UPDATE: U Mobile has tweeted that the FREE bundled modem is a ZTE MF180 which seems to support up to maximum 3.6Mbps download.

Original Post: U Mobile is now offering free USB 3G modem with subscription to the UB40 and UB68 mobile broadband plans.

The promo requires that you pay RM168 upfront and RM100 will be rebated back into your bill in the form of RM20 across five months.

Other than that there’s no changes to the mobile broadband plans offered by U Mobile. The UB40 offers download speeds of up to 1.0Mpbs with a 2GB data cap. Additional data usage after the 2GB cap will be charged RM10/MB with a maximum charge of RM176/month for excess data on top of your monthly subscription.

For UB68, you get “unlimited” data usage and download speeds of up of 3.6Mbps. By unlimited, U Mobile means you get 5GB data a month at up to 3.6Mbps download, once you burst that cap, you connection will be throttled until the next billing cycle (there’s no charge for additional data). U Mobile doesn’t state what at what speed the connection will be throttled to.

Like all the U Mobile mobile broadband plans, the UB40 and UB68 are contract free.

We find that it’s weird that U Mobile keeps the model of the free modem vague. Naturally, as the modem is offered for free, marketeers would want to highlight what modem it is exactly. Reading through the FAQ and T&C, all we know that the modem is from ZTE.

What’s our take on this? Its a pretty standard offer, nothing that we haven’t seen before. If you don’t mind the limited coverage compared to the big three, U Mobile offers decent, stable connectivity. We have a backup U Mobile prepaid data SIM and never had problems with connectivity.

Click on the link for more info.

Here’s the breakdown.

On the surface the new plans from Celcom offer pricing that’s competitive with its competitors but when you drill in deeper you’ll see that the boys in blue a shortchanging you on speed. Celcom is not just capping data but also capping speed with the price plans when other telcos are already going “speed free”, meaning for whatever plan you subscribe, you are entitled to the best speed you can get on their network.

And this makes sense because charging users based on speed is just plain stupid. It’s like paying for a litre of milk but you’re not guaranteed a litre, you could get 500ml, 200ml or you could very well get nothing.

On top of that, you there’s a RM100 registration fee, which is just ridiculous.

Looking at this we can’t really recommend the plans from Celcom, Maxis offers better value by some margin and if you want to go with prepaid, the best value for money prepaid in the market right now is U Mobile. And if you don’t like Maxis or U Mobile, DiGi at least gives you more GB for your money.

Bottom line, stay away from Celcom if you want the best value for mobile broadband. But if you’re still interested, click here to check out the details on Celcom’s official site.

P1 just recently rehashed its W1GGY packages to introduce three new plans.

The difference?
Gone are the original W1GGY boasting (an elusive) 10Mbps download speed and the (very unfortunately named) W1GGY 69 plans. Taking it’s place are three new plans with price points of RM49, RM89 and RM129 monthly. Of the bat, you’ll notice that the new plans are cheaper (RM59 as opposed to RM69 and RM129 as opposed to RM149 previously). P1 have also made signing up very attractive as you don’t have to buy the W1GGY outright (which costs RM200 mind you), it is now provided to you for FREE and you’re not tied in to any contract, which means you can terminate any time you feel like it. P1 will even give you a RM50 rebate off your last bill if you return the W1GGY.

Is it any good?
When compared to what the other telcos are offering, it’s pretty much the same deal with the no contracts and free modems perks. Operators like Maxis even offer the same seven day satisfaction guarantee period like P1. P1′s strengths is in its generous data caps, but even with that we’re finding it very difficult to recommend the new W1GGY plans to mobile users.

And why not?
To us what’s important in any broadband plan is the performance and crucially, consistency. It’s pointless to have loads of data usage allowance if you can’t even get connected. We’re pretty sure many will agree with this. And therein lies the problem.

P1′s WiMAX network is not enjoying a lot of confidence from the public with frequent outages and connectivity issues – the word on the street is that P1′s network is plagued with problems at the moment. And the W1GGY is not really the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to mobile web surfing. Having tried the W1GGY ourselves, we’re very disappointed with what “Malaysia’s most advanced USB modem” had to offer.

Most glaring is the W1GGY’s inability to grab on to a WiMAX signal indoors. Most of the time, inside offices, malls and college lecture halls, we were not able to get any signal whatsoever. Outdoors, in areas where the W1GGY gets the same signal strength from two base stations, it easily gets very easily confused and often disconnects itself to jump between base stations. If you’re surfing video’s on YouTube or downloading files, this is a major pain.

We don’t know about you guys, but we would like our mobile broadband to be robust, reliable and with performance we can count on. We’d want to be able to just whip out the W1GGY, plug it into a USB port and start surfing.

Unfortunately, right now. We can really do that.

P1 W1MAX has launched its prepaid USB broadband called the W1GGY prepaid. The prepaid market is big especially when consumers need broadband on the go on a need to use basis. Most telcos has recognise such demand and we’ve seen various prepaid 3G broadband products as of late. Wanting a slice of that market, P1 has become the first WiMAX operator in Malaysia to offer prepaid as well.

The prepaid plan

The offer is pretty simple. The starter pack is sold at RM199 which comes with a US-230 USB WiMAX Modem and RM100 worth of credit which gives you 4GB of data usage for 30 days. The download speed of W1GGY prepaid is 800kbps maximum. No upload speeds are mentioned, similar to previous W1GGY and W1GGY 69 postpaid plans.

Top Up

2 top up options are available:

• RM20 top up - 500MB data usage for 15 days
• RM50 top up – 2GB data usage for 30 days

Compared to P1 W1GGY 69 postpaid, the W1GGY prepaid is quite a bargain as the USB WiMAX modem only costs RM99 as compared to upfront RM299 price on the WiGGY 69 plan with 12 months contract. We believe P1 might revise the upfront modem cost for W1GGY 69 or perhaps simply scrap this postpaid plan altogether.

Conclusion

Is it worth it? As the first prepaid WiMAX plan, we believe this is the easiest way to experience WiMAX without being bonded to a contract and paying hefty upfront costs. As mentioned earlier, we’re skeptical on the performance of the W1GGY as an overpromised product.

As of late, P1 is suffering a lot of network outages and bandwidth issues. The W1GGY being a USB modem, has less transmission power compared to the desktop modems. This would be a problem getting reception indoors which is a common problem for WiMAX. Such issues hardly exist for 3G broadband which probably is a better choice for those who seek reliable mobility indoors.

Pricing wise, P1 might have gotten it right and they are on par with other players but reception reliability is still a big question mark. Unless P1 improves its coverage particularly indoors, the W1GGY prepaid is a tough choice to recommend.

For more information, visit P1′s website.

The modem is free with 2 years subscription and it is chargable at RM299 for those who take up 1 year subscription.

The Wiggy 69 has a registration fee of RM100, chargable up front and activation fee of RM60 which will be charged on the first bill.

More info here or you can order direct from P1 here.

Related Links
P1 Wiggy Packages
P1 Wiggy 69 launching

We have seen the signs and hints. Finally DiGi has pulled something out from its bag.

Previously we mentioned that DiGi would be launching its 3G services next month but looks like they have decided to test the water in advance. A couple of blog post and forumers today had been talking about the revealed site titled DiGi Internet – Rediscover what broadband should be.

From what we could see, DiGi is doing a pre-launch trial run of its 3G services as it is only valid from 20 February 2009 to 28 February 2009. Looking at their coverage map, it targets areas surrounding Mutiara Damansara, Pelangi Damansara, Sunway Damansara, TTDI, Bandar Utama, Damansara Intan, SS22 and obscure areas up north of Klang.

Speed & Limit

DiGi claims to provide 7.2Mbps connectivity speed for this promo and this is currently the fastest mobile broadband service utilising HSDPA in the market. It also offers 10GB of monthly bandwidth which is more generous compared to existing players that limits to 3GB or 5GB right now.

Pre-launch Packages

The 2 key packages on offer are:

Laptop + USB Modem Offer

• HP Compaq CQ40 Laptop for RM999 (RRP RM2,399)
• Free Huawei E230 HSPA USB Modem
• Laptops limited to 100 Units
• DiGi 3G Broadband Package RM128/month

USB Modem Offer

• Free Huawei E230 HSPA USB Modem
• DiGi 3G Broadband Package RM128/month

Actual subscription Fee & Contract Period

Some of you maybe thinking that RM128/month is pretty steep, you will be surprised to discover that RM128/month is only applicable for the first 6 months of subscription. After the 6 months, the original subscription fee of RM158/month applies. A little digging of the FAQ also reveals that DiGi’s Broadband contract period is 12 months.

Subscribers are also required to pay 2 months subscription (RM256) upfront when signing up.

Trial or not to trial?: That’s the question

As a new service provider, we are confused whether or not DiGi provides a trial period for users. In the terms and conditions, it mentions:

15. :      Notwithstanding the above, if the Broadband Service is not available at the billing address provided by the subscriber during registration, the subscriber can discontinue the Broadband Service and return the modem at the DiGi Centre in SS2 within 7 days from the date of registration. DiGi will fully refund the advance payment (2 months of the monthly fee) provided that the modem and its packaging are in good condition. The refund of the advance payment will be sent to the billing address via cheque within 12 weeks from the service discontinuation date. No other charges will be imposed to the subscriber.

However  in the FAQ it was stated:

Q6:      Is there any trial period if I subscribe for this promo package?

A6:     No

As a new player, it would make more sense if DiGi does allow its subscribers to opt out within 7 days if the coverage or performance are not satisfactory.

Cancellation/Termination

It is also noted that if a user would like to terminate, the user would either pay the remaining of the contact period or RM600 for the modem, whichever is lower. Assuming if a subscriber terminates before the 9th month, the user will have to pay for the full price of the modem of RM600. After the 9th month, only (RM158 X months remaining)

is charged. We understand that the modem is for the user to keep as well.

Warranty/Support

For those who subscribe with the Laptop package, DiGi has mentioned that all technical support will be handled by HP.

As for the Huawei E230 Modem, any issues within the first 3 days are supported by DiGi and they specifically mentioned SS2 outlet. After the 3 days, all queries and issues are to be dealt with Huawei Malaysia. It is stated that the Modem comes with a 18 months warranty against factory defect.

In the FAQ, it has been consistently mentioned that DiGi SS2 is the designated outlet for this DiGi Internet Broadband. We would assume that this is the only DiGi outlet currently catered to handle this new broadband related service & support.

Promo Roadshow

From the heading of the site, it looks like DiGi is also running a roadshow at Ikana Power Centre this weekend on 21-22 February 2009. Those interested or live nearby might want to check it out.

Conclusion

Although DiGi is considered the first to officially claim 7.2Mbps on HSDPA, we are disappointed on the pricing which is not entirely truthful on its actual rate and it is lacking value when it is compared to other players with extensive coverage. Sure it can shout on 7.2Mbps speed and 10GB of monthly usage but the extra RM29-59 a month compared to existing plans in the market is just too much.

In addition, the majority of consumers are often haunted with the stigma that mobile broadband especially HSDPA fails to meet expectation as 3.6Mbps claims are no where near reality. This would certainly create a cloud of doubt on DiGi’s capability of reaching 7.2Mbps. Perhaps a 7-day trial run would be recommended to give users a try if DiGi is able to prove that HSDPA does deliver.

It would be interesting to see the response for this 1 week promo period.

Related Links:

DiGi 3G Promotion Launch Packages Leaked Out
Lowyat.Net DiGi 3G Broadband Forum Thread
DiGi 3G Broadband is here
DiGi Rediscover Broadband Promo Site

Is it just us or is this ad just plain weird?

This – to us – is the most uninteresting, unexciting, uninspiring ad we’ve ever seen this week!

Now, there are a lot of crappy ads out there but this one has it’s place amongst the top and a huge disgrace coming from a telco. What a waste of space!

Ok so you have a new modem to market and yes, it is small (though it’s nothing to shout about considering it’s still the size of a run-of-the-mill thumbdrive). But no, it’s definitely not sexy, in fact it looks like a frigin’ tampon.

Celcom marketing people, if you’re paying attention, read this:

1. Instead of highlighting the modem, better bring attention to the price. Recession is here, people would like to find out where and when they can save. The price cut would’ve made more sense don’t you think?
2. Your ad agency conned you big time with the stupid and pointless psychedelic background behind the modem. You’re paying for full colour when you could have gotten away with a spot colour ad or B&W ad and save tons of money. The colourful background adds nothing to the messaging of the ad so why have it there? What is the point? Again, we’re saying you’ve been had.
3. No one’s going to rush out to buy a “sexy” modem. If you’ve highlighted the fact that the modem came with a Micro SD slot that would appeal more to users who you are targeting.
4. Here’s an idea, why don’t you throw in a free 2GB/4GB Micro SD as well to sweetened the deal. SSD cards are cheap and that would make the new product much more appealing, not to mention useful as well.

What do you think? Are we right or are we right? Comments please!

Oh by the way, this is our first Ad-nalysis post. More coming!