On June 30th, 2016, at 9 AM, webe finally made available its 4G LTE service, but only for some existing Telekom Malaysia (TM) customers as the company is rolling out its service in phases to more areas. Right now, only existing (and active) subscribers of UniFi, Streamyx, and P1 Broadband WiMAX are eligible. On our side, we can first take action by registering our interests here, plus finding a “webe-certified phone” listed below. webe claimed that it’s only making the service available to TM and P1 subscribers as part of their “loyalty program”, when “coverage permits”. That makes sense, as you’ll only be prioritized if your billing address’ postcode is under webe’s coverage area. Those who already received the email invite, can proceed to register online, or by walking into one of the webe digital lounges. From here on out, I’ll spell Webe with a capital ‘W’ for visibility purposes.
Registration
The online registration will require you enter the usual details like your name and address, and you’ll also have to pay with your credit card. As a bonus, you’ll get to pick your preferred phone number that has a ‘011’ prefix followed by eight digits (example: (011 2345 6789). Webe will then contact you within 24 hours, and deliver your new SIM pack within one to three working days. Should you encounter any issues, you can always contact its 24/7 live chat support.
As for the Webe digital lounges, there are only three outlets at the moment — one in Sunway Pyramid, Subang Jaya, Klang Valley; one in KOMTAR JBCC, Johor Baharu, Johor; and one in Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas, Penang. These three outlets will also give you an idea of Webe’s current coverage area.
It should be worth pointing out that when you sign-up for this plan, you won’t be tied to any contract.
RM199 per month for unlimited mobile data? How about RM79 per month?
Now, onto the best part. Webe said there is only one plan as of now, and it is at RM199 per month, which Webe claims will give you unlimited calls, unlimited SMS, and — wait for it — unlimited data. Apparently, the “unlimited” voice allocation is capped at around RM500 (I cannot confirm this), but caps for SMS and data are still murky. At the end of the day, they are still subjected to Webe’s Fair Usage Policy (FUP), so as long as you use it as per normal and not abuse the connection, you should be good. Peer-to-peer file sharing and torrents will be capped at 64 kbps though.
But wait, there’s more. There are two discount tiers that will make most of us salivate. It is either a very generous offer by Webe, or a subtle way to nudge more people to subscribe to UniFi, Streamyx, and even Webe’s rebranded P1 Broadband WiMAX services.
The first is that existing TM customers of these services will get an RM60 monthly discount (Broadband Bundle discount). It get’s better; if you have, and are using one of the Webe-certified phones, you’ll get another RM60 monthly discount (Webe-certified Phone discount). In a family type of situation, you can also get an additional RM10 off for the second line, an additional RM20 off for the third line, and an additional RM30 off for the fourth and fifth lines. This is only if you register these numbers under the same TM broadband account, and each additional line has its own Webe-certified phones. These discounts also seem to be available permanently, as long as the TM broadband account the Webe line is tied to, remains active.
Existing TM customers, with Webe-certified phones, signing up for Webe:
- RM199 – RM60 – RM60 = RM79 per month (RM83.74 after 6% GST)
If registered under the same TM broadband account, and have eligible devices:
- Second line: RM69 per month (RM73.14 after 6% GST)
- Third line: RM59 per month (RM62.54 after 6% GST)
- Fourth and fifth lines: RM49 per month, each (RM51.94 after 6% GST)
New sign-ups without existing TM broadband accounts, and no eligible devices:
- RM199 per month (RM210.94 after 6% GST)
There is an upfront payment of RM100 (RM106 after 6% GST), and non-Malaysians have to put in an RM300 deposit. Webe’s billing cycle is similar to U Mobile where it’ll turn over on the first day of the month. The upfront payment is supposed to be rebated in the first month’s bill.
If you want to read more about Webe’s Pioneer Plan which has already been used by testers, visit our earlier coverage here.
Caveats
Just like all good things in life, there are always caveats. In Webe’s case, there is only one plan at the moment, and the base subscription fee doesn’t include Wi-Fi hotspot/tethering. There is a one-time RM6 (RM6.36 after 6% GST) purchase of ‘Personal WiFi Pass’ to enable hotspot/tethering, but it is only good for two hours. Want to extend another two hours? Pay another RM6.36. It is unclear at this point whether USB tethering is free or will be charged as well.
Also, as mentioned earlier, though it’s supposed to have unlimited data, voice, and SMS, the FUP still applies and we do not know what’s the exact caps yet, until the FAQs are out. And that 64 kbps throttle for torrents might be a deal-breaker for some who needs to update their Linux Mint or LibreOffice to the latest versions, but then, that’s what UniFi is for.
“Webe-certified devices”
Below is the list of the Webe-certified phones as provided by the company itself. Note that these devices have to have FDD-LTE Band 5 (850 MHz). Even though I’m sure there are a lot more devices out there that support this specific network, only the ones listed below are “certified” by Webe:
- Apple: iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s
- Huawei: Ascend Mate 7, Mate 8, G8 Premium Edition, Mate S, Nexus 6P, Honor 5X, P9 Plus
- Microsoft: Lumia 640
- OPPO: R7 Plus, Neo 7
- Sony: Xperia C4 Dual, Xperia E4G, Xperia M5 Dual, Xperia C5 Ultra Dual, Xperia Z5 Premium Dual
- HTC: One E9+ Dual SIM
- Lenovo: Vibe P1m
- OnePlus: X
- Samsung: Galaxy A3 (2016), Galaxy Note 4 LTE, Galaxy A7 LTE, Galaxy A8 LTE Dual SIM, Galaxy J5 Duos LTE, Galaxy J7 (2016), Galaxy S6 Edge Plus LTE, Galaxy Note 5 LTE Dual SIM, Galaxy S7 Edge Dual SIM
Thoughts
All of a sudden, Malaysia now has six mobile network operators (MNOs): Celcom, Digi, Maxis, U Mobile, Webe, and Yes. The first four telcos are pretty much established at this point with many supported devices, but both Webe and Yes might have challenging times ahead. Yes will have a tougher time selling its 4G LTE, because it runs on TDD-LTE that only a handful of devices support, in this part of the world.
On the one hand, Webe seems to be very sluggish in rolling out its 4G LTE service, since it has already been testing its network way before announcements of Celcom FIRST Platinum, the revamped MaxisONE plans, and Digi Postpaid 238, but chose not to announce anything (official) until during the same time Yes launched its 4G LTE service. On the other hand, it seems like an incredibly brilliant move to wait until all telcos have laid their cards on the table, before showing its hand.
Webe may not face as tough a challenge as Yes, partly due to Webe’s 4G LTE being on the 850 MHz frequency, which is supported by more devices here. It also has the backing of parent company TM, which includes the three-way deal between Webe, TM, and Celcom. Webe is already using TM‘s 850 MHz 4G LTE network, but with Celcom’s help as a Domestic Roaming partner, Webe could leverage on Celcom’s wide coverage network as a fallback, similar to U Mobile’s deal.
In terms of price-to-data ratio, U Mobile’s Hero P98 is still the cheapest when compared to the others, but with Webe in the picture, I’m not so sure anymore. If its unlimited data claim will be all it’s cracked up to be, and if you’re already on a TM broadband plan, then this single, Webe plan looks very attractive indeed, at just RM83.74 per month. That is, until you need to turn on WiFi tethering.
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