Are Malaysians Paying Too Much For Mobile Data?

Written by Iris Lee

Based on the Hand Phone Users Survey (2014) by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), 71.4% of Malaysians are obsessed with their mobile phone. And 96% of the respondents rated their hand phone as important to very important.

In 2014, usage of smartphones has taken over the normal feature phones at 53.4%, and two-third (63.3%) of the users interviewed say that they access the Internet through their phones.

The statistics above show clearly that smartphones have become an increasingly popular method of communication and also delivery of information, and it’s important to take a look at the other significant cost associated with owning one of these devices.

The cost of getting a smartphone is not high as many users could have gotten an entry-level smartphone, a discounted or even an old phone. However, the bigger cost is the monthly phone subscription fee which includes mobile data. There’s no avoiding paying those fees, and the fees could be frightening if you are a data guzzler.

A telecommunication company in Malaysia charges anything from RM98 for 1GB of data to RM158 for 5GB. Is 1GB a month sufficient? It really depends on your usage. If you constantly surf the Internet, upload photos on Instagram, stream videos and play online games, you could be depleting your data quota before the week is up.

In today’s age and time, simple acts, like cooking a meal, require Internet. Hence, the higher the data you get, the better off you’ll be to avoid interrupted service when your Internet speed is throttled, or worse, forking out more money to buy more data when yours run out.

One of the highest data plan available in the market at the moment is 10GB, and if 1GB is being charged RM98, would 10GB cost close to a thousand bucks?

Not with Celcom First Gold^TM. The new package that offers the highest data quota in Malaysia only costs RM80 a month (for a limited time sign up only), and it comes with unlimited calls and SMS to all networks, and free unlimited music with Yonder Music.

How does it work?

The 10GB data you get is divided into 5GB monthly Internet data for all your online usage on weekdays, and 5GB weekend data for your usage on weekends. Don’t worry if you don’t constantly need that much data because the plan also allows you to carry forward any unused data.

It is that simple! You get the chance to use all the data you’ve paid for instead of having it refreshed every month.

Getting the plan also allows you to sign up for Celcom’s New Phone, which allows you to buy the latest smartphone on instalment with no upfront payment.

If inadequate mobile data is bringing you down every month, the Celcom First Gold^TM is definitely a viable solution for you without breaking your budget.

Image from Mashable