P1 today has introduced Wiggy 39, a new low entry portable broadband plan that comes with 2GB of data. 2 modems are on offer, the smaller UT235 and the bigger UH235. Speeds offered are listed as up to 1Mbps but the table above is a little confusing as it shows 2 download speeds side by side.

As a special promo, they are offering the first 2 months at RM19/month and the following 2 months at RM29/month. 5th month onwards it will be billed at the listed subscription of RM39/month. Like the rest of P1′s postpaid plans, excess usage is free but speeds will be throttled. Extra quota can be purchased at RM10 for 2GB.

For more information, head over to P1′s On the Go page.

Before signing up, do remember that P1′s USB Modems are designed for outdoor use only. Using it indoors might result “Potong Stim”.

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While speed is everything when you’re surfing internet superhighway on the world wide web, the same can’t be said when you’re cruising down a highway of the asphalt kind. In the real world, speed is not everything and sometimes, fast is too fast. Case in point.

Drive safe people.

[via]

We have information confirming that P1 is currently experiencing a nationwide service interruption affecting a large number of subscribers possibly in the tens of thousands.

We first picked-up reports on the disruption at 1900hrs and at time of writing P1 via its customer service account, @P1Cares, says that its engineers are working on the issue. The account didn’t indicate on when it expects the P1 service to be fully restored.

A quick check on Twitter and Facebook reveals that the service interruption extends to multiple states. We attempted to call the P1 Customer Careline at 1-300-800-888 for more information but the line is engaged.

If you are P1 subscriber, we would like to hear from you. Let us know if you are able to connect to the internet on your P1 connection.

P1 has revised its ONE plan which offers a combination of desktop home modem and a USB dongle. At that time of launch, the revamped Super Broadband offering had an option of 3 ONE plans – 89, 129 and 169 with combined quota of 5GB, 15GB and 30GB respectively. To target mass consumers with lower commitment options, they now have introduced ONE plan 69 which offers a lower 3GB quota at RM69/month, making it a total of four ONE Plans.

In terms of speed, P1 now offers 1.0Mbps download speed for both home and portable modems on its lowest 69 and 89 plans. Previously P1 One Plan 89 had a speed of 600kbps for home. In terms of hardware, P1 now its UH-235 Super Wiggy modem on all 4 plans.

You probably would notice that P1 is also on the roll to educate consumers that USB Modems is bad for indoors, hence the need of having 2 modems for different need. Again this is something arguable since we have no issues with dongles indoor in many of our broadband test experiences. In most cases, indoor coverage is also very much dependent on the network than the device alone. Dongle manufacturers normally design their usb modems to cater for a wide user pattern scenarios, not just outdoors.

More plan details after the break.

As usual, all P1 modems are free of charge with lifetime warranty as long as you’re an active subscriber. For those that need voice, it will be an additional RM10/month for P1 One Plan 69 and 89. At the moment, they are giving a RM20-30 off for the first 3 months if you subscribe.

Interestingly, P1 is offering a Money Back Guarantee for the P1 One Plan 69. This guarantee however is not on the broadband experience but rather on competitive plans and pricing. In other words, if you can find another plan from another broadband provider that provides better deal in terms of quota, pricing and number of modems, they will refund back your money. Oddly enough, the competitive plan must be postpaid and it also must include 2 modems as part of its money back conditions.

For more information, head over to P1 One Planpage.

In Malaysia, competitors don’t utter each other names, top execs in big board rooms shun the mention of a competitor’s name in their presence. It is forbidden, a cardinal sin punishable by death. Ok maybe that’s not entirely true but it is very rare, almost unheard of for a brand to mention its direct competitor so openly.

For a brand to mention its competitor is one thing but for a brand to promote and display said competitor’s logo is almost unbelievable!

Well the social media people at P1 thought that they’d be good sports and share a contest that their competitors are running.

Yes, via its Yes World portal, is running a ticket giveaway contest for the upcoming premier of “Cowboys vs Aliens” and while Yes is promoting the contest via its social media channels, P1 thought they’d give a helping hand and promote the contest on their social media channels as well. This is tremendous! In all our years in this industry, we’ve never seen anything like it.

The rational behind it? P1 says they promoted the contest because “everybody loves free tickets no matter who gives them out”. Sensible logic, we say.

Is the world about to end? Probably not. But its definitely a new beginning. Kudos to P1 for setting the positive trend. We’re hoping other brands will follow suit. What P1 did goes a long way in creating a good perception for the brand, or its social media channel at the very least. Now, all that remains if for them to up the ante and fix that darn network of theirs (sorry P1, we still think its problematic)

In the meantime, let’s see if the advocator of “positive change” will reciprocate the goodwill gesture.

[via Twitter and Facebook]

In a press release accompanying the recently launched P1 One Plan, P1 disclosed that the “new” plan was introduced as a response to findings revealed in a consumer study conducted by Frost & Sullivan on Malaysian broadband behavior. It was unclear in the release if the study was commissioned by P1.

The study indicated that only 7% of on-the-go modem users correctly utilize the device for on-the-go broadband while as many as 45 percent of subscribers use their on-the-go modems exclusively at home. The remaining 48% of on-the-go modem users are split using their modems for both home and on-the-go.

Essentially, P1 is saying that a large number of wireless broadband users were using the wrong modem for the wrong purpose…

Here’s a quote from P1 CEO, Michael Lai taken from the press release:

Most people are not aware that an on-the-go modem is not optimised for indoor usage. “Being a much smaller hence more convenient device to carry around, an on-the-go modem is best suited for outdoors. As wireless broadband signal travels through air, it inherently becomes weaker as it penetrates walls and may not be optimally received by the smaller antenna of a pocket-size.

The quote continues:

“By using the devices according to their functions, consumers will have better 4G broadband experience.

Based on this, the One Plan includes in its package two modems. One, an “outdoor” on-the-go modem and the other an “indoor” fixed modem. The logic behind this is that by offering two modems, one for outdoor and the other designed for indoor use, users can use the right modem for the right condition and “by using the devices according to their functions, consumers will have better 4G broadband experience” claimed Michael Lai.

The P1 One Plan includes the Super W1GGY USB 4G modem as part of the package. The Super W1GGY USB 4G modem was introduced by P1 in November last year and in a press release introducing the device P1 stated that the Super W1GGY is equipped with omni-directional antennas to deliver “exceptional quality at home, in the office or on-the-go”.

From the P1 Super W1GGY release:

Technically speaking: it has a 5dBi omni antenna that radiates and receives signals from any direction and automatically selects the best antenna (within the modem) to improve signal strength for better uplink performance. With 25dBm transmission power, it delivers exceptional quality at home, in the office or on-the-go.

Hold up. At launch of the Super W1GGY P1 says that the device is capable of delivering good network performance indoors. The Super W1GGY was designed to improve network reception indoors, that’s the reason why it’s so big compared to other USB modems in the market. Barely a year after the device was introduced it is now saying that the Super W1GGY is not designed to be used indoors.

On the same note, when P1 launched the original W1GGY USB 4G modem back in 2009, it touted the device as the country’s most advanced USB modem with a smart antenna that incorporates MIMO technology. The Super W1GGY is supposed to be an improved version of the W1GGY with even better performance. So what gives P1?

And what about this indoor-outdoor usage differentiation that P1 is putting forth with the One Plan? Based on P1′s logic, fixed modem are designed to be used indoors, while USB modems are designed to be used outdoors. We’re no engineers but as far as we know virtually all USB modems are designed to be used indoors and by indoors we mean everywhere, in malls, cafes, offices and homes. Aren’t all these locations indoors? So what does P1 mean by their on-the-go modem being “best suited for outdoors”? What do they mean by outdoors?

Does it mean that the Super W1GGY and the original W1GGY must be used outdoors ala alfresco for it deliver good performance? We’re no research experts either but it’s safe to assume that you’ll be using your USB modem indoors virtually all the time. So what is P1 trying to say actually? Are they confused with the capabilities of their own devices? Or are they masking the still unresolved network issues plagued the operator?

We can’t say for sure but network reception is somewhat of an endemic for P1 and this flip-flopping is sure not boding well for customer confidence on P1′s part.

[picture credit]
[source 1, 2, 3,]

P1 has recently given its entire broadband line up a new refresh for both portable and broadband plans. Their biggest highlight is their new “ONE PLAN” which claims to offer the best of outdoor and indoor. What it offers is a combination of desktop modem and portable WiGGY modems at a combo price. Despite the “One Plan” naming, there are actually 3 plans available which are tied to its 3 Home/Office broadband plans.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The One Plan is actually a rename of their Super Broadband package which was launched last October.

Head after the jump for more details and comparison of their old and current offerings.

Home and Office Plans
NEW

OLD

For Home and Office plans, they made a couple of changes. First is their entry Home Lite plan is now RM59, a RM10 increase than before. It still comes with the same 5GB/month quota but the speed is now upgraded from 400kbps to 600kbps. Next, mid level RM99 plan has its speed increased from 1.2Mbps to 2.0Mbps but its monthly quota is slashed from 20GB to 15GB a month. Meanwhile, its highest RM139 plan maintains its 30GB/month quota and its speed is increased slightly from 4.8Mbps to 5.0Mbps.

Portable Postpaid (W1GGY)
NEW

OLD

For the Portable Wiggys, they have now reduced to only 2 plans and their fastest 10Mbps plan being discontinued. Wiggy 59 offers 1.0Mbps with 3GB while Wiggy 89 offers 5.0Mbps with 6GB. We seriously can’t keep track with the Wiggy plans as they have been revised countless of times with similar names.

Home/Office + Portable Add on
NEW

OLD

For the existing postpaid user that wishes to add-on a wiggy, there are 2 options available at RM30/month which is offered based on your main broadband plan. For the entry level users, you’ll get the US-230/UM-230 modem which offers 1.0Mbps while those on higher plans will get the newer UH-235 which offers 5.0Mbps. Add that with the new revised postpaid plans and you’ll end up with the One Plan offering. Their prepaid wiggy and WiMAX Inside plans for laptops remain unchanged.

Once you’ve seen the full picture, these plans are nothing new. It is just a name change with revisions made on their speeds, price and quota in order to stay relevant. Even their P1 MiFi product was quietly discontinued without a trace. We were expecting much more from P1 instead of just rehashing the same plans over and over again.

In terms of value, it all depends if you’re looking for speed or data quota. From the comparison above, there is an increase of cost per GB but that’s being compensated by speed upgrades. When talking about achievable speeds, it is very much dependent on network condition at your area.

For more information, head over to P1′s website.

Now this is a brilliant idea. Combine a 4G MiFi with the form factor of a slim battery pack for your iPhone 4 to slide snugly into. The KT Egg Sleeve is just a device.

The Egg Sleeve is a 4G MiFi that takes a form factor of a battery pack for the iPhone 4. So now instead of carrying two separate devices (iPhone and MiFi), you can power your iPhone 4 with 4G connectivity in a sleek piggyback sleeve form factor.

We’re not sure if the Egg Sleeve is also a battery but it does come with a 1500mAh battery to give you 5 hours of 4G connectivity bliss. Overall the sleeve adds 68g of heft and just over 17mm of bulk (in terms of thickness) to the iPhone 4. Negligible considering the how much faster things load up on 4G.

The KT Egg Sleeve retails for KRW128,000 which about RM350 at today’s exchange rate. For around that price we can definitely consider something like this mating with our iPhone 4 (provided of course the 4G network performance is up to par).

So we’re putting out to P1 and Yes this challenge. The product people from both operator know that this is a bloody good idea. Jadi, tunggu apa lagi? Which among Malaysia’s two top 4G operator is going to bring this innovation to Malaysia?

[source, via]

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.

Recently you probably have seen P1 4G doing tie in ads with the latest installment of Fast and Furious movie. The movie sponsorship, if it considered as one seems to portray P1 as a speed demon broadband in conjunction with its Stronger, Wider and Faster motto. From the surface, it looks as if P1 is hard selling the movie more than its own broadband service which is actually having some noteworthy offers.

For the past several months, P1 has been doing its 50% off promo on its broadband service for 2 months on both fixed home broadband and portable USB broadband plans. Now they have thrown in more discounts for new subscriptions.

Home Broadband

For fixed home usage, they are offering subscription of only RM49 for 3 months on both Pro (4.8Mbps) and Plus (1.2Mbps) broadband plans. This gives substantial savings for Pro users of RM270 from monthly subscription fees alone. The promo 3 months subscription fee does not apply on its lowest Lite (400kbps) plan.

Portable Broadband

For portable plans, they offer promo rates with RM10-30 reduction depending on plans for 6 months. Casual W1GGY (600kbps) is offered at RM49 (RM10 savings), W1GGY (1.5Mbps) at RM69 (RM20 savings) while Super W1GGY (No limit) at RM99 (RM30 savings) which gives a total savings of RM60, RM120 and RM180 off the total monthly subscription respectively.

If you’re interested, you can head to their home broadband page here or W1GGY page here. New subscribers can stand a chance to win some holiday trips too.

It baffles us to why P1 would overshadow its plans and services for a movie, considering they have a pretty good offer with substantial savings at the moment. Even from the ads and banners, we felt that P1 is underselling its services which should be a main focus instead. Other telcos do have tie ups with artists and movies but they were done without overshadowing its core services. Anyway, perhaps P1 has its own reasons and they should know better.