The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is targeting broadband access for 95% of Malaysians by 2020, with plans to offer speeds of up to 100Mbps to at least 50% of urban areas and 20% of rural locations, according to reports from Bernama News. Additionally the government is reportedly seeking to offer cheaper broadband tariffs to consumers, with the majority of Malaysians currently subscribed to entry-level broadband plans.
‘We may consider changing the entry-level package to a higher speed without any substantial increase in cost to maintain affordability and at the same time offer a higher speed,’ commented MCMC minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak, adding: ‘I have asked my ministry to put special emphasis and to focus on infrastructure development to expand the internet penetration and coverage to all parts of Malaysia … My ministry is now looking into the details.’
As noted in TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, as at end-June 2015 Malaysia had 2.906 million broadband subscriptions, representing a household penetration rate of 42.4%, with Telekom Malaysia having 78.7% of the market share in terms of subscribers and offering coverage to approximately 70% of households.