Astro launched its Astro B.yond IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) service late last month which aims to bring us connected Malaysians the life true digital lifestyle. Astro B.yond IPTV combines Astro TV (HD, PVR, VOD) with high speed fibre broadband and voice. Astro has a strategic collaboration with TIME dotCom Berhad, tapping into TIME’s existing high speed 100% fibre network.
Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Chief Executive Officer of Astro Malaysia said, “In December 2009, with the launch of Astro B.yond, we brought the first HD and 3D channels, then PVR services to Malaysians. Since launch, we have seen unprecedented demand for our services, which are now in more than 500,000 out of 3 million Astro homes. However, almost 320,000 existing Astro customers living in centralized high-rise residences are unable to enjoy Astro B.yond services and this presents an opportunity for Astro to bring these services to them.
Astro B.yond IPTV will be progressively available to 167,000 homes in 730 MDUs in the Klang Valley and Penang by the end of the year. At present, Astro B.yond IPTV is available at 60 high-rise condominiums within Mont Kiara, KLCC, Bangsar and Penang, essentially the customer base of TIME.
Astro B.yond IPTV sounds like a perfect home solution. You will have a dedicated bandwidth of 100 Mbps, which is large enough to support 2 concurrent Astro B.yond boxes – each of them simultaneously recording up to 2 HD channels while watching either one of the HD channel or the recorded HD content and downloading the third VOD programme in HD, while leaving 30 Mbps to support all connected devices such as laptops, tablet devices, mobile phones and games consoles on Wi-Fi within a single household. Speed is uncompromised, thanks to the fibre infrastructure from TIME. Nice.
So what’s the damage?
Astro B.yond IPTV comes with a flexible broadband package of your choice for as low as RM128 for 3Mbps per month, available on top of your current Astro subscription. Astro B.yond IPTV customers will be able to enjoy free high speed fibre broadband and VOD services until 30th June 2011.
Should I go IPTV?
If you’re currently within the coverage area then it is a good upgrade. Watching TV in full HD, the ability to download HD content and high speed broadband should be enough to entice you. Plus, never ever be frustrated when there’s a thunderstorm because with B.yond IPTV, you will never have signal failure in bad weather.
