With the cheapest cost-per-GB MiFi plans in the country there’s actually a strong case for P1 to promote its MF230 MiFi device. The generous monthly data allowance combined with seamless wireless connectivity for up to five devices makes it easy for users with multiple devices to get connected when out and about with a MiFi and a P1 plan.

P1’s MF230 MiFi was initially launched exclusively with Harvey Norman back in December 2010. To purchase the MF230 you will need to buy an iPad with Harvey Norman as well. There is no option that allowed you to purchase the MF230 as a standalone device.

We thought that this exclusivity period was only for a couple of months, so we got in touch with P1 Customer Service via its web-chat service on its website to get the latest information about the MF230 and whether it is available a standalone purchase item now.

The above screen capture was the answer that we got from a P1 customer service rep. Close to four months after the Harvey Norman deal, you still can’t buy the MF230 from P1 directly. This is confusing because there is a prominent mention of the MF230 MiFi on P1′s website but as we’ve discovered, the device is not sold by P1. The only way to get the MF230 is through Harvey Norman and even then, you’ll need to buy an iPad from them first.

With the market now inundated with tablets from numerous manufacturers MiFi devices are gaining popularity. We have a market primed for a high adoption of this particular breed of gadget. And with the impending iPad 2 mania hitting the nation this coming Friday, it’d be smart for P1 to start selling its MF230 through multiple channel rather than rely on one single channel partner (in this case, it’s Harvey Norman). Also, there should be an option to purchase the MiFi standalone and not have it tied-up to an expensive purchase-with-purchase program.

On top of this P1 CEO Michael Lai openly proclaimed via his Twitter account that its MF230 “works wonderfully well while others fail”. If this is indeed the case, then it would seem that P1 have a strong product in its hands. So why the bashful market approach?

We’re not sure why P1 is not selling the MF230 using their own channels. All we know is that, if the CEO thinks very highly of the device, the should make it widely available and easily purchased.

	Mobile Devices, P1, Players on the Field
	4G MiFi, 4g wimax, MF 230, michael lai, mifi, P1, P1 4G, P1 MiFi, P1 WiMAX, Pocket WiFi, WiMAX, WiMAX Router, WiMAX WiFi Router

Google has announced another new official Android device, the Nexus S 4G. This comes after the original Nexus S device and it also runs on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Just like the Nexus S, the Nexus S 4G is co-developed with Samsung and it also features the same 4″ Contour Display with Super AMOLED. The device currently is available via Sprint which allows it to take full advantage of its 4G WiMAX network. Before you get someone in the US to buy one for you, do realise that this Nexus S 4G runs on CDMA/EV-DO network instead of GSM network.

At the same time, Google has also announced that existing Sprint customers will be able to utilise Google Voice while keeping their same number. For those who didn’t know, Google Voice lets you stay connected on multiple platforms with just 1 number. You can read up more about this in our previous post here.This sounds similar to Yes‘s voice service where all your devices can share the same ID. Watch the demo video after the break to get a clearer picture.

Nexus S 4G will be made available for online order this coming spring and shall make their way to Sprint retailers and Best Buy stores in the US.

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	Android, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nexus S, Samsung, Technologies, WiMAX
	4g, 4G phone, 4g wimax, Android, gingerbread, Nexus S, Nexus S 4G, Sprint, Sprint Nexus S 4G

When we went on a road test to Penang earlier on, Yes 4G coverage on the North South highway wasn’t really as covered as we would expected. The speeds were great at areas with coverage but the lack of coverage makes it a tough choice if you require seamless connectivity on your trip up north.

With Chinese New Year around the corner, most people will be traveling back to their respective home towns outside the Klang Valley. Now Yes has proudly announced that North South highway is now powered by Yes 4G. This makes long journeys more entertaining provided that their coverage is truly seamless throughout the route.

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	Players on the Field, Yes
	4g, 4g wimax, CNY, melaka, melaka wimax, WiMAX, wimax coverage, Yes, yes 4g, yes 4g coverage, yes coverage, yes malaysia, yes ytl, ytl comms, YTL WiMAX, ytl wimax coverage, YTL yes

P1 has started the new year with a revamp of its fixed broadband packages for home and business users. Previously they had 3 home and 2 business plans with speed offerings between 400kbps to 2.4Mbps but now they have bumped their highest Pro plan with 4.8Mbps download speed.

To make it simple, P1 no longer offer separate plans for business or home users so there’s only 3 plans to choose from right now – Lite with 400kbps, Plus with 1.2Mbps and Pro with 4.8Mbps. This also means that they have stopped offering unlimited plans which was previously exclusively for business users.

The Lite and Plus plan remains unchanged as it maintains the same speed, quota and monthly subscription. However with the new rates, existing Plus users are clearly enticed to get 4X the download speed with 10GB additional quota for a mere RM40. That’s only RM4/GB for additional quota for those who exceed their typical 20GB quota for Home Plus plan.

Earlier on, P1′s Pro plan was originally priced at RM199/month for 2.4Mbps download speeds at 40GB quota a month. Probably knowing that this is too much for a wireless broadband service, they later reduced the subscription fee to RM139/month while reducing the quota to 30GB a month.

With the latest revision, Pro users get to enjoy much higher download speeds but like any other wireless services, it all depends on the network congestion of your area. We hope that P1 is ready to deliver 4.8Mbps download speeds to avoid situation of over-promising like its P1 W1GGY some time ago.

The offer is also made sweeter as P1 is giving all plans additional 50% off for the 2nd and 3rd month subscription, which is basically 1 month worth of savings. For more information, head to P1′s broadband promo page.

	P1, Players on the Field
	4g, 4g wimax, P1, P1 4G, P1 Broadband, P1 Broadband Plans, P1 Plans, P1 w1max, P1 WiMAX, WiMAX

Yesterday P1 launched the MF230 its very own MiFi device making it the sixth operator to offer portable hotspot in Malaysia, despite being the first to indicate that it will be launching a MiFi.

So now that we have a selection of MiFi from virtually all of the mobile operators in Malaysia, 3G and 4G, the inevitable question in consumers’ minds would be, which operator provides the best offering? Well we’ve taken out all the guesswork for you and compare all the MiFi plans available in the market based on device pricing and subscription costs over 12 and 24 months. Going a step further, we’ve also taken consideration of each operators respective bundled rebates, discounts and upfront costs.

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	Celcom, DiGi, Maxis, Mobile Devices, P1, P1, Players on the Field, U Mobile, Yes
	3G MiFi, 4g, 4G MiFi, 4g wimax, Celcom, Celcom Mifi, DiGi, DiGi MiFi, Huawei MiFi, Maxis, Maxis MiFi, mifi, P1, P1 4G, P1 MiFi, U Mobile

Update (1800hrs 23122010): P1 has updated the information on their website to include the newly launched MF230 MiFi device. Find out more after the jump.

A while ago, P1′s CEO, Micheal Lai teased everyone with the prospect of P1 coming out with a 4G MiFi. This was two months ago and he claims that the P1 MiFi “works wonderfully well while others fail“.

We like MiFis and it’s nice to know that there will soon be another type to choose from. Though it’s rather ironic that P1 was amongst one of the first (if not the first) operator to have hinted that they were going to market a MiFi device but are now the last of come into the market with one but as the saying goes, better late than never.

So here it is, the MF230 MiFi device from P1 and currently you can only get it from Harvey Norman.

Reliable sources reveal that in terms of pricing, the device itself cost RM250 but you’ll have to purchase it with a plan. The plan that comes with the 10GB data usage a month with download speeds up to 1.5Mbps at RM89/month. As an introductory offer, P1 is giving first month subscription free and you only pay RM44/month for the 2nd and 3rd month. Essentially the plan is the same as the one offered with the P1 W1GGY.

In terms of device performance, you can connect five devices simultaneously to the the MF230 and Green Packet claims that the battery lasts up to four hours “active-usage“. In terms of range, the FAQ states that you get 20 meter connectivity range indoor and 35 meters outdoors.

The P1 MF230 is produced by its parent company Green Packet, you can check out the specifications here. Unlike P1 devices previously the MF230 is branded Green Packet rather than P1 which can confuse some customer we think.

No details available on P1′s website yet but we’ll keep you posted if there’s any. P1′s website is updated with info on the MF230 and we’ve poured through the FAQ to understand the plan, head on over to after the jump to see what we’ve discovered.

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	P1, Players on the Field, Technologies, WiMAX
	4G MiFi, 4g wimax, MF 230, michael lai, mifi, P1, P1 4G, P1 MiFi, P1 WiMAX, Pocket WiFi, WiMAX, WiMAX Router, WiMAX WiFi Router

Yes says they deliver a mobile 4G experience. With this notion in mind, took our Yes Go on a road test in KL and we’ve taken it on a road test in PJ.

From our findings, both tests produced consistent results. The Yes network is indeed capable of delivering mobile data services but there are several gaps in its coverage that we hope Yes can cover quickly to deliver true seamless mobility broadband. Having said that and considering the fact that Yes is a new network, we were mightily impressed by the extent of the network coverage so far as well as the speeds that we were able to achieve during the previous two road tests.

So things are looking peachy for this new network but we’ll have to keep reminding you this is still a new network with a relatively smaller load on it compared to the more established players. We’ve heard so many times before that Malaysians don’t mind paying for their Internet so long as it is consistent and reliable. This looks to be an opportunity in which YTL can capitalise on. There is no secret formula to being a successful Internet service provider, all they need to deliver is consistency.

As we’ve been enjoying very good speeds on the Yes network, we hope Yes is able to keep this speed consistent even as the network gets loaded up with subscribers. If they can, then there’s really nothing to hold Yes back in winning the hearts and wallets of Malaysians.

So back to our topic of discussion. We’ve shared with you our findings on the performance — both in terms of mobility and speed — of the Yes network in certain areas in the Klang Valley, the question now is how does Yes perform outside Klang Valley?

It’s common sense for telcos to focus the bulk of their network resource towards market centres and high densitiy areas. This means more that often than not, outlying rural areas are not as well covered as it should be. At launch Yes boasts a population coverage of 65% deploying over 1,000 base stations throughout the country. This is more than its current 4G competitor P1 which currently claim around 40% population coverage with under 900 base stations currently being deployed.

All this is fine and dandy but right now what we want to know is where exactly in the populated areas is the 65% coverage focused on. Can Yes deliver consistent connectivity outside city centres? How is the network performance in areas outside of KL?

To find out, we took our trusty Yes Go along with USB modems and SIMs from DiGi, Maxis and U Mobile and hit the road up north to Penang for a mega road test shootout. On the way, we also wanted to find out if the Yes network has indeed got most of the North-South expressway covered.

Initially their map showed coverage blanketing most parts of the highway however a day before our trip, we found out that the map has been “updated” revealing a completely different coverage map with much less areas covered. This got us contemplating if we should carry on with the test as it looks like there is no coverage on our route, but with the understanding that sometimes coverage maps can be inaccurate, we continued with the test anyway.

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	Players on the Field, Product review, Technologies, WiMAX, Yes
	4g, 4g wimax, ipoh, penang, WiMAX, Yes, yes 4g, yes 4g ipoh, yes 4g penang, yes 4g performance, yes 4g plans, yes 4g review, yes 4g roadtest, yes 4g speedtest, yes 4g usb modem, yes go, yes launch, yes malaysia, yes usb modem, yes ytl, ytl comms, YTL WiMAX, YTL yes

Having tested the Yes Go’s mobility performance around Kuala Lumpur and discovering that the Yes network is indeed mobile delivering rather good performance, we decided to go a step further by taking the Yes Go to various parts of Petaling Jaya and Subang as well.

We wanted to find out if the Yes network can deliver consistent speeds and throughput performance outside of KL. We tested the Yes Go USB dongle on two routes, one along the New Pantai Expressway and the other along Federal Highway.

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	Players on the Field, Product review, Technologies, WiMAX, Yes
	4g, 4g wimax, Federal Highway, New Pantai Expressway, WiMAX, Yes, yes 4g, yes 4g performance, yes 4g plans, yes 4g review, yes 4g roadtest, yes 4g speedtest, yes 4g usb modem, yes go, yes launch, yes malaysia, yes usb modem, yes ytl, ytl comms, YTL WiMAX, YTL yes

We are heading up north to Penang to test the performance of the Yes 4G network outside of KL. We will be updating our twitter feed regularly along the way.

We’ve reached Ipoh and so far we found the coverage along the North-South highway from KL is patchy. We managed to get connectivity, albeit intermittent, up to the 404KM marker of the North-South highway. Where there’s coverage, the speed is generally better compared to 3G operators. Considering that Yes is a new network, we can see from our road test that Yes has better data coverage along the highway  compared to the more established 3G networks like U Mobile and in some instances DiGi. Look out for our full report coming soon.

For regular updates on our trip to Penang, follow us on twitter at @Soya_Cincau to find out how Yes compares with other 3G operators on the road.

Previous Yes Performance Tests
Yes 4G KL Road Test
Yes 4G Dongle First impressions and initial tests

	Players on the Field, Product review, Technologies, WiMAX, Yes
	4g, 4g wimax, WiMAX, Yes, yes 4g, yes 4g performance, yes 4g plans, yes 4g review, yes 4g roadtest, yes 4g speedtest, yes 4g usb modem, yes go, yes launch, yes malaysia, yes usb modem, yes ytl, ytl comms, YTL WiMAX, YTL yes

Last week, we’ve taken a look at Yes 4G Network coverage areas in the Peninsular which covers most of the west coast. During our initial visit to their coverage maps, the coverage info wasn’t clear as there was a mix of dark and light shades of grey. It was also discovered that major state capitals on the east coast were not covered despite having grey shades blanketing the city.

Just recently, @yes4g had mentioned on twitter that the maps have been revised with cyan colour indicating current coverage available with grey as upcoming coverage plots.

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	Players on the Field, Technologies, WiMAX, Yes
	4g, 4g wimax, melaka, melaka wimax, WiMAX, wimax coverage, Yes, yes 4g, yes 4g coverage, yes coverage, yes malaysia, yes ytl, ytl comms, YTL WiMAX, ytl wimax coverage, YTL yes