Slower internet ‘inevitable’ with MCO, says MCMC

PETALING JAYA: The country’s internet regulator says the drop in internet speed nationwide, especially on mobile data, is an “inevitable” consequence of more people being online at home during the movement control order (MCO) which has seen the country effectively shut down since March 18.

In a statement, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said internet use, both mobile and broadband, had soared by 23.5% during the first week of the MCO and a further 8.6% the week after.

“Greater data consumption will create congestion, causing speeds to fall. Longer loading times are observed particularly while watching high definition streaming services.

“Increased use of video conferencing, learning, and shopping over the internet has made the demand for bandwidth inevitable,” it said today.

It said this was part of a global trend in which internet service providers (ISPs) see spikes in demand due to “changes in user behaviour”.

“Local telco and ISPs are currently working around the clock adding bandwidth capacity to ensure continued delivery of essential services during the MCO period,” it said.

But with the government’s recent RM400 million pledge under the economic stimulus package to improve telco and internet networks, it said, the situation would improve in time.

MCMC was responding to a report by internet analytics firm Opensignal, which noted a sharp drop in mobile internet speeds in Malaysia with 4G average speeds dropping from 13.4Mbps in early February to 8.8Mbps from March 23 to 29.

Malaysia’s fixed broadband (home internet) speeds averaged at 83.8Mbps last month, with upload speeds recorded at 52.6Mbps, Speedtest Global Index reported. The speeds rank 36th out of 176 other countries.

Singapore (203.6Mbps), Hong Kong (169.6) and Monaco (161) held the top three positions with the fastest average fixed broadband speeds in the world last month. - FMT