Previously I’ve been championing Webe as the best value for money postpaid plan there is in the market. Back then and I think until now, it is still the cheapest unlimited everything plan with no speed limit and a generous 10GB hotspot pass for just RM79 per month. So there’s absolutely no reason for me to switch to a different telco right? Turns out quantity (price) is not everything.
Yes, the unlimited data plan is awesome and all but the Unifi Mobile’s (formerly known as Webe) coverage was consistently below par, especially out of town and in rural areas. It wasn’t really a big deal for me at first since I do work in downtown KL and my home is just on the outskirts of the city where the coverage was pretty good. Once you go out of Klang Valley however, the coverage will start to go downhill. It became even worse for me once my family and I moved to Semenyih at the border of the state near Negri Sembilan. The reception at this new housing area is abysmal to none. I simply cannot receive calls inside the house and the data signal is always 3G if not no service. I had to go outside the house near the gates to make and receive calls which as you can tell, very frustrating.
So I started to look around for a new telco. I know Maxis and Celcom are not cheap. Digi is so-so but U Mobile is just as bad as Unifi Mobile. One time I was using Hotlink prepaid (provided by Maxis) in my phone, travelling from Kelantan to KL. I was pleasantly surprised when the data signal constantly show 4G connection, at least 90% of the time. I mean their coverage is really good. That’s when I decided to give Maxis a try. Although their cheapest plan is an eye-watering 98 ringgit per month with a meagre 20GB data pool, that is only 20 ringgit more than what I am paying for Unifi Mobile. In return however, I get consistently excellent 4G coverage and high Internet speed. Previously when I’m streaming Astro with Webe on my phone from Ulu Yam to Bangi, the line would sometimes drop and the stream would freeze. With Maxis however, the stream is generally reliable and I only get dropped signal at really remote places (like in the middle of the Rawang Bypass). More importantly, I can now receive and make calls from the comfort of my sofa instead of running outside the house. Other than that, Maxis offers discounted phone prices for their customers including the latest Android and Apple flagship phones, something Unifi is unable to do.
A full year later, do I regret leaving Unifi Mobile for Maxis? Absolutely not. Yes there were that initial concern whether 20GB (divided into 10GB weekends/weekdays) is ever going to be enough but after a while they are indeed sufficient for me. Most of the time, I’ll be connected to my home or office Wi-Fi anyway and the only time I use my data connection is when I’m out and about around town or out of state which are not that often. There was one time when I completely used up all 10GB of my weekend data pool when I had to do an emergency software download (more than 5GB) for my son’s school work but that was the exception rather than the rule. My regular usage rarely go above 10GB a month. Besides, if I’m still on Unifi, I won’t even get to download anything in the middle of that Janda Baik jungle. Maxis’ coverage is that good.
I know some people can’t justify spending over a hundred ringgit a month for a postpaid plan but for those who value reliable data coverage and constant connectivity, it is totally worth it. I once tried to do some online transaction just beside a highway in Kajang but it couldn’t get through because my Unifi line was on 3G. I had to switch to my Hotlink line to do the business. What is the point of unlimited data when you cannot use it when it mattered the most? Perhaps Unifi Mobile, backed by TM will gradually improve their coverage in the future to be on par with Maxis and the industry leaders but until then, I’m hanging on with my Maxis line.
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