by TMR/ graphic by MZUKRI

MALAYSIA’S average fixed-broadband speed has accelerated more than threefold in 17 months, from 22.5Mbps in January 2018 to 68.5Mbps in May 2019, which is above the global average of 59.6Mbps.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in a statement that the government’s effort in uplifting the telecommunication sector was also recognised in the World Bank report recently.

“One of the articles in the report entitled, ‘Malaysia’s need for speed: How regulatory action is unleashing ultrafast Internet’ acknowledges the initiatives undertaken by the MCMC, in support of Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, who minted the ‘Double the speed, half the price’ mantra as the guiding principle in providing affordable fixed-broadband services with faster internet connections,” it said.

MCMC chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak said the World Bank report is a testament of the effectiveness of initiatives, policies, and actions implemented by the MCMC.

“As a regulator of the communications and multimedia industry, our aim is to ensure that the standard of connectivity nationwide can unlock added-value to the people, as well as

catalyse strong and sustainable economic growth for the country,” he said in the same statement.

In terms of accessibility, the World Bank report outlined that Malaysia is well poised in closing the gap between leading countries with respect to Internet speed.

Under the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan, the MCMC plans to improve affordability, quality and accessibility of digital connectivity as a pathway for the country to usher the Industry 4.0 that brings with it disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, big data and virtual engineering.

According to the MCMC, the implementation of Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP) by the MCMC in October 2018 produced an average of 49% reduction in the prices of high-speed broadband services.

Prior to the price reduction, prices of entry-level packages ranged from RM119 to RM129 for 10Mbps. With MSAP, the prices of entry-level packages ranged from RM79 to RM89 for 30Mbps.

Additionally, the number of fixed-broadband subscriptions with download speeds of more than 100Mbps grew by a factor of eight to 1.2 million subscribers in 2018, from 150,000 in 2017.