Moving countries can be daunting enough without having to worry about being able to stay in touch with all the friends and family you left overseas. Here are some tips on how to pick the right broadband connection for worry-free internet access in Malaysia.
- Find an internet service provider that suits your needs. Whether you are seeking an internet connection for your home, a mobile connection for working on the go, or even for your office of 20, different providers cater to these needs quite easily.
- Fixed Broadband – There are two main types of broadband connections – Fixed Line in Malaysia and Wireless in Malaysia. Fixed Line Broadband is predominantly offered by TM’s Streamyx DSL service, however the new fibre-optic offering from TM’s Unifi and Time are seeing the fastest growth today. Maxis have also entered the fibre game with their own competitive packages but their network is still powered by Unifi. Note: Many people find fixed line to be more reliable in terms of speed.
- Wireless Broadband – The latest and fastest Wireless Broadband technologies are the 3G and WiMAX (or branded as “4G” here) flavours offered by various service providers. Maxis, Celcom, Digi and U Mobile offer 3G over both smartphone and USB modem, while Yes and P1 offer WiMAX over modems.
- Coverage – It is particularly important to pick a, internet service provider that covers your area in Malaysia. This information is displayed on most websites of broadband providers so it’s best to check to see if your home or office is within their coverage area.
- Speed – Generally speaking, the higher the Mbps the better. So far, fibre broadband is the champion, going all the way up to 100Mbps – perfect for streaming movies. As for Wireless, at present U Mobile’s 42Mbps wins the wireless race.
- Quota – Much like speed, the higher the quota in GBs, the better the deal is. Beware of purported “Unlimited Quotas” – although you may not be charged extra for going above quota, the provider’s Fair Usage Policies will throttle your speeds down to the prehistoric dial-up age.
- Reliability – While most networks boast high speeds with unlimited quotas, the reality is that the actual speed you get is normally lower than advertised. Checking with your friends or neighbours would be a great reference point.
- Price – Quite possibly the deciding factor for broadband connections (or anything really in Malaysia). Going through the individual websites would be most helpful in deciding the best connection. Add-ons can also be fairly beneficial – look out for the holy grail of Triple-Play (data, voice and video) from a single service so that you get the most bang for your buck.
Links to Internet Service Providers in Malaysia
Read more:
- Tune Talk, Malaysia’s Affordable Mobile Service Provider
- Telecommunication in Malaysia
- How to Understand Your Electricity Bill in Malaysia
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