Yes says goodbye to WiMAX

Yes is finally shutting down its WiMAX network. They have just served its final notice to its postpaid subscribers and all accounts were suspended at 2PM on 30th September 2019.

For those who are still on the old WiMAX plan and devices, Yes is offering a free upgrade to their Yes 4G LTE plan with free LTE devices. To switch, you can visit the nearest Yes store, call their hotline at 018-333000 or upgrade via the MyYes4G app.

Launched in November 2010, the original Yes 4G service that offered high-speed broadband with voice was quite revolutionary back then, and it is still quite impressive even by today’s standards. The provider offered a variety of WiMAX devices such as USB modem, Huddle MiFi, a phone, a fixed wireless terminal and even a WiMAX-enabled Chromebook.

What was interesting is its SIM-less approach to login and you can use the same Yes WiMAX account across multiple devices simultaneously. You could even make and receive calls with your 018 number across any device including iOS as long as you have your YesLife app logged in.

At the time of launch, it was faster than most 3G networks and it offered pure mobility as it can switch between base stations seamlessly. While most telcos would roll out their faster network sporadically, Yes was launched with a significant WiMAX footprint and they even covered most of the North-South highway.

With dwindling support and development, WiMAX is eventually phased out in favour of LTE. Its competitor, P1 WiMAX, has ceased its service in 2017 and they have reused its 2.3GHz spectrum for Unifi Mobile’s TDD-LTE service.

Yes had launched its LTE service in 2016 and it was the first telco to offer HD quality Voice over LTE (VoLTE) despite being three years behind Maxis in the LTE game. Yes is also one of the first operators in Malaysia to operate on TDD-LTE that offers higher bandwidth on 2300MHz (Band 40) and 2600MHz (Band 38). 

Apart from LTE, Yes is also experimenting with new technologies such as Terragraph and Gigawire.

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