Broadband fees unlikely to fall just yet

Broadband fees unlikely to fall just yet

From left: P1 chief marketing officer Kenny Wong, P1 chief operating officer M. Idham Nawawi & P1 CEO Michael Lai displaying its products

IT WILL be a crowded market for Internet service providers this year but consumers shouldn´t expect prices to fall.

Although competition will be tougher, Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (P1) believes the broadband market is big enough for all currently.

"I don´t think there´s a need for a price war. The market is still quite open, relatively untapped, and plenty of opportunities out there," chief executive officer Michael Lai said in a media briefing in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Today, P1 has more than 100,000 subscribers, which is the highest among Malaysian peers using WiMAX technology like YTL Group, Redtone International and Asiaspace.

However, P1 is also competing with bigger rivals like Telekom Malaysia Bhd, mobile operators Maxis Bhd, Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd.

With YTL slated to officially launch its wireless broadband services by the end of this year, and more aggressive broadband push by giants TM and other mobile operators, P1 expects margins to come under pressure this year.

"We see challenges in margins, but at the end of the day, whether or not your margin can be maintained is dependent on two things, revenue and cost. So, the key thing for us now is to increase our sales, and manage our cost properly," said Lai.

Still, P1 remains positive on the industry and its prospects. "This year, we aim to at least double our last year´s subscriber base," he said.

The company has invested some RM400 million to roll out its wireless network since its launch in August 2008 and it will spend another RM200 million this year.

It plans to go to East Malaysia in the second half of the year.

P1 is planning to introduce more devices to the market this year, including the much-anticipated netbook that uses WiMAX, developed by P1 and its partners.

He did not disclose the prices and specifications of the netbook, but promised that prices will be "attractive" for customers.

Green Packet plans tie-up with Indonesian telcos

Green Packet Bhd (0082), a mobile broadband provider, plans to partner mobile operators in Indonesia to roll out its wireless high-speed Internet access service in the region. 

The company, which offers broadband services to homes and offices using the WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) 
  technology, has a licence to operate in Malaysia and Singapore.

But it wants to grow and have more licences to operate the WiMAX in South Asia, which includes India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, its group managing director Puan Chan Cheong said.

Puan wants Green Packet to be a key player in the broadband business in South Asia.

"We are actively seeking WiMAX licences. The three key markets that are attractive for WiMAX's success are Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand and that's where we will focus on for the next three years," Puan told Business Times.
However, Indonesia has issued licences to several telecom companies (telcos) late last year.

"We will partner the operators to offer our broadband service across the country. We are actively engaging with them right now. In fact, some of them are using our consulting services so there would be easier dealings with them," Puan said.

For Vietnam and Thailand, Puan said both governments are expected to issue the WiMAX licences within the next 12 to 18 months.

"We hope to have a chance to participate. The governments have not announced the details but we will most likely bid for the licence with the locals there," Puan said.

Puan also expects the company to have more cash in hand as its business grows. "Right now, we have RM200 million cash. We are looking at a private placement this year to raise some RM150 million. Moving forward, there will be more cash flow from our operations," he said.

Green Packet is optimistic that its broadband business will grow as it enlarges its customer base.

It also expects more money from its software and WiMAX devices, including the supply of WiMAX modems, internationally

TIME Connects tawar akses internet 50 Megabit sesaat

PENGGUNA di Mont Kiara dan kawasan segi tiga emas Kuala Lumpur, meliputi Jalan Bukit Bintang, Imbi, Sultan Ismail dan Raja Chulan, berpeluang menikmati akses internet terlaju di negara ini sehingga 50 Megabit sesaat menerusi penyambungan TIME Connects yang ditawarkan Time dotCom Bhd (TIME).

Ketua Eksekutifnya, Afzal Abdul Rahim, berkata rangkaian fiber optik sepenuhnya yang dibangunkan syarikat itu kini beroperasi di 30,000 kediaman dan pejabat di dua kawasan terbabit dengan 16,000 lagi kediaman dan pejabat akan disambungkan awal tahun depan.

“Tahap kelajuan internet seperti ini belum pernah dinikmati sebelum ini, tetapi ia hari ini satu realiti.

“Bayangkan anda kini boleh muat turun video seberat 500 Megabit dalam masa satu minit empat puluh saat berbanding hampir sejam sebelum ini atau muat turun dua Gigabit tayangan berdefinisi tinggi (HD) kurang daripada tujuh minit dengan jaminan kepuasan menonton tanpa gangguan atau gambar yang terhenti-henti,” katanya pada majlis mengumumkan perkhidmatan penyambungan fiber optik sepenuhnya itu di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Afzal berkata, perkhidmatan itu sesuai bagi menyokong kebanyakan aplikasi jalur lebar perniagaan seperti memindahkan data, e-mel, melayari laman web, tontonan video, persidangan video, e-perniagaan dan aplikasi berasaskan internet lain.

Beliau berkata, tiga perkhidmatan ditawarkan iaitu TIME Fibre Broadband khusus untuk pelanggan runcit, manakala TIME Fibre Internet Basic dan TIME Fibre Internet Plus untuk perniagaan.

TIME Fibre Broadband ditawarkan pada harga serendah RM99 sebulan.
TIME Fibre Internet Basic ditawarkan dalam empat pakej dengan caj bulanan antara RM148 hingga RM818 sebulan, manakala TIME Fibre Internet Plus pula ditawarkan dalam tiga pakej dengan caj bulanan daripada RM688 hingga RM1,888, katanya.

Pada majlis sama penyedia rumusan dan penyelesaian telekomunikasi talian tetap itu turut memperkenalkan logo baru syarikat.

Afzal berkata, asas kepada perkhidmatan penyambungan fiber optik sepenuhnya oleh TIME itu adalah lima gerbang koridor raya fiber optik utama merentasi utara-selatan dan timur-barat Semenanjung yang siap sepenuhnya baru-baru ini.

Beliau berkata, buat masa ini perkhidmatan itu ditumpukan sekitar Lembah Klang yang dibahagikan kepada 10 zon dengan fasa berikutnya ialah di kawasan Bangsar-Damansara disusuli Subang-Sunway.

Time dotCom upbeat on high-speed service

By EDY SARIF

edy@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Time dotCom Bhd's (TDC) full fibre network service is now available in 30,000 homes and offices in the Golden Triangle and Mont Kiara area, said chief executive officer Afzal Abdul Rahim.

We are now planning to connect another 16,000 premises over the next few months, he said yesterday after unveiling its new corporate identity.

The service would see homes and businesses enjoying broadband at a speed of up to 50 megabits per second, while addressing the bandwidth needs of large enterprises with speed of up to 10 gigabits per second.

Afzal said these levels of Internet speed were made available in the market for the first time.

Afzal Abdul Rahim at the launch of the new corporate identity

Businesses in the area are now positioned to take advantage of new bandwidth-intensive applications, which can help improve efficiency and productivity. Consumers who have been deprived of bandwidth for many years are finally able to experience the true digital lifestyle of multiple-connected devices for the first time, he said.

He added that the group's focus now was to offer the service to high-rise buildings and apartments and currently, it was working at the rate of 20 to 30 buildings per month.

On the group's new corporate identity, Afzal said it represented the essential values in becoming the type of service provider that TDC was one that ultimately pushed its competitiveness and performance to levels higher than the industry norm.

He admitted that the competition in the market was tough but TDC would use its assets and continue to give its services when there was demand.

TDC's100% fibre-based services are readily available for both businesses and consumers in the Golden Triangle and Mont Kiara area with packages starting from RM99 for consumers and RM148 for businesses.

What broadband is about