Telcos must ensure internet speed as promised

PORT DICKSON: All telecommunications (Telco) companies offering internet service packages need to ensure that consumers get the speed of the internet as offered in their packages, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
He said the ministry through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would monitor the matter and would take appropriate action if the internet speed experienced by the customers was not the same as the package promised.
"All the Telco must understand, when they issue new packages, they mention higher speeds and lower costs so they have to make sure that the speed that the customer received is as promised.
"So I ask them to boost their monitorings on the matter. They have to check that the speed that the customers get is the speed that they say that the customers will get in their packages. I also ask the Telco company to create a complaint bureau and the complaints must be studied in depth, quickly and effectively, "he told reporters here today.
He also urged telecommunications companies to review the old internet packages offered to their customers towards reducing their prices.
He said the government welcomed the new packages offered by those companies that served better internet speeds at cheaper prices, but they also needed to appreciate their customers who still subscribed to old packages.
"On behalf of our ministry, I've told MCMC that we are serious. We are serious when we say we want lower prices, faster speeds," he said.
Meanwhile, Gobind Singh said the government was working towards revising the minimum standard and reasonableness in the prices of the internet services and MCMC would make an announcement about it tomorrow.
Asked on whether his presence in Port Dickson today was due to the Port Dickson Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's comment about the lack of internet speed here, Gobind said the matter was not supposed to have arisen.
Gobind, who is also DAP deputy chairman, said he was here to campaign for Anwar because of his spirit of brotherhood and unity in PH.
"We are coming to the campaign because we are friends who are familiar with Anwar. He is my good friend. I am not here as a minister, I am here as Gobind Singh Deo and I am also Member of Parliament for Puchong, "he said.
The Port Dickson by-election would be held after incumbent Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, vacated the seat on Sept 12 to give way to Anwar to contest and return to the Dewan Rakyat.
The by-election would see a seven-cornered fight involving Anwar, who recently won the Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) presidential post, representing PH, PAS candidate Lt. Kol (R) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and five independent candidates including Anwar's personal assistant former Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan and former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad.
In the 14th General Election, May 9, Danyal Balagopal won the seat with a majority of 17,710 votes defeating Barisan Nasional Datuk V.S. Mogan and Mahfuz Roslan from PAS.
The Port Dickson parliament has 75,770 registered voters comprising 43 per cent Malay, Chinese (33 per cent), Indians (22 per cent) and other races (two percent).
The Election Commission (EC) has set Oct 13 as polling day and next Tuesday (Oct 9) as the day of early polling. — Bernama