For a long time now, the 4G operator scene in Malaysia has been dominated by four companies — Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile. However, at the end of last year, we reported that there would be a new player entering the scene in 2016 and it seems this could be it.
We received an email invitation from Packet One Networks (P1) regarding a “P1 secret” that was due to be unveiled on the 13th of April 2016. Now, what could it possibly be? Well, from the looks of things, it certainly seems like they’re going to officially announce their mobile 4G service.
Since Telekom Malaysia‘s acquisition of P1 in 2014, TM has worked towards developing P1 into their mobile arm and mobility centre, initially eyeing a 2015 launch of their mobile services. That initial plan didn’t come to fruition but it looks like their revised schedule of a 2016 entry will.
TM has said that their overall LTE network rollout, the core of which is being managed by P1, was proceeding as planned so being able to meet their revised target of a 2016 launch may not come as such a surprise.
This isn’t TM’s first foray into LTE technology as they launched their very own 4G broadband-only service TMgo back in 2015 which runs on 850MHz. TMgo was designed to replace TM’s older Wireless Streamyx on CDMA.
What does TM’s entry into the 4G operator industry mean for us as consumers? Well, many good things we hope.
More competition is always welcomed because it keeps the other telcos on their toes. A firm monopoly on any industry hurts us, the consumers, the most because it means that we’re at the mercy of whoever holds all the cards in that particular industry.
Competition, on the other hand, means that these companies have to keep their plans competitive and try to undercut or trump the competition to attract consumers. A good example of this can be seen in the recent price war.
With TM’s entry, things will surely get more interesting for the current four-way horse race as TM will be bringing in all their expertise and experience that they’ve accrued over the years to shake up the scene. How effective will they be as a telco? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
What do you guys think of TM entering the 4G LTE game?
