TM OFFERS MORE SPEED FOR LESS

Unifi executive vice president Anand Vijayan said the new pricing is part of the company’s initiative to offer affordable and inclusive solutions for consumers in Malaysia. — SHAARI CHEMAT / THESTAR

INTERNET users in Malaysia can expect to experience faster speeds at a more affordable rate with TM's newly-revised Unifi broadband plans.

Effective today, TM has lowered the monthly price of its Unifi broadband plans where the 100Mbps plan is now listed at RM99, RM139 for 300Mbps, RM159 for 500Mbps.

Previously the monthly plans were priced at RM129, RM149 and RM209 respectively.

The company will also be pricing its 1Gbps and 2Gbps standalone plans at RM289 and RM319 per month.

Previously the 1Gbps and 2Gbps plans bundled with Unifi TV and Netflix subscriptions were priced at RM378.80 monthly and RM428.90 monthly.

For a limited period of three months, the company will also be offering the 100Mbps plan for RM89. Both new and existing eligible customers can subscribe to the plan.

Unifi executive vice president Anand Vijayan said the new pricing is part of the company’s initiative to offer affordable and inclusive solutions for consumers in Malaysia.

“Aligning with the Ministry of Communications and Digital’s aim to provide higher Internet speeds at lower prices, Unifi’s vibrant new broadband packages offer greater affordability through significant price reductions, value-added converged lifestyle services and integrated business solutions,” he said at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 4.

As for existing customers, a free speed upgrade is in store. According to Anand, customers will be automatically upgraded to the next highest speed tier based on their existing plan. He said no obligations or service re-contract are required.

 

According to Anand, existing customers will get free speed upgrades According to Anand, existing customers will get free speed upgrades

“This free speed upgrade will be rolled out to eligible Unifi customers, driving home its commitment to deliver higher speeds at lower prices to all customer segments,” he said, adding that the transition is expected to take place in phases between now and January 2024.

Existing customers will be informed of the new speed upgrades via the official communications channel such as SMS and through WhatsApp.

Unifi will also offer a bundled plan that comes with 100Mbps Unifi and UNI5G Postpaid unlimited mobile data plan for RM149 per month plus a new device.

“Addressing concerns about the affordability of 5G-enabled devices, this new bundle comes with a free 5G smartphone - allowing more Malaysians to conveniently adopt and enjoy 5G capabilities,” Anand said.

As Malaysia moves towards achieving 80% 5G network coverage in populated areas by the end of the year, the company said Unifi Mobile is also actively driving 5G adoption among users by simplifying their transition to 5G plans.

"All of its #LiveUnstoppable UNI5G postpaid and prepaid offerings are automatically enabled with 5G, reducing the need for additional activation or documentation," said Unifi Mobile executive vice president Jasmine Lee.

The company has set a new baseline for affordable broadband with the 100Mbps plan now being priced at less than RM100, added Anand. TM is committed towards empowering digital inclusivity across all user segments.

The company will continue to offer the 30Mbps plan for RM69 under Pakej Rahmah Unifi to key customer groups including the underserved communities such as senior citizens, OKU, B40 communities and armed uniform veterans.

Anand said eligible customers under these groups can also subscribe to Unifi’s Pakej 5G Rahmah offering unlimited data and get 5G devices starting from RM120.

The company clarified that Pakej Rahmah Unifi customers will not get the free speed upgrade to the next speed tier which is 100Mbps. It added that other curated offerings for key customer groups will be announced later.

Meanwhile customers in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) segment will also see price reductions in Unifi Biz Fibre offerings.

The 100Mbps plan is now priced at RM129, RM199 for 300Mbps, RM239 for 500Mbps, RM319 for 1Gbps and RM369 for 2Gbps.

Previously the plans were priced between RM139 to RM399.

“Adding more value for businesses, the new broadband plans come bundled with Unifi’s Simple Voice Plan, offering the lowest voice rates across any network for calls to any fixed or mobile line nationwide,” Anand said.

Unifi Biz Fibre customers will also be given priority at Unifi Concept Stores with access to premium lanes to address specific issues or queries.

The company is also committed towards enhancing its customer experience. Among its initiatives are conducting proactive analysis to identify service issues before it impacts customers and perform restorations remotely whenever possible.

“This is conveniently managed via the MyUnifi app which also serves as a one-stop portal for all Unifi’s customers needs,” Anand said.

“TM continues to push the envelope in delivering innovative solutions and services that will power Malaysia towards becoming a digital nation,” he concluded.

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Before that on July 11, MCMC had reportedly said that only after the services providers had signed an access agreement could the public see a cut in retail prices for fixed broadband services.

State of GLCs a matter for concern

A MAJOR topic at the inaugural Malaysian Economic Symposium held on July 26 at the Parliament Complex was government-linked companies (GLCs). The big issues about GLCs are not only their large presence in the economy but also their governance.

As mentioned in the symposium, which was jointly organised by the Office of the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, the Backbenchers Council and the Parliamentary Caucus on Reform and Governance to get a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the economy, there are so many GLCs that nobody knows what the total number is. The other concern is their lack of transparency and accountability.

About 15 years ago, the then prime minister launched the GLC Transformation Programme to raise the standards of corporate governance in government-linked companies following the guidelines issued by the Securities Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia, as part of the reforms to make the economy more resilient to external shocks.

The New Economic Model report to the National Economic Action Council also stressed the need to reform GLCs so that they do not affect adversely the efficiency and competitiveness of the economy and become an obstacle towards making Malaysia a fully developed high income country.

Khazanah Nasional, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) adopted these guidelines to strengthen their internal checks and balance and make their major GLCs more attractive to local and foreign investors. Good governance in the companies owned by these three national institutions is important as their shareholdings in the corporate sector account for a big share of the market capitalisation.

Further, as the country’s national wealth fund, Khazanah realised its responsibility as an MoF (Ministry of Finance) Inc corporation to set the tone for good governance.

EPF and PNB are responsible for paying good dividends to millions of their subscribers. Like Khazanah, they too insist on their investee companies to adopt good governance practices so that when they do well in the market place, the benefits will go to their subscribers.

One of the important guidelines in good corporate governance is that the board of directors should be evaluated on the “fit and proper“ criteria before they are appointed. One major requirement in the criteria is that the nominee for board appointment should not be politically connected or linked so as to protect the independence of the board from outside interference.

A good board should have the committees on audit, nomination, renumeration and risk management actively checking the management and also providing it with professional advice and recommendations.

The presentation by the university professor at the symposium highlighted the political links of GLCs, with many ministries involved in overseeing them. Thus, the ministries dealing with rural and land development, technology and research, tourism, sports, youth and culture are among the ministries which have GLCs to implement their policies and projects.

Ministerial influence on the GLCs is not always good. The federal GLCs are MoF Inc in ownership but administratively, they answer to the ministers. Often, the GLCs have bumiputra partners who are linked to the top circles or their own relatives in forming joint venture business to provide the privatised services to the ministry. With the political connections, the contract prices that the ministry pays to the GLCs for supplying the work orders or purchases may well be above the market price. The GLCs are thus operating at the expense of taxpayers.

Some politicians use GLCs and trustee foundations under religious authorities to promote their political activities under the guise of CSR (corporate social responsibility), like sending pilgrims to Mekah, sponsoring religious events, building surau or paying for goodwill golf trips overseas, including their wives’ travel costs.

States also have their GLCs established as Mentri Besar Inc companies or as subsidiaries of statutory bodies like state economic development corporations (SEDC) and state agricultural development corporations. Many of these GLCs have joint ventures with bumiputra partners who are politically linked. Malay property developers have raised issues over the SEDCs which build shop lots and commercial buildings at lower cost because they get priority access to state land and often at lower than market price, thus undercutting the genuine Malay private sector.

The Pakatan Harapan government has pledged that the appointments to GLCs will be non-political in the sense that politically active persons will not be appointed as directors of the companies. The government wants to bring professionals to serve on the GLC boards to improve their performance. The definition “non- political“ should include persons holding any kind of party positions because those at the lower levels can be just as ambitious in using the GLCs for gaining influence among the top leaders.

Some professionals have left active politics but remain advisers to a political party or are business associates with high-ranking politicians or are married into powerful political families. It's not clear whether such professionals can be considered as independent or free from politics.

A good board should respect the views of its committees on nomination, remuneration, audit and risk management. These committees are mandatory for listed companies and banks as the Securities Commission and Bank Negara are very strict about good corporate governance to provide the internal checks and balance to prevent the board from making wrong decisions or from being influenced by the chairman’s personal or political interests.

The government should make it compulsory for all GLCs to be similarly regulated, especially those under the control of state governments and statutory bodies as they are highly politicised.

Business associations have always complained in every dialogue with the government that the GLC sector is too large and is crowding out the private sector. As growth is fundamental so that more wealth can be created in the economy to generate the resources for the government to spend on the poor, it should consider reducing the size of the GLC sector so as to strengthen the investment climate and provide more room for the private sector to expand locally. Those GLCs that are a financial burden to taxpayers should be closed down or sold off before they cause a financial crisis to the country.

Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassm Kuala Lumpur


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