Maxis in search of ways to expand fibre offerings in East Malaysia

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Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg with Gokhan (on his right) at the Maxis booth which showcased the potential and possibilities of 5G technology during IDECS 2019 last month.

KUCHING: Maxis Bhd (Maxis) is always exploring opportunities to work with access providers in East Malaysia to expand its fibre offerings in the region.

In helping to drive Sarawak’s digital economy agenda, Maxis revealed that an important area in which the group is helping in terms of connectivity is fibre.

“In East Malaysia, we are continuously exploring opportunities to work with access providers to expand our fibre offerings. At the end of 2018, we signed a Letter of Understanding with SACOFA to have full access to SACOFA’s HSBB Network Services in Sarawak,” chief executive officer Gokhan Ogut said in an exclusive interview.

“We have made good progress since then, having signed access agreements, with testing and trials already completed and roll out of our already available and affordable fibre plans to even more Sarawakians at the end of July.

“This was a significant step towards fulfilling our fibre ambitions in the region. By having access to a wider high speed broadband network, more Sarawakians can look forward to having the best of both worlds – high speed fibre and our industry leading 4G LTE mobile coverage.”

“We have also been accelerating our network coverage in rural areas through partnerships with state-owned infrastructure players.”

According to Ogut, as at end 2018, the fibre broadband segment in the country remained relatively untapped with under 45 per cent of homes fiberised and less than 40 per cent of those fiberised homes connected.

“We believe there is a great future for fibre broadband in Malaysia, with significant growth potential in this untapped market. In addition, the implementation of the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing presented an opportunity for Maxis to offer more products at competitive prices to consumers and businesses.”

Maxis’ fibre offerings provide customers withaccess to high broadband speeds and stable, low latency with no usage quotas.

“This enables consumers to do even more like live gaming, Ultra-HD video streaming, live video chat, dynamic cloud storage and immediate access to applications and games as and when they launch (via online app stores).

“Fiberisation will enhance digital lifestyles where service providers like Maxis can offer richer and more personalised services. Meanwhile our business fibre plans cater to the increasing reliance on web usage and cloud services to future proof businesses and enable them to operate, expand and grow.

“We believe that we can meet these demands with converged solutions like MaxisONE Prime, which uniquely combines the fasted 4G mobile network and high speed fibre to give customers a great connectivity experience at home, in the office or on the go.

“Achieving ubiquitous, fast, and affordable connectivity for businesses and homes will enable the expansion of the digital economy in this region which will be one of the primary drivers for growth in the foreseeable future.”