And now Digi launches 100GB quota broadband plan

• Hopes this will help it grow its core postpaid business
• Currently has smallest postpaid market share in terms of revenue and subscribers

WITH rivals Maxis Bhd and Celcom Axiata Bhd – and even fixed-line giant Telekom Malaysia Bhd – all making announcements this week, it is no surprise that Digi.Com Bhd has followed suit.
 
Digi, 49%-owned by Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor ASA, has unveiled two new broadband plans: Broadband 145 and Broadband 185, which offer customers 50GB and 100GB of data quota respectively.
 
The plans are available starting today (April 1), according to the company, one of Malaysia’s ‘Big Three’ mobile operators.
 
Existing Digi postpaid users would be able to enjoy an RM25 discount if they sign up for one of the two plans before June 30. A further 5% discount will be given if the customer opts for auto-billing. [RM1 = US$0.25 at current rates]
 
“We believe they will help grow our core postpaid business,” Digi head of postpaid and digital services Praveen Rajan said after unveiling the plans in Kuala Lumpur yesterday (March 31).
 
Currently, Digi has the smallest postpaid subscriber base of the Big Three. As at Dec 31, 2015, it had 1.84 million postpaid customers, while Maxis and Celcom had 3.13 million and 2.8 million, respectively.
 
Not surprisingly, it also recorded the lowest postpaid revenue, at RM1.78 billion, while Maxis and Celcom recorded RM3.93 billion and RM2.85 billion, respectively.
 
Bragging rights
 
On March 28, Maxis launched its MaxisOne Home fixed-broadband package. While delivering no major breakthrough in terms of speed, the company argued it would be focusing on “quality of service.”
 
Two days later, Celcom unveiled three over-the-top (OTT) services, aiming to be part of the digital content ecosystem for its customers.
 
Digi’s new plans are more focused on wireless broadband, and its message is clear: It wants to claim superiority in this space.
 
Currently, it boasts population coverage of 72% and 31% for its 4G LTE (Fourth-Generation/ Long-Term Evolution) and LTE-A (LTE Advanced or 4.5G) networks, respectively.
 
Based on a speed-test demonstration at the launch of the two new plans, the company showed that one could get a download speed of up to 100Mbps.
 
“What we want is to enrich the lives of our customers and enable them to use the Internet consistently,” said Praveen.
 
“With these new broadband plans, coupled with our widest 4G LTE and LTE-A coverage, we are set to take on the rising need for Internet access, enabling our customers to constantly be online while at work or play,” he declared.
 
Wireless broadband slugfest
 

 
A look at the Big Three’s wireless offerings shows that Digi’s are pretty competitive.
 
Its two new plans are equivalent to RM1.85 to RM2.90 per GB. Maxis’ wireless plans are priced at RM48 to RM158 a month, giving customers 3GB to 50GB of quota, translating to RM3.16 to RM16 per GB.
 
Celcom’s plans range from RM45 a month (4GB) to RM100 a month (22GB), equivalent to over RM4 per GB.
 
However, Celcom’s plans also come with 2-18GB of free WiFiPlus quota, as well as unlimited streaming of Yonder Music content.
 
While the above comparisons show that Digi’s new plans are the most competitive in terms of per-GB pricing, an industry believes the take-up rate may be “moderate.”
 
“At the end of the day, the company is not really targeting the masses with this kind of pricing,” the telco analyst, who requested anonymity, told Digital News Asia (DNA).
 
“After all, not many people may be able to afford to spend another RM145 a month in such an economic climate.
 
“Nevertheless, I believe this will be attractive for data-hungry users. If these users have a good experience with Digi, they may switch their postpaid subscription over to Digi,” added the analyst, who works at a local research house.
 
Related Stories:
 
Slugfest: How Malaysia's Big 3 performed in 2015
 
Maxis confident it has healthy fibre plan
 
Celcom: We don't want to be a dumb pipe
 
Will TM’s 100Mbps service excite consumers?
 
 
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