P1 evolves with new plan
INTERNET service provider, Packet One networks Sdn Bhd (P1) is embarking on its P1 2.0 evolution, a three-year plan that the company is using as a business guide.
The WIMAX licensee’s new goal is to deliver “the best of both worlds” in terms of fixed and mobile Internet services to cater to the growing consumption of data.
P1 chief executive officer, Michael Lai said P1 subscribers consumed up to 17GB of data each a month last year, which is almost twice the region’s average. According to a study by Informa Telecoms, an Internet user consumed up to 9.4GB of data a month last year.
By 2015, Internet users in this region would consume up to 31.2GB of data each per month, the same study said.
“The world is facing a perpetual data tsunami and we are preparing for that,” Lai said at a media briefing at the company’s office in Petaling Jaya. He said P1 is able to deliver fixed Internet services following a High Speed Broadband (HSBB) network reselling agreement it signed with TM Bhd last year.
This 10-year agreement will give P1 access to 1.3 million homes in HSBB areas nationwide. The soon-to-be-named fixed and mobile plans are expected to be finalised soon and will be available by the end of March.
The company is also preparing to upgrade its networks to Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD LTE) and Lai said P1 will begin rolling out the service next year.
TD LTE is an international technology standard for 4G telecommunications and can provide data-throughput of up to 130Mbps (megabits per second) compared to WIMAX which can theoretically provide a data throughput of up to 45Mbps.
“TD LTE also allows service providers to adjust the uplink and downlink of speeds, ensuring customers experience good Internet service. For example, if there are more people downloading than uploading, we can adjust the speed ratio accordingly,” he said.
Lai said TD LTE has been rolled out by service providers in countries like China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Sweden and Norway.
With the improvements in its Internet service, P1 hopes to attract more business customers and help small-and-medium-sized businesses bring their operations online.
“Malaysian SMBS are aggressively adopting ICT so that they can be more competitive both locally and globally,” he said.
Lai added that SMBS make up about 97% of businesses in the country but only contribute 30% to the gross domestic product (GDP). “In developed countries, SMBS contribute over 50% to the GDP and this is because they are heavy users of ICT,” he claimed.
Lai said P1 hopes to bridge the great business divide by providing services such as fibre optics broadband, session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking service and a plethora of other Ip-related offerings. — JO TIMBUONG