Mobile Internet providers should be more honest and transparent

Yeoh: ‘You can say or claim what you want, but at the end of the day, I think the consumers will figure it out.’

KUALA LUMPUR: Mobile Internet providers should to be more transparent about their offerings as users are technology savvy, according to YTL Communications Sdn Bhd managing director Tan Sri Francis Yeoh.

He said customers had been facing restrictions on their Internet usage during certain times and spotty Internet access on highways.

“The 3G coverage can only be used in cities and there is limited access on highways.

“In the Internet world and with the presence of social media, I think it is better to be honest and transparent. You can say or claim what you want, but at the end of the day, I think the consumers will figure it out.

“They are tired of the many conditions. They want data that can be used anytime at a good price that is affordable,” he said after the launch of Yes 4G long-term evolution (LTE) plans and the Yes Altitude 4G LTE smartphone here.

Yeoh said that the RM4bil investment made by the group five years ago was complete with the commercial launch of its 4G LTE services – becoming Malaysia’s first voice-over LTE (VoLTE) service provider.

The VoLTE technology offers high-definition voice calls and instantaneous call connections.

“It has been challenging; five years of losing money and waiting for the ecosystem to arrive at this level. Those days, we had to make our own routers and invent our own things as well as spend a lot of money on research and development,” Yeoh pointed out.

With the group’s losses reversed recently, Yeoh hoped that the it would be able to achieve better performance, driven by the take-up of Yes 4G LTE and the affordability of its “Double Data bucket price plan”.

Judging from the trend of the recently launched Samsung J series smartphone which supports VoLTE, YTL Communications expected the take-up of its service to triple.

The Double Data allows users to access 4G LTE and 4G broadband networks with a single service plan.

“Over the past year, we have been working with the best in the industry, such as Samsung, Qualcomm, China Mobile, Google and Elitecore Technologies to develop innovative, high-quality and affordable LTE solutions and products.

“By setting the cheapest price in Asia and the world, competitors are bound to compete in Malaysia and I like that.

“Everyone competes and gives 4G quality to our children and that’s fantastic, as Malaysia will be digitally revolutionised,” said Yeoh.

The Yes Altitude was unveiled as the most affordable VoLTE smartphone in the Malaysian market, which allows more consumers access to high-speed LTE Internet.

“YTL has brought new communications solutions and technologies to Malaysia by building two 4G networks, namely, the WiMax and LTE networks.

“All these will certainly accelerate the achievement of the Government’s objective to increase the national broadband penetration and help reduce the cost of devices and utilisation charges to make it more affordable to all consumers, further closing the digital divide between urban and rural communities,” said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, who launched the event yesterday.

Meanwhile, Brexit events have provided YTL Communications with more opportunities to scout around for assets in the UK, as all assets are now more competitively priced.

The company is not hampered by the short-term exchange rate, as its purchases are made for the long term.

The last time the group acquired an asset in the UK was during the global stock market and financial crisis of 2008.