The significance of good telco plans for students have increased over the year. Students are now depending on the internet to attend classes, take exams and discuss assignments.
Ideally, a house with WiFi will be beneficial to a student. But what if you can’t afford a WiFi plan at home, or your WiFi breaks down at the exact moment when you have to attend your lecture, or take your exam?
Well, that’s where your telco plans come in.
If you’re a student who has to pay for your own telco plan, chances are you’re looking for one that’s affordable. Needless to say, a plan with good internet will be necessary in this scenario, hence why we believe the telco plans below will be the most fitting for students.
Digi Pakej Data Khas Pelajar
This RM20 monthly prepaid plan is literally made for students — you’ll have to be aged between 12 to 24 to subscribe to this high-speed internet plan.
The pros of this plan is that you’ll enjoy high-speed internet without restrictions — no speed cap, no speed limit or time limit. This is the only prepaid plan in our list to offer these features; the following plans are all limited to different speed caps.
However, the downside to Pakej Data Khas Pelajar is that you’ll only get 15GB of internet. Once that’s finished, you’ll have to subscribe to Digi’s Monthly Plan Booster for extra internet.
That being said, 15GB of internet should be more than enough if you’re not using it for video streaming or ‘training’ your PUBG/Mobile Legends skills. That’s right students, focus on your studies.
We do have an alternative if you’re looking for more internet — the Next 35 prepaid plan. For RM35/month, you can enjoy the same benefits as the special package mentioned above, but instead of getting only 15GB of internet, you’ll get 30GB and unlimited calls to all networks.
Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited
Here’s another RM20 monthly prepaid plan you can opt for; unlike the Digi plan, the Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited offers unlimited internet and unlimited calls to all networks.
If you’re a student by day and a drama-binger by night, you’ll also get to enjoy free premium Viu subscription. Pair that with Hotlink’s unlimited internet, you won’t have to worry about finishing your internet data overnight.
So, what’s the catch? Well, this prepaid plan comes with a speed cap at 3Mbps. According to Hotlink, this is ideal to stream 720p videos, so you should expect some buffer time if you’re trying to watch videos at 1080p or higher.
Still, the speed cap should not hinder your zoom calls — so there are no excuses not to attend your classes.
U Mobile Giler Unlimited GX38
Priced at RM35/month, the GX38 offers unlimited data with a speed cap of 6Mbps, unlimited calls and 12GB of hotspot. If we compare this to the Hotlink plan, you won’t get a Viu subscription, but you’re getting faster internet speeds and hotspot data to share with your family members — perhaps your younger siblings who also need to attend online classes.
You can also opt for the GX30 plan which is RM5 cheaper, but you’ll be missing out on unlimited calls (who needs them these days?) and your hotspot data will be cut down to 6GB. The GX38 offers more value, but if you have no need for the extra hotspot data or unlimited calls, then the GX30 plan should be good enough.
So…what’s the best one?
We think all three plans are great and they each have their pros and cons, so it wouldn’t be fair for us to say one is better than the other. But if you’ve read everything above and still can’t decide, here’s our advice:
- Pakej Data Khas Pelajar: best if you have WiFi at home (for backup) and prefer no speed caps
- Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited: best for entertainment and study
- U Mobile Giler Unlimited GX38: best for sharing with family and friends