webe is cheap, but why haven’t I jumped on board?

In order to use webe, you’d either need to buy a smartphone from them, or own one of the smartphones they have listed, which are termed as ‘certified smartphone’. According to webe, the smartphone list ensures you experienced “the best quality experience for webe LTE network“, but this rule creates a huge hassle as I prefer Xiaomi smartphones, and the one I have is not listed in their network. That said, unless they are giving out free quality smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or Xiaomi Max, webe will not make it into my list.

I am a firm believer that TM, being the monopoly player in internet services in Malaysia, would expand their coverage faster than any other telco in the country, making them the biggest, if not one of the biggest mobile telco in the near future.  However, their coverage in Sarawak at the moment is less than impressive, and a place I frequent remains a ‘dark spot’ for any telco, webe included. The image above shows Siburan, but the non yellow area is where I’m always at, which is non-covered by their 3G. Their broadband fares even worst if you are outside of Kuching City. There’s no point having free unlimited internet, calls and data, if you can’t even connect, right?

This is probably one of webe’s biggest weakness for many. Nevermind the coverage or smartphone choice, but needing to pay to tether (share data, use personal wifi) is something I find really hard to swallow, especially since it would cost RM6 (excluding GST) for a mere two hours. Other telcos allow you to share data for free, but webe doesn’t, and this sucks.

Unlike most major telcos, webe makes itself exclusive to its very own retailers, which means TM Point outlets and webe lounges around the country. In the whole of Sarawak, there’s only six TM Point outlets and no webe lounges. That said, any complaints would need to be done by calling, or by dropping by at the nearest TM Point if you are not into online transactions. It’s a bit of a hassle if the store location is far from your house.  I am not aware if TM sales agents can help you subscribe to webe nonetheless.

Despite the four reason given above, I remain optimistic that I will jump on the webe bandwagon in the near future. webe’s pricing is competitive, and their coverage as I said, would grow fast and steady.  As for smartphone, well, there’s some hope with the Xiaomi Mi Max listed, although I would hope to see more in the future. Have you tried webe? let me know of your experience.