ConnectMe, the satellite broadband service of MEASAT, has discontinued its ConnectMe @ Home service for new registration. According to their website, they will not be taking on any more new subscribers effective immediately as they are focusing their efforts to connect rural communities with their ConnectMe Now service.
Introduced sometime in 2018, ConnectMe offers a viable connectivity solution for residents without access to fibre and 4G mobile connectivity. Using MEASAT satellites, the service offers 100% coverage throughout Malaysia with speeds of up to 30Mbps. After launching MEASAT-3d last year, ConnectMe is now able to provide satellite broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps via Ka-Band. The new high-throughput satellite (HTS) also offers an increased capacity of 30Gbps to support more users.
The normal ConnectMe @ Home subscription is costly for most consumers due to the heavy upfront costs and monthly subscriptions. To connect unserved and underserved communities, MEASAT introduced a ConnectMe Now service, which is Malaysia’s first prepaid WiFi service powered by satellite.
Communities without access to 4G and fibre can submit a request and MEASAT will set up a WiFi hotspot with no contract and zero upfront payments. For areas without a stable power supply, the ConnectMe Now hotspot service can be deployed with a solar-powered solution paired with a backup battery. Unlike fibre or 4G mobile networks, the satellite WiFi solution can be deployed in a matter of days in interior areas of Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Orang Asli settlements in Peninsular Malaysia.
To access the service, residents in the area can purchase a prepaid voucher from an authorised agent in the area. Of course, the cost of data via Satellite won’t be as cheap as mobile connectivity but ConnectMe Now provides a more accessible way for communities to stay connected with the rest of the world. Due to the nature of geostationary satellites, the latency for satellite broadband is more than 500ms but it is still good enough for web browsing and video streaming. Satellite broadband is seen as the alternative solution to bridge the digital divide to cover the final 2-3% of populated areas where it is simply not feasible to deploy mobile towers and fibre connectivity.
In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the MEASAT-3d launch last year.
Thanks Josh for the tip via our RKMD Group.
Related reading
- This is how broadband can be deployed quickly in rural areas where 4G coverage is not available
- Road to 100% internet coverage: Launching a satellite is easy, the real challenge is on the ground
- MEASAT-3d enters commercial service ahead of schedule
- Annuar Musa: MEASAT-3d to bring 100% internet coverage in Malaysia by 2025
