MANY Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru)’s customers have taken to social media to express their concerns over the revised broadband plans with particular emphasis over throttling speeds as well as data consumption that may or may not correlate with the minimum 10Mbps, a press release issued by TelBru stated yesterday.
The revised throttling speed, implemented as part of the company’s Fair Usage Policy as is in line with international practices, takes into consideration the need for Internet that, unlike other telecommunication companies in Brunei, is virtually unlimited.
Despite a subscriber’s depletion of data, TelBru’s policy is to ensure that connection remains available albeit at a percentage of the subscribed speed.
However, it needs to be noted that throttling speeds, though revised to a lower percentage, takes into account those subscribed to lower bandwidths who will receive higher throttling speeds compared to the previous broadband plan.
Under the new broadband plan those subscribed to the minimum of 10Mbps will be throttled at 500kbps compared to 200kbps under the previous 1Mbps plan. Similarly, those subscribed to 3.5Mbps and upgraded to 15Mbps will be throttled at 750kbps compared to 700kbps.
This is aimed at benefitting those in the lower income bracket with the hopes to create a more inclusive ICT environment.
Throttling graph. – TELBRU
Additionally, TelBru would also like to take this opportunity to clarify that though the throttling table as published during the announcement indicates that throttling speeds exists for 30Mbps subscribers, TelBru stresses that such throttling policies are applicable to business plan subscribers only while residential customers subscribed to 30Mbps will have unlimited quota and will not be throttled.
Meanwhile, customers are also encouraged to test their broadband speed directly from their modem using a LAN cable to obtain a more accurate measure of speed, which may not reflect as accurately when tests are conducted over WiFi.
The Fair Usage Policy, introduced in 2014, is aimed at ensuring that all customers receive better quality of service and a more consistent Internet experience by reducing the excessive amount of bandwidth consumed by a minority of heavy users.
The policy is also intended to promote thoughtful Internet usage among customers.
Towards ensuring that subscribers continue to experience faster speeds before the new billing cycle, TelBru has introduced top-up options that are comparatively cheaper compared to other local telecommunication service providers for as low as $8 for 10GB of data, valid for 14 days at 80 cents per GB, whilst the highest denomination being 120GB of data, valid for 30 days at 50 cents per GB.
Meanwhile, misconception over faster speeds equating to faster depletion of data have also been raised by the general public.
It is emphasised that depletion of data is based on a subscriber’s usage behaviour, and the size of the downloaded material.
For example, streaming material in High Definition (HD) consumes more data compared to Standard Definition (SD) content.
Subscribers are encouraged to take proactive measures in mitigating these circumstances to conserve data such as opting out of HD settings made available on popular streaming sites such as YouTube, and turning off auto-download especially for social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
The revised plan was in response to the needs of the general public that have called for faster speed, lower rates and more quota whilst at the same time addressing bandwidth needs to encourage economic growth.
As for those still on copper, it is assured that TelBru will continue with its rollout measures with plans still in the pipelines for heavily populated areas across the country.
The company continues to cooperate with regulators and other stakeholders in securing the necessary permits for the installation of infrastructure and will expedite the process once permits are granted. TelBru will also provide regular updates as and when new fibre connections are being made.
The company takes into consideration the feedback expressed since the announcement was made, and wishes to extend its appreciation to members of the public for their understanding and continued support.
For more information, visit TelBru’s social media platforms where the full pricing plan for residential customers have been made available for public reference or contact the company’s Customer Care line at 111.
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