Is there a solution to the “copper problem?”

This post is brought to you by Celcom.

Malaysia’s fixed broadband has increased three-fold in the last year. From a measly 23Mbps in January 2018, the average fixed broadband speed has increased to a healthy 62Mbps in October of the same year.

In June 2019, data obtained from the SpeedTest Global Index showed that average fixed broadband internet speeds in Malaysia have increased even more to 66Mbps, well over the global average of 51Mbps.

While an increase in broadband speeds is, in general, great for Malaysia, the benefits of the increased speeds are not felt by most Malaysians – many of whom still have their internet being served through copper.

The copper problem

What’s the problem with copper? Well, where do we even begin? Copper is more expensive, less reliable, transmits less bandwidth and is less effective over distances than fibre optics. Yet, many Malaysian homes, especially in the rural and sub-urban areas, get their internet through copper.

And because of this, these homes are paying a lot more for slower internet, even at a recent event where it was announced that copper broadband prices have been reduced 44% from RM160/month to RM89/month for an 8Mbps plan, copper broadband prices are just ridiculous if you compare it with fibre broadband plans. For example, for the same amount of money – RM89/month – you can get a 50Mbps fibre broadband plan with unlimited data, provided of course you are within the fibre broadband coverage areas.

So it seems that fibre broadband, with its faster speeds and cheaper prices, are out of reach for these homes, at least until the national fiberisation plan gets into full swing. And that will take at least five years.

Until then, what is the solution for the people staying in areas without fibre broadband? Is there an alternative that offers cheaper, faster broadband than copper?

Wireless home broadband

Powered by the largest 4G network available in the country, Celcom Home offers a solution to the “copper problem” with its home wireless broadband plans.

These plans offer a large amount of data and reliable connectivity with an average download speed of about 15Mbps, as indicated by wireless network monitoring tool, OpenSignal, in its latest report.

In the same report, OpenSignal data also showed that Celcom was able to supply 4G LTE connectivity to its users about 87% of the time while its closest competitor could offer 4G connectivity only 83% of the time.

There are three home wireless plans to choose from. The RM70/month home wireless plan offers 25GB of data plus an additional 40GB of data specifically for video and music content.

The most popular option is the RM100/month with 50GB of data plus an additional 100GB for video and music content. If that’s not enough, the Platinum plan offers 150GB of data plus a whopping 1,000GB extra just for video and music content!

And the best part is there’s no complicated installation process is required. The Celcom Home Wireless package is a simple “Plug & Play” system. The powerful Huawei B618 4G wireless router that allows you to connect up to 64 devices simultaneously is provided for free as well. If you’re wondering, the router alone costs at least RM470.

For more details on Celcom Home Wireless™ offerings click here.

An alternative to existing fibre broadband offerings too

If you stay within coverage of fibre broadband networks, you need to know that there are plenty of alternatives to existing plans that you’re familiar with today.

One that you should consider is the Celcom Home Fibre. The plan offers all the benefits you get with existing offerings but at a cheaper price starting from as low as RM80/month (for a 30Mbps plan) complete with free WiFi router and installation.

The other benefit with Celcom Home Fibre is that you get the same upload and download speeds (symmetrical). You might not know this but even the existing fibre broadband does not offer symmetrical upload and download speeds despite charging more for the same speed. If uploading content is just as important to you as downloading it, you can consider Celcom Home Fibre as a useful alternative.

You can check out Celcom Home Fibre™ offerings here.

At the end of the day

While the broadband speed of the nation is increasing, a large part of the country is still struggling with basic internet but this shouldn’t be the case.

As the quality of internet in Malaysia continue to get better, no Malaysian should be left behind thanks to the wireless and fibre broadband solutions offered by Celcom.

For details on Celcom Home Fibre and Celcom Home Wireless plans, click here.