Malaysia now ranks 28th in the world compared to 56th in 2017 in terms of fixed broadband download speeds. — AFP pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recorded an eight-fold jump in the number of fixed broadband subscriptions with download speeds of more than 100Mbps from 150,000 subscribers in 2017 to 1.2 million last year.

In a statement, MCMC said the main cause for the increase was due to the implementation of the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP) which resulted in wholesale network pricing to drop.

“This allowed internet service providers in the industry to lower the retail price for high-speed broadband services and at the same time increase the connectivity speed,” the statement said.

Malaysia's broadband subscription, he said, has more than doubled over the last five years to reach 39.4 million last year.

“... the growth of mobile broadband subscriptions better reflects the rising broadband penetration rate for every 100 inhabitants from just 68.3 per cent in 2014 to 121.1 per cent in 2018, equivalent to 15.4 per cent of average annual growth,” he said.

According to the statement, the increase was triggered by the broader coverage of 3G and 4G/LTE, improved network quality and increased competition in the broadband market.

MCMC chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak said the government’s plan to provide the people with better connectivity via the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) will further boost subscription rate for high-speed broadband nationwide.

In February, Speedtest Global Index by Ookla reported that fixed broadband download speeds in Malaysia increased by almost threefold to 70.18Mbps as compared to 22.26Mbps a year ago.

Malaysia now ranks 28th in the world compared to 56th in 2017 in terms of fixed broadband download speeds.

“In tandem with NFCP, the ultimate goal is to ensure widespread availability of high quality and affordable digital connectivity,” Al-Ishsal said. — Bernama