May 2004 updates

Wireless broadband service launched outside KL.
By Chin Saik Yoon in Penang, Malaysia. May 2004

A digital wireless broadband access service has been launched in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur. Time dotCom Berhad is the service provider. The service is branded as "Webbit" (Wireless Enhanced Broadband Internet).

Webbit service ranges from a "Basic" package offering 384/256 Kbps of bandwidth with a dynamic IP address which costs RM69 (US$18) per month, to the "Premium" package for 512/256 Kbps and an IP address priced at RM259 (US$68) per month. These rates are for unlimited access. (http://timebroadband.time.net.my/webbit/benefits.cfm) The service is delivered wirelessly as in a cellular phone. No telco cabling is required in order to access it. Users will have to purchase a wireless broadband receiver that costs about RM500 (US$132).

Webbit is expected to cover the whole of the Klang Valley, the metropolitan area surrounding Kuala Lumpur, by the end of this year. The service will be extended to the rest of Malaysia towards the end of 2005.