysia only maxed out at 100Mbps.

(Image credit: Aloysius Low @ CNET)

The Malaysian operations will be known as ViewQwest Sdn Bhd, and has actually begun operations. According to Singaporean daily Straits Times, ViewQwest had been rolling out its fibre network in key business districts in Malaysia, and today it currently owns 100km fibre optic cables spread across three key locations: the Golden Triangle, Bangsar South, and Cyberjaya.

A conversation with PR represenatives of ViewQwest also confirms that while there are currently no consumer-level Internet plans are available, corporate plans are already available in selected commercial buildings in Bangsar South.

For Malaysian consumers, ViewQwest Sdn Bhd is aiming to roll out its 1Gbps fibre Internet plan by the end of this year. Of course, the coverage will be limited to residential areas within the vicinity of the three business districts mentioned above.

ViewQwest will also roll out its Freedom DNS service that will be packaged alongside the Android-based ViewQwest TV media player. Both products will be bundled with every subscription to ViewQwest’s fibre Internet services. Freedom DNS in the media player will allow unrestricted access to various video streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Now.

The arrival of ViewQwest comes at a time when local ISPs have not yet breached the 1Gbps mark. The fastest consumer package available maxes out at 500Mbps from Time Fibre (RM299 per month), though it is also geographically limited to selected high-rise buildings around the Klang Valley, Penang, and Johor.

The country’s largest ISP, TM, retains a major market share of fibre Internet users in Malaysia. Its highest-speed package is capped at 100Mbps, and is priced at RM399 per month.

In comparison, ViewQwest’s fibre Internet plans in Singapore starts from as low as S$49.90 (about RM150) per month for the 1Gbps option, while the 2GB fibre plan has a starting subscription price of S$69.90 (about RM210) per month.

(Featured image credit: The Straits Times)

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