Faster Internet access as TelBru upgrades

INTERNET subscribers and users in the country can now enjoy a faster Internet service following the announcement made by Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) that it has upgraded the peak bandwidth of its broadband up to five megabits per second (Mbps).

The upgrade, effective since Thursday, will provide boost to the Internet bandwidth for all e-Speed subscribers without any additional cost , a statement from TelBru released yesterday said.

The TelBru press statement said previously subscribers of various e-Speed plans pre were only able to enjoy from 512 Kbps (kilobits per second) up to 3.5 Mbps of broadband services.

The minimum speed under the lowest residential plan after the upgrade is currently at 1 Mbps and the corporate plan offers a maximum speed of up to five Mbps, the statement said.

The general manager of TelBru's Product Development, Marketing and Sales Division, Lim Ming Soon, said the bandwidth upgrade had been completed for majority of the current subscribers where they could now enjoy higher surfing speed.

"Though a small percentage of subscribers in the country may still be undergoing the overall upgrade process, we will make sure they too will enjoy the benefit of this bandwidth increase the soonest," he was quoted as saying.

He added the upgrade should enable customers to enjoy faster Internet access that are on par with the minimum speed offered by Internet service providers in the region, as well as Web 2.0, video streaming and other bandwidth-hungry Internet applications with greater ease.

Ming Soon also said that TelBru was on its way in implementing fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in the near future as the inherent quality of copper cables might limit the delivery of the bandwidth speed.

"As subscriber demand grows, delivering a world-class broadband experience requires a strong technology foundation. Through this, we will significantly improve our overall network performance, allowing us to continue offering the best available broadband services to our customers," he said.

He added, the roll-out of the bandwidth increase was timed concurrently with TelBru's 4th anniversary celebrations yesterday with a Customer Appreciation Day. The company, as a leading Internet service provider, "is committed to continuous innovation as well as improving the quality and breadth of its service offerings as a key factor to maintain its leadership". The Brunei Times