INTERNET packages in Malaysia are cheaper compared with other Southeast Asian nations, but offer less value for money, Malaysiakini reported today.  

A survey of 3,351 broadband packages worldwide by BDRC Continental and Internet service comparison platform Cable.co.uk between August 18 and October 12 shows Malaysians pay more for speed compared with internet users in many Southeast Asian nations.

Malaysians pay an average RM12.85/mbps and are ranked sixth out of 10 Southeast Asian countries surveyed in the study.

Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are cheaper at RM0.23/mbps, RM1.79/mbps, RM6.15/mbps, RM10.05/mbps and RM11.72/mbps, respectively. 

The four Southeast Asian countries with more costly broadband per megabits per second are Brunei (RM16.84/mbps), Laos (RM50.89/mbps), Cambodia (RM78.26/mbps) and Myanmar (RM108.51/mbps).

The research also measured the mean download speed and time needed to download a 7.5gb HD movie. It found Singapore the fastest at 18 minutes and 34 seconds, followed by Thailand at one hour, 46 seconds. 

Malaysia came in third at two hours, 33 minutes and three seconds. 

Vietnam and Indonesia took more than three hours, Brunei and the Philippines more than four hours, Cambodia more than five hours, and Myanmar and Laos more than eight hours.  

On average, Malaysia’s monthly broadband cost more than Thailand and Singapore at RM184.61 against RM110.17 and RM160.20, respectively. 

But Malaysia is cheaper than Cambodia (RM217.49), the Phillippines (RM219.99), Vietnam (RM256.69), Indonesia (RM312.07), Myanmar (RM312.35), Laos (RM954.24) and Brunei (RM1,102.69).

In Budget 2017, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak pledged to double the speed of Internet packages in the country at no additional cost to subscribers.

The prime minister also promised to halve the prices of internet packages within two years of Budget 2017. – December 5, 2017.