Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) will double its broadband speed nationwide from next year under its Broadband Improvement Plan for 2017 without increasing the package price.

Group CEO Tan Sri Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa said the improvement had indirectly reduced the megabits per second (MBPS) cost by up to 78 percent.

He said the plan would initially benefit TM's home customers in the high-speed broadband and sub-urban broadband project areas.

"The 2017 Budget addresses specific measures to strengthen and advance the digital economy with the aim of enhancing the country's prosperity in a balanced, fair and inclusive manner.

"The added focus in increasing reach, quality and affordability creates a path towards the realisation of our long-term digital transformation journey, supported by convergence," he told a media briefing on TM's broadband initiatives for 2017 here, today.

Under the initiatives, Zamzamzairani said the average broadband speeds for residential UniFi customers would be doubled at the same price, for which eligible customers would be enjoying the upgrades in stages beginning next year.

TM will also be introducing a new greater value broadband package offering for non-UniFi customers in 2017, he said.

To date, TM has more than 2.37 million broadband customers, of which over 900,000 are UniFi customers.

More than 60 per cent of the broadband customers are on packages of 4Mbps and above, while approximately 68 per cent of Unifi customers are on 10Mbps packages and above, reflecting consumption and behaviour patterns of its customers.

Meanwhile, Zamzamzairani said the group was in the midst of discussion on the reduction of the package prices without lowering the internet speed.

However, the discussion is still at a preliminary stage and is expected to conclude in the next two years, he added. -- Bernama