OMG, this is awesome news, everyone! Being connected to the internet is almost a necessity for many of us but sometimes, it doesn’t come cheap. Don’t worry though, because it looks like fixed broadband prices in Malaysia are going to be lower soon. Hoorah!
Everyone likes to save money any way they can and Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo knows this well. In a press conference today (June 20), he announced that prices of fixed broadband is expected to reduce by at least 25% by year’s end. Yay!
According to The Star, Gobind said that they had enforced the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP), which stipulates the ceiling wholesale prices that can be charged. The wholesale prices that can be charged by service providers are going to be reduced and this should be translated into lower retail prices of broadband for consumers.
“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 said.
Previously, when Gobind was first appointed, he had promised that he would be looking into reducing the prices of broadband and increasing the speed. He also said that he would look into asking the government to recognise having Internet access as a basic human right in Malaysia, even to the extent of, if practicable, a constitutional right.
He is not stopping there and has instructed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to look into other ways to further reduce broadband prices. He says that he wants the rakyat to be given every opportunity to participate and benefit in a digital era.
Awesome! Bring on those cheap broadband packages!
Also read: M’sians Can Soon Enjoy Twice as Fast Internet Speed, Says Gobind Singh