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https://soyacincau.com/2023/03/03/fahmi-bro...access-pricing/ - 2023/03/03 - fahmi-broadband-services-will-be-cheaper-with-updated-mandatory-standard-on-access-pricing
... At the moment, DNB’s published Reference Access Offer (RAO) for 5G access pricing starts from RM30,000 per Gbps per month that’s locked to a 10-year contract duration. DNB has said it is open to conduct a price review every 18 months either via an independent party or through the MSAP. ....
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Afaik, DNB has only a total bandwidth capacity of 5.6Gbps per 5G cell tower for it's longer range and more usable 700Hz and 3.5GHz frequencies, to be sold to the few celcos, eg TM Unifi Mobile, Maxis, CelcomDigi, U Mobile and YES.

If a celco is paying DNB RM30,000 per month for 1Gbps for 5G access, it's cost is RM50 per 5G subscriber if it signs up 600 subscribers per 5G cell tower, ie RM30,000/600 = RM50. If out of the 600 subscribers, there are 400 active ones, eg during peak periods in urban areas, each active 5G subscriber can only get 2.5Mbps, ie 1,000Mbps/400 = 2.5Mbps.

So, consumers can expect more expensive 5G subscription plans and more traffic congestion, compared to the previous 4G subscription plans.

Short-range 5G smallcells on the 28GHz frequency are unreachable/unusable for most subscribers, ie the smallcells are concentrated in city centers and high-foot traffic areas like shopping malls and stadiums.
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Fiber Internet Retailers like Maxis Fiber are very much at a disadvantage against TM Unifi Fiber because if the former oversell their subscriptions, subscribers will get very low Internet speeds during peak periods, even though they are paying for high speeds like 500Mbps.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Oct 23 2023, 05:58 PM

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Afaik, the above quote says: ... if Maxis Fiber has bought 100Gbps of Fiber Internet capacity from TM HSBB Fiber Wholesale for RM254,636 per month but if it oversells to 5,000 Fiber Internet subscribers in the whole of Semenanjung, that means it's base cost is about RM51 per month per subscriber (RM254,636/5,000) but if there are 4,000 active Fiber Internet subscribers, each active subscriber will only get average 25Mbps (100,000Mbps/4,000), especially during peak periods, not the subscribed 500Mbps Fiber plan that is on offer.

As we know, most celcos and telcos tend to oversell subscriptions to maximize profits at the expense of consumers, eg subscribers often get slow Internet speed during peak periods and in urban areas, even though they have paid for high or uncap Internet speeds.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Mar 6 2023, 06:19 PM

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Problem is, the celcos are phasing out 4G phone plans, ie new subscribers can only buy 5G phone plans even if they only use 4G phones.

Eg U Mobile has phased out 4G phone plans like prepaid GX38, postpaid GX68 and postpaid P99 = replaced by 5G phone plans like prepaid U40 and postpaid U98.
....... Since around Aug 2022, prepaid 4G phone plan subscribers had no choice but to subscribe to the new 5G phone plans. Whereas postpaid 4G phone plan subscribers could opt to not subscribe to the new 5G phone plans.

Wonder what the celcos will do if their new 5G phone postpaid plans receive lukewarm response, ie not many new customers.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Mar 6 2023, 06:42 PM

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Thank you for the correction.

So, only NEW prepaid subscribers had no choice, not old and existing 4G prepaid phone plan subscribers, eg from pre-Aug 2022.

Afaik, U Mobile does not offer any 4G phone prepaid plans at it's website anymore, since around Aug 2022, eg no more GX12, GX30 and GX38. .......
https://www.u.com.my/en/personal/mobile-pla...epaid/u-prepaid - u-prepaid
https://www.u.com.my/en/personal/mobile-pla...ekly-data-plans

Similarly for the postpaid 5G phone plans at U Mobile's website, ie no more GX50, GX68, P79, P99 and P139. Old and existing subscribers of GX50, GX68, P79, P99 and P139 could continue their subscription till today and in the future.
....... Similarly for the much better Legacy Digi Infinite 150 postpaid 4G phone plan from 2016, eg unlimited speed, FUP of 1TB and then throttled to 15Mbps, not throttled to 512kbps for the newer Digi Infinite 150 plan from last year.

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P S - Most prepaid subscribers often change celcos = get new prepaid subscriptions, esp when new cheaper offers from rival celcos arrive, eg the 4G Prepaid wars in June-July 2020 = GX38 vs HUP35 vs CUP35 vs DUP35 vs TM-UM RM35 Bebas Monthly.
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Not really, eg U Mobile has a total bandwidth capacity of 1.9Gbps per 4G cell tower to be shared by about 500 active subscribers during peak periods in urban areas, ie about 4Mbps per subscriber. Can get higher speeds during off-peak periods. Maxis has even more 4G bandwidth capacity.

So, afaik, if U Mobile also has the same number of 5G subscribers per 5G cell tower (for lowband-700MHz and midband-3.5GHz) as above, and "rented" only 1Gbps from DNB at RM30,000 per month per cell tower, it would be a worse 5G experience for it's subscribers.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Mar 6 2023, 10:38 PM

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The above refers to Immobile Fixed Fiber Broadband/Internet, not mobile 5G/4G Internet or 5G/4G cell towers.
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TM owns the national HSBB Fiber network in Semenanjung. TM HSBB Wholesale sells Fiber access to other retailers like Maxis Fiber and Timedotcom (for condos), eg RM254k per month for a total capacity of 100Gbps.
....... So, TM Unifi Fiber has a bandwidth capacity of 10Gbps per fiber cable that usually connects to maximum of about 40 linked homes via the backlane. So, each of it's home subscriber has an average of about 250Mbps during peak periods when all 40 subscribers are active, ie 10,000Mbps/40 = 250Mbps. Hence TM Unifi Fiber offers home subscibers a speed-mixture from 30Mbps to 100Mbps to 500Mbps to 1Gbps since not all 40 subscribers would often be active at the same time.

Note that 4 out of the above 40 Home Fiber subscribers could be allocated by TM to Maxis Fiber and/or CelcomDigi Fiber.

When TM Unifi Fiber says "no more ports available" to new customers, it means all the 40 ports along a row of linked homes have been taken up. The new customer will have to wait quite long for an existing customer to "port-out" or cancel his/her Fiber subscription.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Mar 7 2023, 10:28 AM

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Afaik, the better solution to traffic congestion during peak hours in urban areas (= slow Internet speed) is for the celcos to build more 4G cell towers and/or to not oversell 4G subscriptions, and not to limit it to just 3 celcos/operators because each 4G cell tower can support a maximum of about 500 active subscribers. IOW, the more cell towers, the lesser sharing of the limited mobile bandwidth capacity for the same number of subscribers in a certain area; ... and one 4G cell tower should not be supporting 1,000 subscribers, either active or inactive.

4G cell towers have a nomal range of 1km and maximum range of 5km, depending on the 4G transceiver power level set by the celcos. In practice, 4G cell towers are placed closer apart in urban areas which have many more subscribers, eg 2km apart, ... and placed further apart in rural areas which have fewer subscribers, eg 10km apart (since max range is 5km).
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Afaik, the main motive for the government monopoly of DNB was to prevent duplication of 5G infrastructure by the many private celcos, eg 5G cell towers, as has happened for 2G/3G/4G, besides 5G wholesale price-control. This is similar to TM HSBB Fiber Wholesale to Maxis Fiber, Digi Fiber, Astro Fiber, Timedotcom, etc.

Basic essential utilities like supply of electricity, water and Internet should not be fully privatized, in order to prevent profit-gouging of consumers/users by private companies, eg Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp(= profit margin of >30%). In most countries, basic essential utilities are nationalized or government-controlled.
....... Unfortunately, in Malaysia, there is political cronyism, nepotism, racialism(= race-based policies), etc, which have increased prices and produced inefficiencies or low-productivity wrt such basic essential utilities.
....... This may be why the cost of broadband Internet in Malaysia is more expensive (US$) than Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, HK, China, South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, etc. .......
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/count...kings?itemId=33 - Price Rankings by Country of Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) (Utilities (Monthly))
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Latest Update:

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...or-the-industry - 2023/04/18 - second-5g-rollout- (.?) a-bonus-for-the-industry
... In 2022, DNB announced that the SWN model would cost telecommunication operators RM30,000 one gigabits per second (Gbps) per month on 5G leasing charges.

“Assuming a take-up rate of 1,000 Gbps, this would ultimately cost the telcos a whopping RM360mil a year to provide 5G to consumers.

“They also have to pay a fixed upfront fees regardless of how far the 5G population coverage progresses – a concern to the market as dividend payments might be significantly reduced given the additional costs,” said Kenanga Research. ....

https://soyacincau.com/2022/08/21/ytlc-ceo-...pct-nationwide/ - 2022/08/21 - ytlc-ceo-dnb-5g-malaysia-90-pct-kl-cyberjaya-putrajaya-coverage-30-pct-nationwide
... Wing said today they have 90% population coverage in Kuala Lumpur, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya. They have also gone outside of the Klang Valley with 5G services now available in Johor Bahru, Selangor, Perak and very soon they are moving up north to Penang. He also said the Minister has recently announced that 5G is available in Kelantan.

The CEO explained that DNB in 13 months’ time has built over a thousand 5G sites to get us where we are today with 30% 5G population coverage. ....

This likely means DNB is charging each celco RM30,000 per 1Gbps per month per 5G cell tower or RM360,000 per year ... or RM360mil per 1,000 5G cell towers, eg celcos which mostly service urban and suburban areas, ie neglect rural areas..

If each 5G cell tower services a maximum of 500 active subscribers simultaneously at any one time and it can be over-sold to 600 subscribers per cell tower, the celco's 5G cost per subscriber is RM50, ie RM30,000/600 and 2Mbps, ie 1,000Mbps/500.
....... The celco's 5G cost is excluding the cost of 5G backhaul connections to TM's HSBB or Fiber network, eg RM9 per 3Mbps per month.

If so, maybe a celco can reduce it's 5G cost by opting to pay less but giving poorer service to it's subsribers, eg pay RM15,000 per 500Mbps per month per 5G cell tower = 5G cost per subscriber will be RM25 but each subscriber will get only 1Mbps during peak traffic hours.

???
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https://www.lowyat.net/2023/301462/celcomdigi-5g-boosters/ - CelcomDigi Introduces 5G Boosters For Postpaid And Prepaid Users
5G will no longer be free for some on lower-tier plans.
BY IKMAL ROZLAN JUNE 2, 2023
... For postpaid customers, the price of 5G boosters depends on which plan you subscribe to. Those who are on a plan that costs above RM90 will have free access to 5G through their existing quota while those on plans below that threshold will have to fork out RM10 per month for access. The latter group will still have free 5G access until 30 June, a one-month extension of the previous deadline.

For users of plans above RM90 who need more data, the 5G booster costs RM10 per month for 20GB while those on cheaper plans need to pay RM20 per month for the same quota in addition to the RM10 for access. Until 30 September 2023, the booster will actually come with 30GB of data as an introductory promo.

Meanwhile, prepaid customers are being offered boosters with differing value depending on which network they use. Celcom Xpax users can purchase a one-day pass with 3GB of 5G data for RM3, a one-day pass with 10GB for RM6, and a seven-day pass with 20GB for RM12.

Oddly enough, Digi Prepaid NEXT customers are getting less for the same prices, with the brand offering a one-day pass with 2GB of 5G data for RM3, a one-day pass with 5GB for RM6, and a seven-day pass with 10GB for RM12. Similarly, the prepaid passes come with a 50% bonus quota from now until 30 September. ....

Looks like the celcos are beginning to nickel-and-dime subscribers with 5G access fees and 5G data caps, similar to the early 3G days at around mid-2010s when all phone 3G plans came with data caps and 1GB of 3G data cost about RM10, eg RM50 per month for 5GB of data.

So no wonder ....... https://www.lowyat.net/2023/301452/mcmc-5g-...-rate-malaysia/ - MCMC: 5G Adoption Rate In Malaysia Currently At Only 3.1%
The regulatory body's COO believes that this will improve once more coverage is provided and lower-priced 5G devices are introduced.
BY HEIRUL KAMEL JUNE 1, 2023

It may be a cost-effective idea for celco subscribers to keep 4G and forsake 5G, except for rich trendy hipsters, eg iPhone users.
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More likely, the root problem is the "high" 5G wholesale prices charged by DNB on the celcos, which costs are in turned passed on to their subscribers.

It's no wonder that (afaik) Maxis declined DNB's free 3-month offer to test or trial 5G on it's network before committing to paying DNB the huge 5G wholesale prices; ... whereas Celcom is a subsidiary of TM = GLCs = DNB = CelcomDigi has likely already paid DNB.
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An Update:

https://soyacincau.com/2023/05/03/malaysia-...ation-coverage/ - 2023/05/03 - malaysia-to-transition-to-dual-wholesale-network-in-2024-after-dnb-hits- 80% -5g-population-coverage

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...-with-dnb/67489 - 2023/05/03 - fahmi-malaysia-to-roll-out-dual-5g-model-after-hitting-80pc-coverage-with-dnb
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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023...ch-say-analysts - 2023/05/07 - year-end-80% -5g-population-coverage-target-within-reach-say-analysts
.... University Teknologi Malaysia engineering faculty senior lecturer Prof Dr Tharek Abdul Rahman said the 5G rollout in the country has reached 57.8% so far while the nation’s 4G network coverage encompasses 96.92% of populated areas as of March this year. ...
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Presently, DNB1 has 5.6Gbps capacity for it's 700MHz and 3.5GHz 5G frequency bands which it sells wholesale to celcos. DNB2 should also likely be allotted the same capacity by the government in 2024.

In 2024, celcos will have the option to buy wholesale 5G capacity from either DNB1 (= set-up and owned by the government) or DNB2 (= set-up and owned by a celco-consortium). GLCs like TM Unifi Mobile and Celcom-Digi will likely continue to buy from DNB1 whereas non-GLCs like Maxis and U Mobile will likely buy from DNB2.

Afaik, for celco subscribers, DNB2 should be more efficient and cheaper than DNB1, eg Huawei > Ericsson wrt 5G equipment; private company > government wrt business efficiency, productivity, expertise, professionalism, customer service, etc.

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Personally, I'll wait until mid or end-2024 before upgrading my 4G devices to 5G and choosing the celco.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Jul 9 2023, 12:43 PM

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Update and price confirmation; .......

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...provided-by-dnb - 2023/07/14 - maxis-to-execute-access-agreement-on-5g-products-services-provided-by-dnb
... The Access Agreement is expected to be executed by Maxis Broadband after Maxis has obtained the approval of its shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting to be convened, expected in the third quarter of 2023.

Maxis Group is expected to incur operating expenses of approximately RM360 million per annum for the National 5G Wholesale Network Product.
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So, it's quite confirmed that DNB is charging celcos the wholesale price of RM30,000 per month per 1Gbps per cell tower. Up to May 2023 DNB has 60% 5G population coverage by setting up 1,000 cell towers mostly in urban areas, as per my previous post on this thread.

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Maxis will likely be involved in the privatized DNB2 which will be setting up it's own 5G network in early 2024, likely using much cheaper Huawei equipment for it's 5G cell towers. If so, Maxis will pay a much cheaper wholesale price to DNB2 in mid-2024, eg RM200 million per annum per 1Gbps per 1,000 cell tower.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Jul 15 2023, 01:59 PM

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Mobile 4G/5G Internet has limited bandwidth capacity and high urban subscriber density per cell tower = is often subjected to traffic congestion during peak hours, especially in urban areas, ... unlike Fixed/Immoblie TM Unifi Fiber Internet. Eg each cell tower has to serve a maximum of about 500 active subscribers at any one time whereas each fiber cable has to serve a maximum of only about 50 active subscribers in linked-homes or shops or condos at any one time.

Afaik, DNB1 has a total of 5.6Gbps bandwidth capacity per cell tower for it's 5G bands of 700MHz and 3.5GHz, to be wholesale to the 5 celcos. DNB2 should have about the same 5G bandwidth capacity per cell tower in mid 2024.
....... DNB1's high bandwidth capacity of >10Gbps per small-cell for it's 5G mmWave Band of 28GHz can be ignored because of it's very short range of about 50m, whose small-cells are only deployed in downtown city centers and high foot traffic areas like MRT main stations, shopping malls, stadiums and concert halls.

For 4G, each celco has about 2Gbps of bandwidth capacity per cell tower = totalling about 10Gbps of bandwidth capacity (= 5 celcos) for Bands 800MHz to 2600MHz.

So, from a mobile subscriber's perpective, by mid 2024 when DWN (= DNB1 and DNB2) is in operation, 50% of subscribers should remain on 4G and 50% of them should be on 5G, in order to minimize traffic congestion during peak hours, esp in urban areas. Note that subscribers can opt to use 4G even if they are on a 5G mobile plan.
....... Of course, this scenario is subject to the government not phasing out 4G, which may happen if >80% of subscribers are on 5G in 2025 = often causing traffic congestion during peak hours..
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Jul 16 2023, 01:15 PM

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Well, during the 3G and early 4G era, Maxis and other celcos were profit-gouging the subscribers by selling 1GB of Internet data for RM10, eg a 3G mobile phone plan with 5GB of data quota but unlimited speed cost RM50 per month in 2014. Things only got better with lower prices in 2018 when newcomer upstart U Mobile from Singapore started offering affordable GX30 and GX50 phone plans with "unlimited" data but limited speed.

To me, Internet is now a basic essential utility like electricity and water supply = so, Internet network access should be nationalized or government-controlled, not privatized, for better consumer protection, even if it is more costly because of bad politics, inefficiencies, etc. Do we also want to privatize the Police and Armed Forces.?
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https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2023/07/17...rk-integration/ - 2023/07/17 - celcomdigi-huawei-zte-partner-to-hype-up-network-integration
.... This new network is designed to be able to potentially transition seamlessly into a new 5G network with an 18,000-site reach – the right infrastructure to usher Malaysia into the era of ultra-high speeds, low latency, and the opportunities of a more connected future. This is a significant development for CelcomDigi and the industry, and we are excited to be leading the way – now with strategic partners Huawei and ZTE – to realise the potential of our shared digital future,” Datuk Idham added. ...
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https://www.digital-nasional.com.my/four-ma...uity-stakes-dnb - Four major telcos take up equity stakes in DNB - 7 Oct 2022
.... DNB said Celcom Axiata has taken up 12.5% in stakes, followed by Digi Telecommunications (12.5%), YTL Communications (20%), and TM (20%). ...

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/666461 - TM joins CelcomDigi to withdraw equity participation in DNB - 10 May 2023

Looks like even the GLC Celcom-Digi and TM will be abandoning DNB1 and moving to DNB2 in early or mid 2024 because of the very high wholesale prices charged by DNB1, ie can cost a celco RM360 million per annum for access to just 1Gbps of bandwidth capacity and 1,000 5G cell towers, mostly in urban areas.
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DNB1 has a total 5.6Gbps bandwidth capacity per 5G cell tower for it's long range 700MHz and 3.5GHz frequency Bands to be wholesale to celcos. Problem is, how much bandwidth capacity or frequency bands will the government sell to DNB2.? Jialat if DNB2 gets only 3Gbps = only 2 celcos can buy wholesale, ie 1.5Gbps each.

Note that for 4G, each of the 5 major celcos has about 2Gbps of total bandwidth capacity for it's long range 800MHz to 2600MHz frequency bands = total for the 5 celcos is about 10Gbps to be sold to subscribers.
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Not even TM Fiber Wholesale can offer 1,000Gbps of bandwidth capacity to TM Unifi Fiber, Maxis Fiber, Celcom Fiber, Astro Fiber and Time dotcom. Each TM Fiber-optic cable has 10Gbps bandwidth capacity, .......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10G-PON
10G-PON (also known as XG-PON or G.987) is a 2010 computer networking standard for data links, capable of delivering shared Internet access rates up to 10 Gbit/s (gigabits per second) over existing dark fiber. ...

So, it's quite impossible for a 5G or 4G cell tower to have a bandwidth capacity of 1,000Gbps.
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As of May 2023, DNB1 has set up 1,000 5G cell towers which covers 60% of the population of Malaysia (not area), mostly in the main cities and urban areas. That RM360 million per annum 5G cost is based on these figures. It's quite likely the celcos can choose to buy access to 500 or 1,000 or 1,500 or 2,000 5G cell towers from DNB1 and pay accordingly.

Note that Celcom-Digi has 18,000 4G and 2G cell towers, covering maybe 80% of Malaysia's areas, including many rural areas and kampungs.
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Fyi, .......


- post #1

Maybe TM Fiber Wholesale can offer up to 500Gbps by laying 50 Fiber-optic cables for places like huge shopping malls/complexes and skyscraper office buildings.




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Now I'm not really sure how DNB1 charges the celcos it's wholesale prices.

Guessing; ... Maxis Fiber Home charges subscribers RM129 per month for 100Mbps and Maxis pays TM Fiber Wholesale RM254 per month for 100Mbps. It's likely that at this wholesale price, Maxis Fiber has to over-sell it's 100Mbps plan to 4 subscribers living in the same row of linked-homes, in order to turn a profit, ie 4 X RM129 = RM516 - RM254 = RM272 - some costs = about RM150 profit per month. During peak period when all 4 home subscribers are online, each can only get 25Mbps, ie 100Mbps/4.

For DNB1's wholesale prices to celcos and for 5G subscribers, the principle should be about the same.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Jul 18 2023, 07:26 PM

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Latest Update: .......

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...on-in-5g-agency - Malaysia telecoms firms reach agreement on equity participation in 5G agency - 21 July 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said on Friday telecommunications firms CelcomDigi, Maxis, Telekom Malaysia, U Mobile and YTL Communications will take up stakes in state 5G agency Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), following an agreement reached between the firms and the government on equity participation and 5G access.

The announcement comes as mobile operators and the government look set to conclude protracted negotiations over Malaysia's 5G rollout plans.

Malaysia had in 2021 announced that state-owned DNB would own the full 5G spectrum, with carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services. But the plan was met with industry concern over pricing, transparency and monopolistic practices.

Mobile operators agreed in October last year to take up 70% of DNB's stake to resolve the impasse.

However, the deal lapsed after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration - which took power after an election in November last year - announced a review of the government's 5G plans.

In May, the government said it would allow in a second 5G operator next year when DNB's coverage reaches 80% of populated areas.

On Friday, the communications ministry said in a statement the telecoms firms will take appropriate governance actions to complete the shareholding process in DNB.

It did not however provide details on the division in equity or the value of the deal.

Last week, Maxis Berhad agreed to sign a deal to access DNB's network, the last major carrier to do so. Other carriers had signed the deal last year, paving the way for 5G services to be rolled out to customers. - Reuters
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Not really. Celcom-Digi and TM Unifi Mobile are GLCs. So, DNB1 will still remain government-controlled = more poltically influenced, more inefficient, less productive, less tech know-hows, higher wholesale 5G prices, etc - similar to TM Fiber HSBB and Tenaga Naional.
....... DNB2 whose separate 5G network will launch in early 2024 will likely be privately-owned by the non-GLC celcos, eg Maxis, U Mobile and YES.

DNB1 uses mostly Ericsson equipment to set up it's 5G network of cell towers whereas DNB2 will be using mostly much cheaper Huawei and ZTE equipment.
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