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Wireless Broadband - Which One Is The Best? Celcom, Maxis, U Mobile? Broadband Service?

At the moment there are FOUR major players of wireless broadband in Malaysia. Each of them at the very least claimed that they can reach speed of up to 3.6Mbps. However this has to be taken with a grain of salt. 3.6Mbps speed is basically a total speed of data transfer download and upload. On average the data download speed that you can expect from a broadband service such as this is approximately 1.8Mbps.

Here at Ringgitsavers.com, we have conducted a comparison and see which one of this four is the best provider in terms of speed, reliability and subscription price as well as refund policy. Check out the results below:

1. MAXIS BROADBAND:

• Speed and Reliability: Speed fluctuates from 500kb to 1.2 Mbps during off peak times. However this is still considered reliable by Malaysia’s broadband standard. There were no instances of disconnectivity throughout the 3-hour testing. Coverage is superb within the Klang Valley, and the major cities in Malaysia such as Johor Bahru, Kuantan and Ipoh. For the rest, you could be running on GPRS.
• It’s not unlimited!: But please beware of its fair use policy which states that: Each customer’s total usage per month shall NOT exceed 3Gbof data volume transmitted (total upload and download usage). This is to ensure that no individual hogs the bandwidth at all times. If a customer wishes to use more than the volume permitted, a written request should be made to Maxis. Maxis reserves the right to reject the said application or charge for any additional data volume transmitted from what is already allocated. You can read more about this in detail here. My experience indidates that after usage in excess of 3Gb, your download speed will be somewhat restricted by 30%. At first I thought this was due to high traffic using the line but when I tried to surf during in the wee hours such as 3am in the morning, I noted the same speed for my access.
• Price: Starts from RM118 if you are a Maxis Postpaid user, if not you will charged RM138 per month.
• Refund policy: There is 7-cooling off period, within which you will be fully refunded. If you decide to discontinue with the service after the 7 days, you will need to pay a penalty of RM200. However, if you have used the service for 12 months, the RM200 penalty is waived. No minimum contract is required. You pay by monthly not 12 months in lump sum just like izzinet.

2. CELCOM BROADBAND

• Speed and Reliability: It’s extremely damn slow, at times it’s even slower than the turtles. Connectivity-wise, no problem. Speed is less than 200kb when tested during off peak period.
• It’s not unlimited: All monthly unlimited broadband subscribers are allocated 5GB of data volume per month, after which the speed could possibly be capped.
• Price: Basic plan starts from RM99 per month (384kbps) and Advance Plan for RM129 per month. In addition, you have to pay RM499 for the modem. This is quite a significant investment to be made upfront.
• Refund policy: None. A penalty RM350 will be imposed if contract terminated before 18-month period. Are you kidding me? You have spent RM499 on modem and you will be charged RM350 for the penalty. A total close to RM850 just to try out its service? No wonder there have been many complaints about it. Watch out!

3. U-Mobile:

• Speed and Reliability: Since there are still not money users and coverage, speed is pretty fast and reliable. Upwards of 800kbs.
• It’s not unlimited: Maximum of 5Gb of data transfer per month.
• Price: RM78 per month, RM 50 activation fee.
• Refund Policy: 8-day cooling off period where no penalty will be imposed and you will be fully refunded. U-Mobile has the longest contract amongst the four i.e. 24 months. Should you decide to terminate your contract after the 8-day cooling off period, and before the 24-month period, you have to pay RM79 (the cost of the broadband modem that you get to keep - but why you would want to keep the modem if you are switching to streamyx still puzzles me) and RM78 of the current month’s access fees.

Streamyx is by far the best if there is no real need for you to go wireless. WiMax service in MALAYSIA led by Green Packet Services will be slightly delayed and only expected to be operational in late August. So just think about it!