PUTRAJAYA: Fixed broadband prices in Malaysia are expected to drop by at least 25% by year’s end.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo (pic) said this followed the implementation of the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP) that was enforced beginning June 8.

“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 priced broadband packages will be rolled out to consumers,” he told a press conference here on Wednesday (June 20).

Gobind also said the Government was considering recognising access to the Internet as a basic human right in Malaysia, even to the extent of, if practicable, a constitutional right.

Meanwhile on a separate issue, Gobind also said the Ministry will conduct an independent audit on two funds under the supervision of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The two funds are the MCMC fund and the Universal Service Provision (USP) fund.

“According to MCMC financial statements, the first fund has RM800mil, while the USP fund has RM8.5bil as at Dec 31, 2016,” he said.