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.