Opensignal earlier today has published yet another Mobile Network Experience Report for Malaysia. In the September 2019 edition of the report, the results were based on the data that was collected from 1 June to 29 August this year through more than 970,000 devices.

Just like in the April 2019 edition of the report, Celcom and Maxis once again managed to be the top telco in the segments that were listed by Opensignal. However, you would notice that things have changed a little bit once you take a closer look at the report.

For example, Celcom has managed to take over Maxis’ position when it comes to latency experience and is now a clear winner for video experience instead of sharing the position with its close competitor. On another hand, Maxis is now the leader in terms of Upload Speed Experience instead of Celcom although the latter remained as the champion of 4G availability.

Meanwhile, the biggest surprise comes in the form of unifi Mobile who has managed to beat everyone else in the Voice App Experience segment. This is the first time that this particular segment appeared in Opensignal report which refers to the quality of that consumer’s experience when they utilized the voice feature inside apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook Messenger.

For the full details including the breakdown of the results according to individual states, check out the full report over at Opensignal’s official website.

The post Celcom, Maxis, and unifi Mobile Are The Winners In Opensignal’s Latest Mobile Experience Report appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Maxis customers are reporting a nationwide 4G data service outage as of 1.30pm this afternoon. The outage is affecting both postpaid and prepaid customers as well as ookyo users.

We can independently confirm the outage, however it would seem that postpaid customers are experiencing slightly better connectivity on 3G compared to predominantly prepaid-based Hotlink and ookyo customers who claim that they are completely cut off from the internet.

Maxis has yet to issue an official statement on the outage, but have confirmed via replies to their customers that they are aware of the technical issues affecting their network and are in the midst of rectifying it.

We are facing downtime fr Hotlink prepaid service currently. Our team is in the midst of rectifying it. TQ-Isaac [2]

— Maxis (@MaxisListens) October 7, 2019

(UPDATE 1 – 3:18PM): 

Maxis has released a statement to address the network disruption experienced by its customers. In general, the disruption apparently limited to Hotlink and ookyo customers which confirmed what we’ve have heard earlier.

However, no mention of the disruption faced by postpaid customers despite our earlier report.

Here is the statement, reproduced in full:

We would like to apologise to our Hotlink and Ookyo customers who may be experiencing some service interruptions with their lines.

Rest assured that we are working hard to rectify this as soon as possible. We will notify our affected customers when services are fully restored.

We thank you for your kind understanding and support.

We’ll keep you updated once we hear more from Maxis, so stay tuned.

(UPDATE 2 – 11:15 PM):

Maxis has provided another round of media statement regarding the service interruptions. However, there is no significant information contained within the statement aside from the fact that the telco is still working to fix the situation:

Some of our customers may still be experiencing some interruptions to our services. We continue to work hard towards rectifying this as quickly as we can.

We apologise for the inconvenience and will notify our affected customers via our social channels when services are fully restored.

We thank our customers for their understanding and support.

Given the fact that the service disruption has been going on for close to 12 hours, this is definitely a massive one especially for a telco that is as big as Maxis. However, there’s nothing much we know about the situation since the telco didn’t disclose the exact cause behind the disruption.

Meanwhile, there’s also nothing much for customers can do at the moment, aside from waiting until Maxis able to fully fix the situation.

(UPDATE 3 – 8.00AM 8th October)

Maxis has confirmed this morning that their 4G services have been completely restored. The Facebook post however did not provide any explanation as to the cause of the outage.

Maxis has released the following statement to our queries as to the cause of yesterday’s outage.

The disruption was caused by an isolated technical fault which has since been resolved.

The post Maxis Customers Experiencing 4G Service Outage (UPDATED) appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Maxis and Celcom Timur yesterday have announced their new Access Agreement in Sabah.  Under this partnership, Maxis is now able to tap into Celcom Timur’s fibre optic network over there which subsequently allows the telco to expand the footprint of Maxis Fibre in Sabah.

In general, the new agreement is similar in nature to its existing High Speed Broadband infrastructure partnership with SACOFA in Sarawak as well as on a national level with TM.  While Maxis didn’t provide in-depth details regarding the expanded coverage areas for its Maxis Fibre service in Sabah  but from the general map of Sabah’s network topology from Celcom Timur’s website, the reach looks quite far-reaching:

Meanwhile, Maxis has also stated that the new cooperation not only allows the telco to utilize Celcom Timur’s infrastructure and services but also around the clock network monitoring system. Celcom Timur’s technical support team, which apparently has an average Mean Time to Restore standard of within 2 hours, is also involved to help manage the network.

In its announcement, Maxis also said that the expanded availability of Maxis Fibre in Sabah will start from 1 November onwards. With that, do keep a look for further updates through Maxis’ official website.

The post Maxis Fibre To Expand Footprint In Sabah Through New Cooperation with Celcom Timur appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Whether its streaming TV shows or movies online, video on-demand (VOD) consumption has become widely popular for Malaysians at home or on the go. With that in mind, Maxis is now offering its subscribers an all-in-one platform for VOD content with their new Maxis TV service from RM3 a day.

According to Maxis, among the VOD content providers expected in the new service includes Netflix, iflix, Viu, Mubi, and YuppTV, with many more to come.

Subscribers are able to access Maxis TV through MyMaxis, Hotlink Red, and Flex apps. VOD passes for the all-in-one platform include RM3 for a one-day subscription plus 3GB free data, RM7 for 7 days and 5GB, and RM15 for 30 days plus 10GB. Pass purchases are charged through Maxis bill or Hotlink credit.

To find out more on Maxis TV, head on over to Maxis’ official website.

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Originally launched in 2017, it looks Ookyo’s time in the market is coming to an end. According to the SMS that Maxis has sent to Ookyo’s customers, the telco will be migrating Ookyo customers to Hotlink RED in January 2020.

According to the Ookyo’s website, customers don’t have to do anything as the transition to Hotlink RED will take place automatically on 21 January 2020. In fact, they don’t even have to change their SIM card which not exactly surprising since both Ookyo and Hotlink are under Maxis’ umbrella.

In addition to that, customers will also be provided with free 8GB of data quota as a welcome gift. Valid for 30 days, customers will also receive Non-Stop RED Social pass that provides them unlimited access to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Pinterest for the same duration.

Furthermore, they will also only need to pay RM 30 per month for the next 12 months from 21 February 2020 onwards, instead of the usual monthly cost of RM 45. Not to forget, any remaining balance within their Ookyo wallet will be automatically transferred to Hotlink RED wallet with the exception of the Google Play wallet which customers need to fully utilize by 20 January 2020.

Given the circumstance, we do suggest all affected customers out there to check out Ookyo’s official website for further clarifications.

(Source: Ookyo. Thanks for the tips, @tcp_asdf.)

The post Ookyo Is No More: Customers To Be Absorbed By Hotlink On 21 Jan 2020 appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Celcom and Maxis are now looking into the possibility of sharing their 5G infrastructure together. Given the fact that both companies are fierce rivals, this deal might sound rather odd but of course, infrastructure sharing is nothing new in the highly competitive telco industry.

In the joint media statement, both Celcom and Maxis believe that this potential collaboration could lead to substantial cost savings for both companies. Additionally, they also pointed out that this could also improve efficiency and lead to faster deployment of their 5G network.

Said to be the first such partnership when it comes to 5G in Malaysia, the joint deployment will be covering selected areas although both companies didn’t provide specific information regarding them. Despite the plan to share their 5G infrastructure, Celcom and Maxis insist that they will continue to operate their own network separately and remain competitive with each other.

Do note that what Celcom and Maxis have signed today is a just Memorandum of Understanding to explore the possibility of sharing their 5G infrastructure. In other words, it is not a done deal yet but nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this partnership (if it happens) could affect the industry as we move towards the commercial rollout of 5G in Malaysia within the next few years.

The post Celcom and Maxis Are Looking To Share Their 5G Network appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

We are not sure when did Maxis begin to roll out this plan, but we have received a tip that the company is now offering fibre service under its Hotlink brand. However, the new plan is not a stand-alone offering though but instead, it is a hybrid plan that also includes mobile Internet.

Under the new Hotlink Flex Plus Fibre plan, customers will be provided with 20GB data pool which comprised of 10GB YouTube-specific quota and 10GB general data quota. Not only that, they will also receive access to unlimited calls and SMS.

At the same time, the plan also includes 30Mbps Home Fibre with unlimited quota. Customers will also receive a wireless router for free while the fibre will be installed at their premise without any charges as long as it is being done on weekdays.

According to the plan’s TnC document, the Hotlink Flex Plus Fibre plan is only available for new lines. In other words, you have to terminate existing Maxis or Hotlink mobile lines and Maxis Home Fibre subscription if you plan to move to the new Hotlink Flex Plus Fibre plan.

Additionally, the plan has no other fibre speed options than the 30Mbps for the time being. To learn more about the new Hotlink Flex Plus Fibre plan, just head on to Hotlink’s official website right here.

(Source: Hotlink – 1, 2. // Thanks for the tips, Josh HD!)

The post Hotlink Now Offers Mobile Data and Home Fibre Combo Plan For RM 99 Per Month appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Maxis will soon join the list of Malaysian telcos that support the LTE feature on Apple Watch. This was revealed by the telco on its official website earlier this week, together with the announcement that Apple Watch Series 5 and iPad are also going to be made available through the Maxis Zerolution program.

For those who are not familiar with the Zerolution program, it is the telco’s 24-month zero-interest instalment scheme. However, Maxis will not be taking pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 5, according to the telco’s representative.

Instead, the smartwatch will be made available directly at selected Maxis Stores on 13 December 2019. As for the iPad, all current iPad line-up will be available through Zerolution including 7th generation iPad, 5th generation iPad Mini, 3rd generation iPad Air and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, as well as the 11-inch iPad Pro.

More information regarding the cellular support for Apple Watch as well as the availability of Apple Watch Series 5 and iPad through Zerolution will be released on 13 December. So, stay tuned.

(Source: Maxis.)

The post Apple Watch LTE Support and Series 5 Coming To Maxis This December appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) is finally arriving to Maxis users in 2020. In a statement to SoyaCincau, the telco confirmed the voice service’s launch following a comment on their Zerolution program package which features the highly anticipated Apple Watch Series 5 LTE.

“While the Apple Watch supports VoLTE, voice calls can still be enabled without it. Importantly, with our Apple Watch offering, we are providing Always On connectivity where customers can call, text and access mobile data on the Apple Watch even without their iPhones with them. Meanwhile, we are targeting to launch VoLTE sometime next year,” stated a Maxis spokesperson to the website.

To bring you up to speed, VoLTE is a feature that delivers voice over a carrier’s high-speed data network instead of its voice network, which results in better sound quality during calls. At this time, the service is already available to other local telcos including Digi, Celcom, U Mobile, Unifi Mobile, and Yes.

While we now know that Maxis’ VoLTE will arrive next year, the telco has not disclosed an expected release date for the launch just yet. On the other hand, you can read up more on Maxis’ Apple Watch Series 5 LTE Zerolution offer on their official website.

(Source: SoyaCincau. // Top image: Reuters)

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Maxis and Allo signed an access agreement with each other earlier today. The agreement effectively gives Maxis access to the latter’s fibre broadband infrastructure, allowing it to further expand its reach into areas that were initially inaccessible to the telecommunications brand.

By signing the agreement, Maxis is now able to access Allo’s already existing fibre infrastructure in areas such as Cyberjaya, Bangsar South, and Jasin. The latter having initially started as a pilot plan for the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) last year and announced as successful at the start of the year.

When asked where both Maxis and Allo intend to expand their coverage, both companies said that the expansion would be nationwide within the Peninsular with states such as Malacca, Kedah, Johor, and Penang currently being surveyed.

To be clear, the agreement doesn’t cover the retail portion of Maxis’ business. Maxis explained that its agreement is akin to a wholesale deal, and not aimed at consumers specifically. To that end, the status quo for Maxis’ Home Fibre broadband packages remains unchanged; since you can check out its plans and packages on the official page, we won’t waste any time explaining it here.

We also asked if there was a timeline over any future rollout, Allo said that its base plan is to provide between 135,000 and 140,000 homes fibre connectivity by the end of 2020. Of course, this all depends on the company getting the necessary approvals from the relevant councils of the area. As mentioned, it’s already gotten approval from the earlier mentioned states.

The post Maxis And Allo Sign Exchange Of Access Agreement To Expand Fibre Coverage appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Following our previous report, Maxis today has released more information regarding its support for Apple Watch models that come with cellular feature. Positioned under the telco’s eSIM offering, Maxis customers can activate the feature starting from today onwards.

They can so do by subscribing to the new Maxis Postpaid 18 Watch plan through the Watch app inside their iPhone. Applicable for Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 3, the step is similar to what we have laid down in our guide previously with the exception that it now involves Maxis rather than Digi.

According to the telco’s official website, the Maxis Postpaid 18 Watch can only be obtained by MaxisONE Plan and MaxisONE Share customers. Additionally, the plan costs RM 18 per month although at the moment, subscribers will receive free subscription for 3 months when they signed up.

There was no mention regarding VoLTE in Maxis guide but nevertheless, it is not something you to worry about since the activation process should be quite seamless. For further clarification, head on to Maxis’ official website right here.

(Source: Maxis – 1, 2, 3.)

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Starting from October this year, telco companies, industry partners, and government agencies have begun to deploy 5G implementations throughout the country as part of the 5G Demonstration Project (5GDP) series that were announced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in September. Out of these 55 projects, a significant number of them are located in Langkawi.

Over the past two days, we have made our way to various parts of Langkawi to check out some of these implementations. Before we discuss about them further, we believe that many are curious about the speed of the 5G network that have been implemented at the island.

Since Langkawi is a popular tourist destination, it is not surprising that our first 5G experience at the island took place right at one of its main entrance, the Langkawi International Airport (LIA). However, do bear with us with incomplete information below though, as it seemed that the companies have left their demo areas after presenting their demo to the MCMC’s Chairman.

This is because we couldn’t find anyone to talk to about their 5G network after the media Q&A session with the Chairman. That is with the exception of Digi but they somehow didn’t bring a test phone to LIA at that time.

While it is not known why the company’s personnel choose Yes4G’s server as the speed test’s target server, edotco’s banner at LIA stated that the company has a partnership with Celcom. The company is currently implementing Smart Airport solution at LIA and the speed test above was performed using a ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G.

TM utilizes a sub-6 Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G network to demonstrate its Smart Tourism App and 8K Virtual Reality at LIA. The company’s exec performed the speed test with a Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G.

Maxis also demonstrate the speed of its 5G network at LIA through a Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G. The telco set up a kiosk at LIA that allows users to generally enjoy a selection of contents via its 5G network through two Huawei tablets that are connected to a Huawei 5G CPE Pro.

A bulk of our speed test took place on the second day of our site tour which started at Pusat Internet Kampung Padang Wahid. The community Internet center is one of more than 800 Pusat Internet that were established throughout the country under MCMC’s Universal Service Provision (USP) program.

At the center, Maxis has implemented a 5G-powered eKelas program with virtual reality enhancement which is connected through a Huawei 5G CPE Pro. The speed test above with Huawei Mate 30 Pro is connected directly to Maxis 5G sub-6 NSA 5G network though, not via the CPE Pro.

After that, we made our way to Langkawi Hospital in which Digi 5G sub-6 NSA 5G network is being used to enable Real-Time Medical Data Transfer directly from ambulance to the doctor’s phone. As ZTE is the telco’s infrastructure partner, the speed test above was aptly performed with a ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G.

We then moved on to Berjaya Langkawi Resort at the Teluk Burau to check out U Mobile’s collaboration with DoctorOnCall which involved the implement of a mobile diagnosis pod that allows remote real-time doctor consultation service. The telco’s 5G site at the premise which was deployed through collaboration with ZTE is also quite unique since it contains both sub-6 and mmWave NSA 5G network.

To demonstrate the speed of its mmWave implementation, U Mobile uses ZTE’s network test apparatus as the company didn’t possess an end-user mmWave device at the moment. As for the telco’s sub-6 network, it somehow refused to work during our visit, so we have to make do with the result of the speed test that the company did with a ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G a day before our visit.

The last stop in our 2-day Langkawi 5G site visit is the Pantai Cenang. Over there, we checked out the implementations by TM who has deployed plenty of 5GDP tests within the area including Smart Safety & Security Solutions, Smart Parking, Smart Retail Analytics, Smart Vehicle Management System, Smart Safety Helmet, and People Safety app.

What made TM’s 5G network at Pantai Cenang different from other implementations in Langkawi is that it also includes a Standalone (SA) 5G network which is said to be the first such implementation in the country.

While the performance between both types of 5G network seems rather similar according to the speed test results that was shown above, TM said that the Huawei Mate 30 Pro on the left is connected to its SA network while the unit on the right was on its NSA network.

While the speed test results above might look rather impressive, let’s not forget that 5G is not just about speed alone. The implementation of 5G in Malaysia is still in its early days which is why these 5G demo projects exist in the first place.

This is to allow everyone the opportunity to find and explore the potential benefits and innovations that can be achieved through this upcoming major evolution in the wireless communication technology. Stay tuned as we’ll take a closer look at selected 5G demo projects coming your way soon.

The post Langkawi 5G Speed Tests Show Max Output of 4Gbps: Featuring Digi, edotco, Maxis, TM, and U Mobile appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Back in October, Opensignal has released a report that discussed the availability of 4G connection to users in Malaysia according to the population density. According to the report, users in less populated areas are only able to connect to 4G connection 44% of the time.

The company earlier today has published a follow-up report which still focused on the same subject but using telcos as its anchor. Interesting enough, the new report pointed out that Celcom is on the top of the chart by delivering 4G availability rate of 90.7% in highly populated area.

Even in thinly populated rural areas, Celcom users apparently still able to connect to 4G around 74% of the time. As you can see from the chart above, U Mobile is ranked last in the list with around 74% in highly populated and down to 40% in rural areas.

Meanwhile, Opensignal has also stated that users in Malaysia are able to connect to their mobile network more than 90% of the time when 3G and 4G statistics are combined, regardless of their telcos. That is with the exception of U Mobile in less populated rural areas though, as its availability level is said to be much lower at 86%.  

From the way we looked at it, the new report by Opensignal could be used as an additional reference point to check the progress as well as effectiveness of the on-going National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP). This is because 4G connectivity in underserved areas are the main focus of NFCP 1 and NFCP 2 infrastructure packages that will be deployed next year.

Hence, we expect to see some noticeable improvements in the next round of the 4G availability report by Opensignal next year.

(Source: Opensignal.)

The post Opensignal: Celcom Delivers The Highest Rate of 4G Availability In Malaysia, Including Rural Areas appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Maxis earlier this week has announced that it managed to achieve a speed of 2.96Gbps at two of its 5G trial sites in Subang Jaya. While it is certainly an impressive speed even though it represents peak speed for just a single user, what more interesting is that Maxis has actually provided some details on how it managed to achieve that blazing data speed.

According to the telco, it was running two types of tests including the 5G New Radio (NR) Carrier Aggregation (CA) test which is to obtain single user peak speed. Running on 3.5GHz C-band spectrum, Maxis was given the green light by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to run the test at its Subang Jaya sites with a bandwidth of 200MHz for two months.

As a comparison, Malaysian telcos that are participating in the 5G deployment were provided with 100MHz of bandwidth for C-band spectrum which resulted in download speed of up to 1.76Gbps. Meanwhile, the telco has also performed 5G NR Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) test at its sites in Subang Jaya in order to check out single cell peak speed with multiple users being present in the network.

However, the result from the second test was not shared by the telco though and we have reached for additional info. Regardless of that, it is yet another sign that showed Maxis commitment to the new 5G technology.

The post Maxis 5G Sites In Subang Jaya Achieve Speed of Almost 3Gbps appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

It was only around a month ago that Celcom and Maxis have announce their intention to jointly deploy 5G network in selected areas throughout the country. Fast forward to this week, both telcos have since demonstrated their technical abilities by testing a shared 5G network in Langkawi.

In fact, they have claimed that this is the first ever successful trial of 5G Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) in Southeast Asia. According to both companies, MOCN enables them to share the same Radio Access Network (RAN) despite having two independent core networks.

They have also shared some speed test results which were performed at two different locations in Kuah, Langkawi:

Celcom 5G site at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa with Huawei Mate 20X 5G.

Maxis 5G site at Seaview Hotel with Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G (left) and Mate 20X 5G (right).

Both tests are apparently done on 3.5GHz 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) network. In its announcement today, Celcom and Maxis have also revealed that they will be conducting 5G SA network sharing within the first quarter of this year.

Once again, our telcos proved that they are not lacking when it comes to technology capabilities. However, we are still in the early days of 5G roll out in Malaysia, so expect even more 5G-related announcements and showcase from our telcos as we get closer to the commercial roll out in Q3.

The post Celcom and Maxis Demonstrate 5G Network Sharing: Delivers Peak Speed of 1.1Gbps appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Maxis has launched RE:Collection, a new mobile application developed in-house solely for the purpose of helping dementia patients and their families. To achieve this, the app uses data-driven reminiscence therapy as a method to help trigger a patient’s memories.

Users can upload photos and videos of past moments – especially those featuring the patient – onto the app, which then can be used with its captioned galleries and Augmented Reality (AR) functions. According to Maxis, media is uploaded via the app to its unlimited cloud storage, which also allows other family members to access RE:collection through a shared account.

The app’s Family Mode functions as a gallery that stores photos and videos of the patient’s family members and memories which can be captioned, categorised, and even have respective family members tagged on them as reference.

Users and patients could also access RE:Collection’s AR function that uses a smartphone’s camera to register and scan physical photos as a trigger that activates videos with moments associated with it – such as a family vacation or a graduation ceremony. Maxis notes that the app could only support short video clips of up to 40MB in size at this current time.

During RE:Collection’s debut at Menara Maxis on 16 January, Maxis also showcased a custom-built 5G capable smart table concept – aptly named “Unforgettable” – as another approach using data-driven reminiscence therapy to help dementia patients. Connected to a smart TV and a specialised headband, the table also features a built-in screen that displays videos and photos to the patient which would help produce data for analysis.

Data such as the patient’s recall ability, calmness, and attention are recorded by the headband and is then displayed on the TV. Maxis hopes that this technology could help users to better understand the patient’s condition and to further assist on their treatment. However, the smart table and technology is merely a proof of concept for now, and is not planned for a commercial release yet.

Maxis’ RE:Collection app is now available for download via Apple App Store and Google Play Store, but is currently absent from the Huawei App Gallery at this time. The brand’s Unforgettable smart table concept is also available for the public to try out from 16 January until 2 February 2020 at the Maxis Centre in KLCC.

(For further information: Maxis RE:Collection.)

The post Maxis Debuts RE:Collection Mobile App For Dementia Patients appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Back in August 2019, Astro and Maxis have partnered together to launch an all-in-one home fibre and content package called Astro & Broadband. However, only two speed options available at that time including 30Mbps and 100Mbps. 

Now, consumers finally able to obtain the Astro & Broadband package with faster Internet speed. From today onwards, they can choose from five broadband speed option through the inclusion of 300Mbps, 500Mbps, and 800Mbps package. 

Price-wise, existing Astro customers can add the 300Mbps broadband package option into their subscription for RM 149 per month while 500Mbps and 800Mbps options are priced at RM 219 and RM 299 per month respectively. Interesting enough, the 500Mbps and 800Mbps packages are also inclusive of a pair of mesh Wi-Fi device. 

For new customers, the monthly price starts at RM 188.95, RM 258.95, and RM 338.95 respectively based on the choice of their Astro packages. Astro has also stated that it is offering a total rebate of up to RM 720 over a period of 24 months to both existing and new customers: 

Additionally, for those who choose to obtain the Super Pack or Super Pack Plus package as part of their Astro & Broadband subscription, they will also able to upgrade to the new Astro Ultra Box for free. To learn more, just head on to Astro’s official website. 

The post Astro and Broadband Bundle Now Available with 300Mbps, 500Mbps, and 800Mbps Speed appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Following the announcement back in December, the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has recently revealed that the construction of infrastructure that is allocated under the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) package 1 is already underway. Mean to improve mobile service in underserved areas, this infra package cover 152 sites throughout 8 states across the country.

Said to cost RM 290 million, the deployment of the NFCP 1 infra package starts with tower installation which is handled by Axiata’s subsidiary, edotco in 113 sites. In 39 other sites, it is being done by a company belonged to Felda, the FGV Prodata Systems.

Once the towers are completed, Maxis and U Mobile will then come in to install the necessary network equipment and services that support at least 4 cellular mobile providers. In some of the sites, Maxis has also been given the task to fiberized them.

According to MCMC, 147 of the NFCP 1 sites should be up and ready to serve users by February 2021. The remaining sites will take another year to be ready though as they are apparently quite remote and posses additional challenges for deployment.

Here is the full list of sites that are covered by the NFCP 1 package:

In line with NFCP main targets, the deployment of NFCP 1 infrastructure package which revolves around 3G and 4G technology is expected to deliver average downlink speed of 30Mbps as well as 10Mbps uplink speed when it is completed. This is not be the end of story though as additional NFCP packaged are already in the pipeline as well.

As mentioned in our previous report, NFCP 2 package which has the same target as NFCP 1 will involve 500 additional sites and is currently going through tender process. We have also obtained early information regarding NFCP 3 package in which we will cover in a separate report.

Let’s also not forget the government is also expecting our 5G network to be commercially available for users in Q3 2020. The technology’s speed advantage will likely help the government’s objective of improving the Internet experience in Malaysia, given it is done correctly.

That being said, 5G is still a subset of NFCP and the technology relies heavily on the reach of fiber connectivity in order to make it a reality. Hence, in a way, these NFCP infra packages can be seen as the foundation for 5G.

(Source: MCMC – [pdf 1], [pdf 2].)

The post NFCP 1 Infrastructure Deployment Is Now Underway; To Boost Internet Speed In Underserved Areas appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

In a rather interesting development within our telco industry, three of the country’s major mobile players, Celcom, Digi, and Maxis have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the possibility of joint fiber deployment. Before you get too excited, this fiber deployment is not for home implementation though.

According to the joint announcement, the objective of this collaboration is to not only deploy fiber backhaul but also to link fiber to base stations throughout the country in order to help improve the general state of our 4G connectivity. The infrastructure implementation is also aimed at strengthening the foundation for the upcoming rollout of 5G network in Malaysia.

Through the collaboration, Celcom, Digi, and Maxis will also be evaluating their existing fibre infrastructure in order to find ways that their usages can be optimized. The three telcos also pointed out that this collaboration is in line with the on-going National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP).

Back in March 2019, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has actually urged telcos in Malaysia to beef up their 4G network as at that time, only 40% of base stations in the country were fully fibrized. Hence, this collaboration should be able to help the cause although the joint announcement today didn’t include any deployment timeline.

The post Celcom, Digi, and Maxis To Jointly Deploy Fibre Infrastructure For 4G and 5G appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

The launch of Galaxy S20 Ultra in Malaysia last week also marked the release of Samsung’s first-ever 5G phone into our market. It was quite an interesting decision for the company given that the 5G network is still under testing in Malaysia and we are also still a few months away from the commercial rollout that is expected to take place in Q3 2020.

That being said, you can actually test the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 5G capability right now through the 5G Live with Galaxy S20 Ultra showcase at Maxis Centre KLCC. That’s right, Maxis has actually enabled a live non-standalone (NSA) sub-6 5G network in the premise specifically for this showcase which is open to visitors until early April.

As far as we know, this is the only place right now in Malaysia where you can test a Galaxy S20 Ultra on a live 5G network. Naturally, we decide to run speed tests on the demo unit when we visited the experience zone earlier today:

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So, @Maxis has set up live #5G network for this @samsungmalaysia #GalaxyS20Ultra and naturally…we have to run a speed test, right? 😄 . Well, look at how the speedometer goes 😳 . For more information of where you can actually test this unit yourself, check out the link in our bio. ✌️ . 📹: @chiefchapree . . #samsung #samsungmalaysia #samsunggalaxy #samsungmobile #galaxys20 #galaxys20ultra5g #maxis #maxis5g #5gmalaysia #5gphone #lowyat #lowyatnet #lyn

A post shared by Lowyat.NET 🌐 (@lowyatnet) on Mar 10, 2020 at 6:55am PDT

What shown above is one of the best results that we managed to achieve during our visit and in general, we were able to get between 800Mbps to slightly above 1Gbps in our test runs. According to the Maxis staff that manning the experience zone, below is the best result that the unit achieved since the zone was open to the public on 6 March:

Meanwhile, Maxis has also set up another Galaxy S20 Ultra to showcase its performance and Space Zoom capability via a hybrid Artificial Reality (AR) demo although this unit was not connected to the live 5G network:

Maxis has also provided Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ for visitors to test out at the experience zone even though the Malaysian variant of these devices are not 5G models. After all, the miniature models that the telco has installed at the showcase are meant as test subjects for visitors to experience features such as the 3x hybrid optical zoom, 30x super resolution zoom and 8K video recording that are available on both devices.

The telco is also planning to open up another 5G Live with Galaxy S20 Ultra showcase at Maxis Centre Sunway Pyramid very soon. Just like in Maxis Centre KLCC, Maxis will also deploy a live 5G network in the shopping mall for the showcase although the exact opening date for it is not yet known at the moment.

If all these demos made you wonder what are the Galaxy S20 series plans that are available from the telco, head on to Maxis official website right here for more details.

The post Maxis Set Up Live 5G Network for Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Showcase: Here Is The Speed Test Result appeared first on Lowyat.NET.