PhoneSentral Tech in Simplicity
So, now that we have two telcos going at each others throat for the home fibre plans in Sarawak, and it only makes sense to compare them since they are trying to woo us to sign up for their plans.
Before I show you the brief comparison, as well as give my opinion on which plan may just be better, let’s put some things out there to dry.
Number one, if I am not mistaken, both telcos are using the same infrastructure, with Telekom Malaysia (TM) being the company winning the contract to build and manage the Malaysian High Speed Broadband Initiative, hence the fact that Maxis is using TM’s infra for their fibre network.
Secondly, when it comes to using the same infrastructure, it really goes down to pricing and freebies, and this is where promotions and offerings will change.
Last but not least, unifi which is a brand by TM, does have a head start in most areas, so they are the biggest internet fibre provider at the moment.
Oh, and this comparison is based on plans available in Sarawak only, you know, since I am based in Kuching, and the comparison is based on what I could find online on their official websites, and TM Sarawak also gave me a heads up on what they are offering.
TM Unifi vs MaxisONE Home: 10Mbps
First off is the basic fibre internet plan, the 10Mbps plan. For the sake of comparison, let’s assume both basic fibre plans are equal in terms of package as you see below:
MAXIS HOME FIBRE 10Mbps:
10Mbps + Free Phone + Free calls = RM139/month
TM UNIFI LITE 10Mbps:
10Mbps + Free Phone + Voice Pack 20 (RM20) = RM139/month
Based on the above, it’s rather obvious that Maxis seems to be the better choice given that their plan is simpler, and the free calls is unlimited as compared to the add on voice service offered by TM which has a limit of 600 minutes.
However, TM also threw in unlimited use of their wifi@unifi and also HyppTV Anywhere for free, so TM is the better valued here. On top of that, iflix is also complimentary for all unifi customers until December 2017, making TM’s offer even better.
Nonetheless, of course this depends again on your call usage because if you are making a lot of calls from home, the two extra freebies by TM is not as good as the unlimited calls you can enjoy with Maxis Home Fibre.
TM Unifi vs MaxisONE Home: 30Mbps
Unlike the basic fibre plans, the more premium plans for fibre internet between Maxis and TM are rather straightforward. Here I’ll compare the 30Mbps plans of both telcos.
As you can see, both plans provide unlimited internet usage, a free home phone and come with a 24-month contract. The difference is seen in the price and freebie offered with MaxisOne Home 30Mbps is charging RM179/month, and is giving free voice calls to all mobile and landlines, complimentary unlimited iflix and free Maxperts consultation during installation.
Based on the website, TM Unifi Advance 30Mbps charges RM199/month with free HyppTV set-up box, and HyppTV Anywhere. TM Unifi does also offer complimentary iflix access with this package but it is limited until year end only.
According to a representative from TM Sarawak, the RM199/month however is inclusive of the Voice Pack 20, which according to him is removable. That said, if you exclude the RM20 for the voice pack, you can get get the TM Unifi Advance 30Mbps at only RM179/month.
Again, it goes down to freebies, and I feel MaxisOne Home 30Mbps is the better option here especially if you are already subscribing to a Satelite TV like Astro at home. The free calls and complimentary iflix subscription only adds value to what MaxisOne Home 30Mbps is offering although if you don’t have Astro and don’t call much from home, then TM’s offering is much better as it also bundles the HyppTV.
TM Unifi vs MaxisONE Home: 100Mbps
The fastest home fibre internet plan offered by both Maxis and TM comes at 100Mbps, and below is a direct graphical comparison.
As you can see, all the freebies for the 100Mbps package, for both Maxis an TM are very much similar to what is offered for the 30Mbps plan.
The only difference comes in the pricing with TM Unifi Pro 100Mbps being the more expensive at RM329/month, if compared to RM299/month offered by Maxis.
I believe that the bump in price for TM’s internet fibre plan is due to the bundled Voice Pack 20.
Again, due to the freebies being offered, the Maxis fibre plan seems to be a better choice though again, it really depends on what and how you intend to have at home.
CONCLUSION
Well, with that said, I can conclude that the MaxisONE Home Fibre broadband is the better choice when it comes to the higher end (higher speed) packages, while TM Unifi is the better choice when it comes to basic home fibre internet.
Nonetheless, of course the best choice of fibre internet will depend a lot on how you intend to use the line, though I must admit that TM has improved their HyppTV channels lately hence making the extra RM20-30 worth every bit paid.
On top of that, I must also add that All TM Unifi packages have lower upload speeds in comparison to their Maxis counterparts which offer equal upload speeds.
….and, in case you missed it, both TM is offering a free one month subscription for new Unifi sign-ups until the end of the month, while Maxis did offer a similar promotion last week during their roadshow. – phonesentral.com
