The government of Maldives have introduced new policies that will reduce the internet prices of Maldives by 28-30 percent starting next month. This work will be done in phases and by the time it is completed, prices would be lower by 60-70 percent.
In the event held on Thursday morning to announce the changes brought to the internet, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aishath Shauna said the most common public complaint from the public was the throttle speed being incredibly low.
"Internet packages at 1-2mbps, their throttle speeds will be twice or five times higher from now on," Shauna said.
This would reduce the amount people pay for data add-ons.
With the changes, the throttle speed of internet packages will be higher by 2-5 times. Even though current throttle speed is at 1-2mbps, with the new policies it will not be permitted to lower the the throttle speed below a certain limit. For internet packages above 300 Rufiyaa, the throttle speed should not be below 5 mbps anymore.
- 30 GB packages should be priced at 250 Rufiyaa: they should have a 5mbps speed, with a throttle speed of 2mbps
- 100 GB packages should be priced at 500 Rufiyaa: they should have a 15mbps speed, with a throttle speed of 5mbps
- 200 GB packages should be priced at 700 Rufiyaa: they should have a 25mbps speed, with a throttle speed of 5mbps
In the first phase, residential internet providers Ooredoo and Dhiraagu will lower the internet prices by 28-30 percent in July, and increase the throttle speed to 2-5mbps. In October, changes will be brought to mobile broadband internet services.
Internet prices and services will be regulated by the government from now on. Ways to improve the internet service over the next three years is being discussed with the internet providers, the government said.
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