Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the

Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines

Stephen Wilson Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 2

About this report

This report focuses on aspects of Analysys Mason’s Connected GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE Consumer Survey that relate to the behaviour, preferences and ▪ Malaysia plans of broadband users in Malaysia and the Philippines. ▪ Philippines The survey was conducted in association with Dynata in August 2019. The survey groups were chosen to be representative of the broader online consumer population in Malaysia and the Philippines. We set quotas on age, gender and geographical spread to that effect. There were a minimum of 1000 respondents per country.

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS REPORT WHO SHOULD READ THIS REPORT

▪ What are the most significant factors that affect Net Promoter Scores ▪ Product managers and strategy teams working for fixed operators that (NPSs) for fixed broadband operators? Which operators score highly and are launching new broadband products aimed at the retail market, or why? are designing their response to those of their competitors. ▪ What are the most significant drivers of fixed broadband churn and how ▪ Marketing executives and product managers for operators that are can operators most-effectively approach customer retention? making decisions about service design and its impact on customers’ ▪ Which value-added services have a measurable effect on customer retention of broadband bundles. satisfaction and churn intention? Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 7 Converge ICT has a much higher NPS than other Philippine operators; Malaysian operators all have similar NPSs

The spread of NPSs between operators in the Philippines is very Figure 2: NPS by operator, Malaysia and the Philippines, 20191 wide. FTTP player Converge ICT is far ahead of its competitors with an NPS of 48. Incumbent PLDT has an NPS of 9, but this is below its largest competitor, , which has an NPS of Malaysia 15. Converge ICT’s customers are much more satisfied with speeds, reliability and prices than other operators’ customers are. The greatest difference in satisfaction scores between Converge ICT Philippines and incumbent PLDT is for price. This is interesting because Converge ICT has a listed entry-level fibre price of PHP1500 (USD29.6); this is higher than that of the other operators. Globe Telecom also outperforms the incumbent across all aspects of satisfaction. This reflects the fact that Globe Telecom’s capped fixed-wireless plans are capable of competing with PLDT’s low- Telekom Malaysia has a slightly higher NPS than the other speed DSL offers. However, Globe Telecom’s fixed-wireless operators in Malaysia, driven by its superior performance in terms subscribers are less satisfied overall than PLDT’s fibre of speed satisfaction. This is probably because the operator subscribers. began significantly increasing the speed of its offers for no additional monthly fee for existing customers in 2H 2018. For The gap between NPSs for Malaysian operators is much smaller example, the operator’s entry-level fibre speed was increased than that for Philippine operators. Maxis, the second-largest fixed from 10Mbit/s to 100Mbit/s and the speeds of existing broadband provider in Malaysia, is very reliant on Telekom subscribers on 100Mbit/s plans increased to a new maximum of Malaysia’s fibre access network. As a result, the difference in 800Mbit/s. It must be noted that there is a significant difference satisfaction with speed and reliability for customers taking fibre in NPS between Telekom Malaysia’s DSL subscribers (5.9) and its from either Maxis or Telekom Malaysia is limited. fibre subscribers (18.3).

1 Please refer to the appendix for sample sizes and relevant survey questions. Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 13 The intention to churn of DSL and fixed-wireless subscribers in the Philippines is particularly high

The intention to churn of DSL and fixed-wireless subscribers in Figure 8: Intention to churn, by access technology, Malaysia the Philippines is very high, and much higher than that of fibre and the Philippines, 20191 subscribers. This is a very positive sign for Converge ICT because it is currently significantly increasing the size of its FTTP deployment. As its FTTP coverage increases, Converge ICT is likely to benefit from a ready-made base of customers that are prepared to churn from PLDT and Globe Telecom. The intention to churn figures raise question marks over the extent to which the two market leaders, PLDT and Globe Telecom, should increase their fibre investments. PLDT appears to recognise the challenges and stated in February 2018 that it intended to cover virtually all of its ADSL subscribers with fibre by the end of 2019. Intention to churn varies much less with technology in Malaysia than in the Philippines. Intention to churn levels are also lower in Malaysia than in the Philippines, particularly for DSL and fixed- wireless subscribers. This may be a result of the limited competition from fibre access networks in areas with DSL and fixed-wireless subscribers. Moreover, the difference in perceived quality between DSL and fixed-wireless offers is likely to be low. DSL offers an unlimited data allowance, but suffers from having maximum speeds of just 8Mbit/s. Fixed-wireless speeds are likely to be higher (although are not advertised), but data caps are prevalent.

1 Please refer to the appendix for sample sizes and relevant survey questions. Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines

Contents Executive summary

Satisfaction and willingness to recommend

Churn

Value added services

Methodology and panel information

About the author and Analysys Mason Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 28

About the author

Stephen Wilson (Principal Analyst) is the lead analyst for Analysys Mason’s Fixed Broadband Services and Asia–Pacific research programmes. He leads Analysys Mason’s annual FTTx coverage, capex and conversion forecasts, and other recent areas of focus include examining fixed broadband operators’ home Wi-Fi strategies. Stephen has more than 10 years of experience in the telecoms sector and is a graduate in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St Catherine's College, Oxford University. Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 29

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Analysys Mason’s consulting services and research portfolio CONSULTING We deliver tangible benefits to clients across the telecoms industry: ▪ communications and digital service providers, vendors, financial and strategic investors, private equity and infrastructure funds, governments, regulators, broadcasters, and service and content providers. Our sector specialists understand the distinct local challenges facing clients, in addition to the wider effects of global forces. We are future-focused and help clients understand the challenges and opportunities that new technology brings. RESEARCH Our dedicated team of analysts track and forecast the different services accessed by consumers and enterprises. We offer detailed insight into the software, infrastructure and technology delivering those services. Clients benefit from regular and timely intelligence, and direct access to analysts. Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 30

Research from Analysys Mason Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines 31

Consulting from Analysys Mason Connected Consumer Survey 2019: fixed broadband retention and satisfaction in Malaysia and the Philippines

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