JURANG DIGITAL SEMAKIN MELEBAR JIKA DATA 5G LEBIH MAHAL DARIPADA 4G - GETARAN - 03/02/2022

 

KUALA LUMPUR - Kumpulan berpendapatan rendah di Malaysia akan semakin tercicir dalam jurang digital jika harga akses kepada rangkaian 5G lebih tinggi daripada 4G, kata aktivis pengguna

Ketua Eksekutif Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) Saravanan Tambirajah berkata penyedia telekomunikasi di negara ini harus menawarkan kadar dan pakej termurah, kerana kebanyakan rakyat Malaysia adalah pekerja bergaji yang sedang bergelut dengan kenaikan kos sara hidup.

Secara purata, pengguna di Malaysia membayar kira-kira RM2 setiap gigabait data jalur lebar 4G, manakala pengendali rangkaian mudah alih (MNO) menyelenggara rangkaian generasi ini dengan caj di antara 45 hingga 55 sen setiap gigabait.

Walau bagaimanapun, kos 5G setiap gigabait yang dicadangkan oleh penyedia rangkaian borong tunggal kendalian kerajaan, Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), adalah jauh lebih rendah, kerana dihadkan pada sekitar 20 sen setiap gigabait.

“Kebanyakan pengguna telefon mudah alih menggunakan pelan pra bayar kerana mereka tidak mahu membuat komitmen bulanan.

“Mereka menggunakan pendekatan ‘bayar sepertimana yang digunakan’ dalam menggunakan data mudah alih, tetapi mereka akhirnya membayar harga mahal untuk jumlah data yang lebih sedikit,” kata Saravanan kepada The Vibes.

Mengambil kira kos inflasi dan kenakan harga barang keperluan seperti makanan, Saravanan berkata kumpulan B40 dan berpendapatan sederhana sedang menghadapi masalah kewangan yang diakibatkan oleh pandemik COVID-19.

Saravanan Thambirajah

Tambahan pula, katanya dengan harga peranti telefon pintar berdaya 5G yang tidak mampu untuk dimiliki oleh kebanyakan segmen miskin dan kelas pertengahan negara, hanya pelanggan daripada kumpulan T20 akan dapat menikmati kemudahan rangkaian mudah alih yang lebih pantas.

“Kebanyakan peranti ini dibeli dengan pinjaman ataupun pelan ansuran. Ini akan memberi tekanan kepada perbelanjaan bulanan isi rumah.

“Kita hanya akan melihat kenaikan dalam langganan 5G apabila ia dilancarkan dengan sempurna, tetapi pada kadar sekarang ia akan mengambil masa empat hingga lima tahun sebelum golongan berpendapatan rendah dapat menikmati kemudahan 5G,” tambah Saravanan.

Terdahulu penganalisa menyatakan adalah mustahil untuk rangkaian borong berganda yang dicadangkan oleh pihak MNO sebelum ini boleh mengikut harga jaminan 20 sen atau kurang yang dicadangkan oleh DNB.

Ini kerana DNB sebagai syarikat milik kerajaan, ia beroperasi atas dasar tanpa mengaut keuntungan, membenarkan ia menjual data pada hampir harga kos.

Satu lagi faktor kenapa mustahil bagi pembekal telekomunikasi untuk mengikut harga jaminan DNB adalah kerana mereka perlu melabur besar dalam pembangunan infrastruktur.

Sementara itu, Ketua Aktivis Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) Datuk Nadzim Johan menyokong pandangan Saravanan berkata kerajaan perlu mengutamakan keperluan para pengguna sebelum syarikat telekomunikasi.

Ini kerana syarikat-syarikat itu sudah mengaut keuntungan berbilion ringgit setiap tahun, manakala para pengguna “ditindas” dan terpaksa menerima sahaja perkhidmatan yang disediakan, sama ada baik atau buruk.

“Kadangkala talian langsung terputus dan kita tidak dapat mendengar apa-apa pun.

“Kerajaan harus memastikan sebab di sebalik syarikat telekomunikasi mahu membina rangkaian 5G mereka sendiri bukan berteraskan ketamakan,” katanya kepada The Vibes bila dihubungi.  

Datuk Nadzim Johan

Nadzim juga menambah Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia, yang bertanggungjawab mengeluarkan lesen untuk komunikasi mudah alih, harus memastikan syarikat telekomunikasi dipertanggungjawabkan dan dikenakan denda atas sebarang kesalahan.

“Walaupun mereka membeli data 5G daripada DNB pada harga 20 sen, bagaimana kita tahu caj yang perlu dibayar oleh pengguna?

“Sebenarnya, mereka mengenakan bayaran RM2 dan melakukannya sesuka hati, manakala pengguna pula yang terkesan dengan langkah-langkah ini.

“Dan mengapa membuat menara baharu apabila ia boleh dikongsi? Ia tidak masuk akal.” - The Vibes, 3 Februari 2022

Artikel oleh: Getaran

JURANG DIGITAL SEMAKIN MELEBAR JIKA DATA 5G LEBIH MAHAL DARIPADA 4G

https://www.getaran.my/artikel/semasa/18674/jurang-digital-semakin-melebar-jika-data-5g-lebih-mahal-daripada-4g

DIGITAL DIVIDE COULD WIDEN IF 5G DATA COSTS MORE THAN 4G, CONSUMER GROUPS WARN - THE VIBES - 03/02/2022

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s lower-income groups would be further left behind in the digital divide if access requirements to 5G broadband are financially higher than the current 4G spectrum, said consumer advocates.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Associations (Fomca) chief executive Saravanan Thambirajah said this is why the country’s telecommunications providers must offer the cheapest rates and packages possible, as the majority of Malaysians are wage-earners who are struggling with the rising cost of living.

On average, Malaysians pay about RM2 per gigabyte of 4G broadband data, while mobile network operators (MNOs) maintain the current generation network at between 45 sen and 55 sen per gigabyte.

However, the 5G cost per gigabyte proposed by government-run single wholesale network provider, Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), is substantially lower, as it is capped at around 20 sen per gigabyte or less.

“If you look at the population, you will find that most mobile users are pre-paid users because they prefer not to make monthly commitments,” Saravanan told The Vibes when contacted recently.

“They (pre-paid) users have more of a ‘pay-as-you-use’ approach to using mobile data, but they consequently end up paying more money for a less amount of data.”

Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Associations chief executive Saravanan Thambirajah says the country’s telecommunications providers must offer the cheapest rates and packages possible, as the majority of Malaysians are wage-earners who are struggling with the rising cost of living. – Pic courtesy of Saravanan Thambirajah, February 3, 2022

Saravanan was asked about the effects of the pricing of 5G services in the mass market as the country begins to roll out the new technology and amid a tussle between MNOs and the government over whether DNB should be the sole infrastructure provider.

Taking into account inflation and the increase of prices for other necessities such as food, Saravanan said the B40 group and those in the middle-income bracket are coping with the economic hardships brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, he said that with the prices of 5G-enabled smartphone devices still off-limits to much of the nation’s poor and middle-class segments, only the well-heeled customers from the T20 group will be able to enjoy the much faster mobile broadband speeds.

“Many of these devices are purchased via credit or instalments. And this would put a strain on the monthly expenditure of households,” Saravanan said.

We can only see the uptake of 5G subscription once it properly rolls out, but at the current rate, it may take up to four to five years they (low-income earners) can be able to adopt 5G.”

Unlikely for telco consortium to match DNB’s rate, analysts say

Analysts had earlier suggested that it is not possible for the dual wholesale network mooted by MNOs to match DNB’s 20 sen or less per gigabyte guarantee. 

This is because DNB, as a government-run company, operates on a non-profit basis, allowing it to sell data almost at a cost price. 

However, the analysts noted that a consortium made up of Maxis Bhd, DiGi Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd, and Axiata Bhd have been silent on the charges to be passed on to consumers.

They said it was unlikely the companies could match DNB’s offering, as they need to invest heavily in infrastructure.

During a talk titled “5G: What Is The Best Way Forward for Malaysia?” organised by Universiti Malaya’s Computer Association recently, Jaring CEO Datuk Mohamed Awang Lah – affectionately known as the “father of Malaysian internet” – said the country’s overall savings in 5G technology investment would increase if the MNOs shared infrastructure.

Mohamed noted that telcos, which are profit-driven companies, can remain competitive and innovative despite sharing “passive” infrastructure such as communications towers and fibre optic cabling.

The internet pioneer also noted that this would benefit users in rural and less populated areas where the telcos were less-inclined to service.

His remarks came ahead of a final cabinet decision on the single wholesale network, which is expected to be made by early this month.

Prioritise consumers’ needs before telcos, activist urges govt

Meanwhile, Malaysian Muslim Consumers’ Association chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan echoed Saravanan’s view, saying the government must put the needs of consumers before the telcos.

He said this is because the companies are already raking in billions in profits annually, while the consumers tend to be “oppressed” and are at the mercy of the services provided, whether good or bad.

“Sometimes our phone lines are cut off and you do not even hear anything. 

“The government must ensure that the reasons behind (telcos) wanting to build their own (5G) lines are not based on greed. 

“Otherwise, things might be even better off in (less-developed) Bangladesh,” he told The Vibes when contacted.

Malaysian Muslim Consumers’ Association chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan says the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, as the relevant regulatory body, must ensure that telcos are accountable and fined for any offences. – Bernama pic, February 3, 2022

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), as the relevant regulatory body, he added, “must set the tone” as the telcos are answerable to the government.

“The Communications and Multimedia Ministry must also always be on the side of the consumers (when making such decisions).”

Nadzim also said the MCMC, which issues operating licences for mobile communications, must ensure that telcos are accountable and fined for any offences.

They (telcos) can be irresponsible at times, when agents sell lines belonging to people who have left the country. And this leads to ‘mule’ accounts that scammers use to dupe people,” he said.

“Even if they bought 5G data from DNB at 20 sen, how do we know of the charges to be paid by consumers? 

“As it is, they are charging RM2 and doing as they please, while the consumers are the ones affected by these measures.

“And why make new towers when they can be shared? It does not make sense.”

Article by: The Vibes

DIGITAL DIVIDE COULD WIDEN IF 5G DATA COSTS MORE THAN 4G, CONSUMER GROUPS WARN

https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/53418/digital-divide-to-widen-if-5g-data-costs-more-than-4g-consumer-groups-warn