Best Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia

If you are a heavy internet user like us and are always on the go, finding out the Best Postpaid Broadband Plan in Malaysia is a must. After all, with the vast number of Wireless Broadband providers and the various plans they offer, it can sometimes get confusing when you search for the best value for money Wireless Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia.

Nevertheless, we here at TechGarage are keen to help you find the best plan for your needs. If you are looking for the Best Mobile Postpaid Plan in Malaysia though, you may find the link here. The difference between Mobile Postpaid Plans and Wireless Broadband Plans are that though both offers a combination of 2G, 3G and 4G LTE connections, Mobile Postpaid Plans enables you to call out and receive SMSes from others, while Broadband Plans doesn’t.

However, that makes it easier for us to understand Wireless Broadband Plans in Malaysia. After all, the four main criteria would be

1. Bandwidth
2. Price
3. Connectivity
4. Features

We have compiled an easy comparison table for you below. Just click on the various fields to see the data adjusted according to your need.

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Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia : Connection Matters

For starters, if you are based in East Malaysia, or will be travelling to East Malaysia on a regular basis, and if you need to travel out of the big cities, like Kuching, Miri and Kota Kinabalu to smaller towns like Lawas, Tuaran and Limbang, you should only consider either Celcom or Maxis. While Celcom is de facto standard for connectivity for 3G and 4G/LTE connection in Malaysia, Maxis’ relentless investment in upgrading their connection in rural areas make them a choice to consider. ¹

We recently had a rude shock, when travelling out of Miri to the other districts in Sarawak, only to find connection dropping to a slow EDGE mode, instead of the acceptable 3G in Miri (and the expected LTE connection in Klang Valley). Being unable to connect to our blog store for many days surely spells trouble, especially with much work at hand and orders to send out.  While DiGi still provides an EDGE connection in rural towns, connection has been frustratingly slow, so much so that loading a page online would take perhaps 5 minutes, while some others time out on our Macbook. Thankfully, with the help of our friends, we upgraded to Celcom’s PortaWifi and connection has been a breeze.

As such, we fully recommend Celcom and Maxis for their connection. If you are based in states like Kelantan, Terrenganu and Pahang, Celcom gives you the best 4G/LTE coverage in that area, followed by Maxis. However, if you are certain you hardly travel, then considering DiGi, U Mobile and P1 makes a lot of sense.

Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia : Bargain Corner vs Premium Pricing

In Malaysia, while the prices between Digi, Celcom and Maxis are competitive, players like P1 and U Mobile are a lot more affordable. However, with the affordability comes issues with P1 and U Mobile’s connectivity out of Klang Valley. However, if you are on a budget, P1’s plans are the best value for money in the market.

However, we still need to consider the price of reloads if we have reached our quota. This is especially crucial if you are on the road and your internet usage isn’t stable. Below is a table of Postpaid Wireless Broadband Plans Top-Up in Malaysia

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As you can see, with the exception of DiGi and U Mobile, all the other telco operators’ top-up plans are 30 days each. We find U Mobile’s 1.5GB/3 days as a dampener to people seeking to use U Mobile’s Postpaid Wireless Broadband, as 3 days is always too short a time. Though the block of data is cheaper than the competition, having to finish 1.5GB in 3 days, means that if we have reached our quota earlier, we most probably need to reload a couple of times before the end of the month, or face the prospect of camping in Starbucks or Coffee Bean.

DiGi’s erratic top up plans are frustrating for users as well. We were caught cold several times, as we hit our limits, and found that top-ups have such a short time span. As such, if you reach your quota with 3 more weeks to go, you would need to purchase a number of top-ups to be able to access the internet while on the go. We found that DiGi’s update plans got worse this year as they took away the 5GB update and give us 4GB and 6GB respectively. If you are a heavy user, please stay away from DiGi.

As such, we can only recommend Celcom and Maxis, as they offer identical blocks of 5GB/30 days for only RM50, as compared to the rest. Coupled with their great coverage areas, and you have a winner. Also, while P1 offers a tantalising 2+1 GB, we find their lack of coverage and the fact that they are selling a majority stake to TM as a reason to avoid them for now. Especially if you are a road warrior who are always on the go and need your internet with you.

Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia : Bandwidth

If money isn’t a problem and you really need the bandwidth and coverage, Maxis offers it at the most affordable price. Under Maxis’ Power User plan, you get 12 GB (plus an extra 36GB) for only RM 158/month, which only makes up to RM 13.16/GB under normal usage and only RM 3.29/GB if we add in the off-peak data.

Off-peak data however, only kicks in from 2AM till 8AM, ungodly hours for most of us. However, if you are someone who downloads stuff or updates on your computer, you may be able to program these downloads and updates to activate at 2am and stop before 8am. As such, Maxis’ extra bandwidth really makes much sense.

P1’s updated plans for 2015 means that they now reign as the bandwidth kings of Malaysia. Their plans, the ToGo 109 and ToGo 159 both offer 100GB of bandwidth before throttling you to a slower speed. The difference between 109 and 159 is that, one goes at 1MBPS while the later goes at 2MBPS.

If you stay and/or work where P1 is covered, it is a good deal. However, if you’re out of Klang Valley, go for either Maxis or Celcom.

If you’re considering DiGi, please know that their offerings this year has got worse. Broadband 65 has gone from 5GB to only 4GB for day use. Also, their plans are the most expensive in terms of price per GB.

Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia : Features to look for

In terms of features, there are not many differentiating factors between the various postpaid broadband plans in Malaysia. Unlike Mobile Postpaid plans, whereby stuff like a complimentary unlimited Deezer account (DiGi) and unlimited text are staple, Postpaid Broadband Plans are much more limited. While Maxis and Celcom offers unlimited surfing, with throttling applied once you reach the monthly cap of your plan, DiGi, P1 and U Mobile don’t specifically mention about unlimited surfing. As such, we believe only Celcom and Maxis offers unlimited surfing, at lower speeds for Celcom and Maxis.

 

Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia : The Conclusion

As we write this, we are convinced that Celcom and Maxis has the best plans for Postpaid Broadband Internet Plans in Malaysia. Having both the best connectivity and reasonable top-up plans, together with competitive prices, Celcom and Maxis lead the pack for the Best Postpaid Broadband Plans in Malaysia.

If you are in Klang Valley and on a budget, U Mobile and P1 offers an affordable alternative to the more expensive Celcom, DiGi and Maxis. We are disappointed with DiGi’s latest offering, lack of unlimited surfing and their very limited top-up plans. As such, it would be hard to recommend DiGi until they change their plans.