Waiting for someone? Having trouble sleeping? How about waiting for commercials on TV? These times urgently called for Internet connectivity to surf your boredom away. Be it Facebook stalking, video chatting with far away friends or relatives, or just catching up on the latest episode of the Game of Thrones, a reliable, high-speed Internet connection is the answer to all these needs.
Staying connected to the rest of the world from one’s home has almost become a basic right for most Malaysians. However, with several prominent broadband Internet providers in Malaysia to choose from, you can be spoilt for choice on which one to pick that will best cater to your needs.
Previously, we wrote a review on whether TIME fibre broadband is worth your money. Now let’s look at what Maxis Home Fibre Broadband has to offer.
With the new and improved pricing and plans from Maxis, subscribers can now enjoy the most varied speed plans at a more competitive pricing. Currently, it is the only fibre broadband provider that offers speed as low as 10Mbps, so you don’t have to pay more for speed you don’t need.
Maxis also has the biggest fibre broadband coverage in Malaysia — on top of the same areas covered by UniFi, it also has additional areas covered.
Here’s a snapshot of Maxis unlimited broadband package:
| Lowest package | Highest packages | Best for | Why we like it? | What’s the drawback? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RM147.34* | RM316.94* | Online gamers, video conferencing users and online movie buffs | Highest speed and coverage | High subscription fee |
1. Speed and pricing
Maxis broadband plan in Malaysia offers high speed Internet for residential homes. With the speed and bandwidth offered, you can upload a photo album, stream your favourite ultra HD movies online seamlessly, and at the same time, surf multiple websites in minutes.
However, how much will the service cost, and which package should you get?
| Speed | Price/month* | Coverage | Quota | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10Mbps | RM147.34 | High | Unlimited | Web browsing, emails, Facebook & Twitter |
| 30Mbps (Lite) | RM189.74 | High | Unlimited | Spotify & Skype |
| 30Mbps (with unlimited voice) | RM200.34 | High | Unlimited | YouTube, downloading, file transfer, video conferencing & online gaming |
| 50Mbps | RM232.14 | High | Unlimited | YouTube, downloading, file transfer, video conferencing & online gaming |
| 100Mbps | RM316.94 | High | Unlimited | YouTube, downloading, file transfer, video conferencing & online gaming |
The previous discounted pricing offered to MaxisONE plan subscribers have been discontinued. However, the price for all the packages have also reduced. The new packages included the splitting of the 30Mbps package into Lite and the normal one with unlimited calls. A new 50Mbps package is also offered.
All new customers who sign up for a MaxisONE Home 30Mbps and above will be able to enjoy Maxperts’ services.
Since TIME covers only very few areas nationwide, you always come down to choosing between Maxis or UniFi as they both share the same fibre broadband infrastructure (High Speed Broadband Access (HSBA)) that covers a larger area.
Maxis is the only fibre broadband provider that offers 10Mbps plan at RM147.34, which is cheaper than getting the same plan from Astro IPTV at RM166.30.
If you run a price comparison between Maxis and UniFi, Maxis ONE Home 50 is cheaper by RM10.60 compared to TM UniFi Advance Plus 50. This is probably the best valued home broadband package under Maxis.
However, the Maxis ONE Home 30 Lite has the same price as the UniFi package of the same speed, while the Maxis ONE Home 30 is more expensive by RM10.60. This may be worth it for families that make a lot of calls at home.
A 100Mbps connection seems to be the gold standard for now, when it comes to fibre Internet connection. For home Internet users, you can subscribe to a 100Mbps broadband plan from Maxis, TIME and UniFi. Maxis Fibre Internet 100Mbps is cheaper by RM31.80 compared to the corresponding UniFi package. Both plans offer unlimited download quota. However, it costs a whopping RM159 more than TIME, but TIME has an extremely limited coverage.
Another popular complaint by users is network congestion, which seems to plague UniFi network. To find out, you need to know the contention ratio for the network. The lower your contention ratio, the better it is. For example, UniFi have a contention ratio of 1:25, which mean the bandwidth is shared with 25 other subscribers at one time. For Maxis, certain areas are on HSBA infrastructure, which is the same as UniFi, hence these areas would have the same contention ratio as UniFi at 1:25. However, there are areas that use New Generation Broadband (NGBB) infrastructure, which is owned by Maxis. These areas on NGBB infrastructure would have a lower contention ratio.
With a contention ratio of 1:10, TIME’s bandwidth allocation is much better than UniFi as it is shared with only 10 subscribers at a time. Therefore, the bandwidth is less congested and as a result faster.
2. Add-ons
All Maxis Internet plans will get a free voice line. However, with Maxis Maxis ONE Home Basic 10, all voice calls will be on pay-per-use basis at RM0.09/minute to all fixed and mobile networks. However, for 30Mbps plan and above, you will get to enjoy FREE unlimited calls to all mobile and landlines.
However, Maxis no longer comes with a free cordless phone.
All packages except for the basic 10Mbps package will also get UNLIMITED iflix access for 12 months, and FREE home router/gateway.
If you are a phone person, what Maxis is offering is definitely the better and much cheaper option.
While UniFi comes bundled with the HyppTV channels, Maxis Home Fibre Broadband plans has iflix subscription fee for a year, or you can also subscribe to Astro B.Yond IPTV. If streaming movies and shows is not enough for you, you can enjoy hundreds of channels available on Astro with FREE PVR installation, HD Service and Recording Service.
The icing on the cake of the deal is automatic enrolment to the MaxisONE Club Elite – which is not available with other broadband service providers. MaxisONE Club Elite is an exclusive programme that offers rewards such as VIP treatment at Maxis Centres and on Maxis Helpline, doorstep delivery for SIM card replacement, invitations to special events, discounts and rebates on selected dining, shopping, travel, health and beauty and entertainment rewards via MyMaxis App and free 1GB bonus mobile data for up to 3 months.
MaxisONE plan subscribers will also be offered add-on devices, such as Chromecast and Aztech Home Plugs set, at only RM1 each. Terms and conditions apply.
3. Installation and cancellation
Subscribing to a broadband service is not as simple as just comparing the monthly fees. Don’t be shocked with additional charges such as installation and cancellation, which can be pretty hefty upfront.
Here’s how much you need to fork out initially when you subscribe to Maxis Fibre Internet in Malaysia:
| Installation fee | RM200 | waived |
| Deposit fee for Malaysians | RM75 | waived |
| Deposit fee for non-Malaysians | RM500 | |
| Early contract termination penalty (under 24 months contract) | RM500 | |
| Relocation | RM200 | waived |
While the free installation and early contract termination penalty is common across other broadband users like UniFi and TIME, Maxis Home Fibre Internet charges an additional deposit fee of RM500 for non-Malaysians and RM200 for relocation.
To avoid forking out half a grand when you decide to cancel the service due to unsatisfactory connection, Maxis offer a 30-day return guarantee for all packages.
4. Coverage
When trying to decide on a fibre broadband service, the first thing you need to check is that the broadband service provides Internet access in your area. If it doesn’t cover your area, then it is obviously not an option for you.
If you are located in an area where broadband coverage is a headache, your chances of being covered by Maxis is much higher. Not only does Maxis covers the same as areas as UniFi, it also has its own base stations outside of UniFi coverage area. However, the rule of thumb is, if your area is covered by UniFi, you know for a fact that it is also covered under Maxis.
Both UniFi and Maxis are using HSBA infrastructure, therefore the coverage is wider. TIME, on the other hand, uses their own fibre line, hence the coverage is limited only to certain spots in the Klang Valley, Malacca, Johor and Penang.
The verdict?
If you’re an extremely heavy Internet user, Maxis’ 100Mbps package is quite hefty a price to fork out every month.
Unfortunately, the other cheaper option for 100Mbps is TIME, but it has limited coverage.
The addition of the intermediate package of 50Mbps is definitely a welcome to the moderate users which were previously left high and dry with UniFi as their only option.
For MaxisONE plan customers, the Maxis Home Fibre Broadband is really appealing with its wide array of add-ons like Astro discounted bundles, MaxisONE Club privileges and also free iflix subscription. Maxis home broadband 10Mbps and 30Mpps Lite are definitely great contenders for home broadband for light to moderate users.
Image from telecomtalk.info
First published on February 26, 2016.
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