8 out of 10 Malaysian consumers have no qualms’ in switching telcos

We just did it - switching from Maxis to DiGi.

The reason: Poor mobile broadband services. Maxis broadband is very good - and speedy - in the city area, especially where LTE (4G) service is available. But in our particular case, Maxis broadband quality has gone from good to bad. This is true for all of our areas of interest -- Kolopis & Inobong areas in Penampang and Ketiau area in Putatan.

This is their reply after more than a week from the date of complaint, but the 3G issues remain. 

We lodged several complaint over the past year or so and every time we were assured that they will take remedial actions. Things have not improved though. Some of my complaints are:

• Loss of signal/communication during power outage,
• Intermittent loss of signal, 'No Service' during the day
• No 3G broadband service (only E or GPRS is indicated on the mobile phone)

I currently subscribe to Celcom, DiGi and still have 1 non-contract subscription with Maxis SurfMore75 which I'm contemplating of getting rid of.

Frost & Sullivan survey confirm consumer perception

Analyst firm Frost & Sullivan said that 83% of Malaysian consumers will be driven to switch telco providers if there is a lack of transparency in Malaysian pricing and subscription plans.

According to an online survey conducted from October to November 2014 of 1,300 respondents, randomly selected from consumer online panels in Malaysia, 66% of respondents surveyed also demand for higher speed connectivity and they have no qualms ending their subscription from the current service provider due to low speed. 

The lack of customer experience from telecom service providers is the fourth highest reason at 58% for Malaysians to stop their subscription.

Based on data, Celcom is ahead of the industry average (57%) at 66% in terms of customer loyalty. When asked if they would recommend their current telecommunication service provider to their friends and colleagues, U Mobile is the clear winner with 65%, which is higher than the industry average of 51%.

Malaysian telecommunication service providers' customer rewards program leave much to be desired. More than one-third of the consumers reported not receiving any rewards from their service providers, and even among those who did, almost half get a celebratory token on their special days, which could be considered a bare minimum by the consumers.

Service providers ranking

Below are the Malaysian telecommunication service providers that have been recognised in Excellence in Customer Experience Management, Telecommunications Industry by their customers based on a survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan.

Overall Experience - U Mobile

In Store Experience - Maxis Communications

Self-Service/Online Experience - Telekom Malaysia

Contact Centre Experience - U Mobile / Maxis Communications

Mobile Experience - U Mobile 

Net Promoter Score - U Mobile 

- refer to Frost & Sullivan report at Computerworld Malaysia

Malaysia is number 1 for mobile Internet access

This would give you an indication of mobile device usage in this country.

A study conducted by TNS which includes more than 150,000 interviews across 56 countries on consumers' online behaviour shows that Malaysia is 1 out of only 5 places in the world where smartphone usage has outstripped computers.

The 5 countries where smartphone usage has outstripped computers are:

The study found that in Malaysia, 35% of the users surveyed said that they exclusively use their smartphones and no other device to access the Internet, making Malaysia the #1 country in the world when it comes to smartphone Internet access exclusivity.

The same high smartphone adoption pattern stretched across the rest of the Asia Pacific region with many of the countries above the 50% adoption mark. Even countries that traditionally have lagged behind have registered significant growth like Vietnam at 36%, up 16 percent from 2013.


Apart from Malaysia, the only smartphone-only Internet access was true for other Asian countries:

Vietnam: 24%
Singapore: 16%
South Korea: 14%
Hong Kong: 14%

In the Western world this trend is a single-digit one, e.g. Germany is at 7%, and the UK at 6%.


Search engines

Using search engines on smartphones is ubiquitous. 72% of Malaysians do this at least once a month, and the figures are even higher in the rest of Asia  - Singapore: 88%, Vietnam: 92%, Korea: 99%, Japan: 91%. This is a global trend with the UK, France and Germany all reporting figures of 88%.

On internet penetration 

Malaysians have at least 1.2 Internet-enabled devices, which underlines the importance of the multi-screen trend: using more than one device to achieve a task, or using devices simultaneously.

"This research clearly shows that Asian consumers have taken charge of the internet, and are shaping it in their own image - Malaysians are at the forefront of this trend, using their mobile devices to access news, look for local businesses and watch videos." - Sajith Sivanandan, MD, Google Malaysia.

- Source: CW Malaysia

DiGi modernises and improve networks in Malaysia

How is your personal experience with the services provided by your current telecommunication company? Many dropped calls? Intermittent loss of 3G/4G signals when internet-surfing? Limited broadband coverage? Or, are you satisfied?

All of the telcos boost about their products/services being the better ones, but is it always the case?

I'm currently using Celcom for non-broadband services, Maxis for broadband + voice, and DiGi for my broadband-only mobile device. Unfortunately I still experience dropped calls on both Celcom and Maxis on several occasions. I can't comment on DiGi as I don't have voice package with the telco.

If I surf the internet on my mobile devices with Maxis and DiGi, side by side, Maxis beats DiGi anytime, any location (or at least in my case when travelling around west coast of Sabah - Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Tuaran, Papar). Again, it's a shame that both telcos offer good broadband experience only at selected areas. Talking about limited data coverage.

I remember that MCMC and the relevant ministry warned these telcos on numerous occasions to improve their services or face the music. It's high time they invest good money on better infrastructure rather than just focusing on increasing their customer base.


DiGi investing heavily on improving its network


Launching of DiGi's two new internet products. Photo: Computerworld Malaysia


It's good to learn that DiGi is spending money to provide high quality internet experience.

Computerworld reported that the company has invested about RM1.5 billion (US$460 million) in the last two years in capital expenditure to modernise its network as well as expand its footprint nationwide. In addition, DiGi has further committed up to RM900 million (US$276 million) in capital expenditure to further strengthen its network position.

This is translated into modernisation of electronic parts in more than 5,500 sites with new equipment, expansion of HSPA+ 3G network to more than 80% population coverage, and increasing its own and jointly built fibre network to more than 3,200 kilometres. Malaysia is not a big country, so, 3,200km of fibre optic is quite impressive.

The RM900 million will further improve DiGi's internet experience by increasing its HSPA+ 3G coverage to 86% of population coverage, growing its LTE footprint up to 1,500 sites, and expanding its fibre network.

Currently, DiGi claimed itself to be the fastest growing mobile internet service provider in the country, with mobile internet revenue growth of 47.5% year-on-year.

Source: Computerworld Malaysia

TheGreenMechanics: That's something Celcom and Maxis need to better. For the 'better' speed offered by Maxis, it comes at premium prices in comparison to the other two service providers. Why don't (or why wouldn't) they do that - be competitive price-wise?

Penang government to create 'mobile community'

Penang government has signed Malaysia's first state-level collaboration with a private entity in an initiative aimed at getting across messages from the state government to Penangites and "bridging the communication gap between the two parties".

Sounds innovative to me, if it can really cut cost and be effective at the same time.


"We are going mobile". Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (2nd left) with XOX officials.
Photo: Computerworld Malaysia


First such 'mobile community' in Malaysia

Under an agreement with a private company, XOX, a mobile communication platform would be put in place to create mobile community, which includes free SMS (text messaging) blasting services for all Penangites.

It is said that this initiative would cut administration cost, apart from building closer link to the people.

"The Penang State government has the capability to reach 200,000 individual citizens through direct SMS within the first year of this partnership with a total estimated 2.27million SMSes to be sent out."
- Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister.

Penangites informed, and connected

There are other upcoming collaborations with the State of Penang, which includes providing free Penang tourism information for selected tourist packs, free mobile Internet and extended validity for selected segments such as youth and senior citizens, as well as special call and SMS rates exclusively for the Penang people.

It was reported that the service from XOX is offered for free and will enable the Penang State government to save a great amount in expenses, which is estimated to be RM180,000  (around US$54,209) a year.


Source: CM