Celcom Xpax has a new Fair Usage Policy for prepaid and here’s why you shouldn’t worry about it

This post is brought to you by Celcom.

Celcom Xpax has recently introduced a new Fair Usage Policy (FUP) for its new unlimited prepaid product. Not surprisingly, the move has sparked some debate online but FUP is a necessary evil to ensure all customers are using data more responsibly and everyone gets an optimal data experience.

Malaysians are one of the highest mobile data users in the region

According to a report by Ericsson, it is estimated that data traffic in Southeast Asia and Oceania will increase by 36% from 2020 to 2026. Due to the current pandemic, there’s been a surge of mobile data usage in Malaysia which drove usage up by 51% from Q1 2020 to Q2 2021. 

Globally, Malaysia has one of the fastest mobile data consumption growth year on year. An average customer on Xpax is currently using an average of 23GB per month.

With more users relying on the internet for online learning and working from home, it is estimated that 43% of subscribers are using mobile data as their sole internet access. Besides increasing 4G coverage, Celcom has taken steps to future proof its network to support more users. 

Celcom is investing RM1 billion in capex per year to improve its network which include radio capacity, core, transmission networks and fiberisation. At the moment, more than 70% of its mobile sites are a single hop to fibre which is important to provide the optimal user experience especially in rural areas. 

Data abusers are a serious problem

While Celcom Xpax is actively upgrading its network to support more users, there is a small number of customers that are abusing the network with excessing data usage. Some of these abusers include users that use a prepaid SIM on a wireless modem which is shared by multiple users. Some of them use the SIM excessively with over 100GB per month which is way higher than the average usage. Obviously, the behaviour of such users may degrade the overall experience for the majority of genuine users. 

To ensure every user gets a consistent service experience, the FUP is necessary to ensure fair access to all and to curb abusive usage. FUP isn’t exactly new and it has been implemented in various ways by mobile operators throughout the globe.

60GB is sufficient for majority of mobile users

To ensure fair access to all, Celcom has updated its FUP with a 60GB data limit for its Xpax prepaid unlimited pass. The new policy is applicable to new unlimited prepaid users that sign up starting 7th October 2021.

According to Celcom, a user that uses more than 30GB of data in a month is considered heavy usage. The new 60GB limit provides double the quota for extra headroom which is more than sufficient for most users on the network. 

With 60GB, users can enjoy up to 120 hours of video streaming which is about 4 hours a day for 30 days. Alternatively, you can use it for 1,500 hours of music streaming or 1,200 hours of mobile gaming.

Once the 60GB data limit is reached, Celcom Xpax prepaid unlimited users are still able to stay connected but speeds may be throttled to 512kbps. The throttled speed of 512kbps is 8 times the usual 64kbps throttled speed offered for free basic internet. Therefore, users can still enjoy unlimited internet at a reduced speed.

What can you do with 512kbps?

512kbps may sound slow but it is sufficient for most of your core internet applications. This includes web browsing, Waze, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even MySejahtera. 

According to YouTube and Netflix, the minimum connection required for streaming is 500Kbps. Ideally, YouTube recommends 0.7Mbps for a stable SD 360p streaming, while Netflix recommends 3Mbps for standard definition streaming. 

FUP is necessary to provide better internet quality for all

While everyone loves the free flow of high-speed data, the reality is that telcos have to implement measures to ensure quality and consistency for everyone. For customers that use the unlimited plan normally on a smartphone, it is rare for them to finish 60GB in a month. Even if the 60GB limit is reached, the internet usage is still unlimited and the 512kbps speed is still good enough for a decent experience.

If you are currently experiencing less than ideal speeds due to network congestion, users can look forward to better performance as the FUP will prevent abusers from hogging the network.

To provide greater value, Xpax has introduced its new RM38 monthly unlimited pass which comes with an additional 5GB of data quota with uncapped speeds. Users can activate the uncapped speed internet quota on demand and enjoy full speeds when downloading game updates or streaming high-resolution videos. On top of that, Xpax is providing free 6 months iQiyi VIP access which provides the latest Asian entertainment from K-drama, anime, and variety shows. 

For more info, visit Celcom Xpax page.