The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has welcomed a call from the country’s communications minister Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek for telcos to reduce prices of communications services. With the minister having argued that such a move would benefit end users in the long term, in a press release commenting on the matter, MCMC chairman Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim Shafie supported such an assertion, saying that affordable prices for services such as fixed broadband would not only ease the financial burden on the general public, but also increase take-up, ensuring that lower income citizens are not ‘left behind in this digital era’. Further, it was suggested that affordable prices for broadband packages would likely create more demand for content, which in turn would help stimulate the development of the local content industry.
With a view to realising the goal of lowering the cost of access, the MCMC chairman has said that the regulator plans to carry out a review of retail rates, and will work together with the industry to develop broadband packages for the long term benefit of end users. ‘[The] MCMC is also planning to have series of discussion with the industry in the second quarter of this year regarding the retail price regulation to ensure that the regulations remain current in view of the fast evolving Communications and Multimedia sector,’ Dr. Halim confirmed.