If you are running a business in Malaysia and shopping for internet, you have two fundamentally different types of service in front of you: business broadband and Dedicated Internet Access (DIA). On the surface they look the same — both give you internet connectivity. But the way they work, the performance they deliver, and the price you pay are worlds apart.
This guide cuts through the jargon and answers the question Malaysian business owners and IT managers ask most: what do I actually get for the price difference, and is DIA worth it for my company?
What is the actual difference between DIA and business broadband?
The single most important difference is one word: shared.
Business broadband is a shared connection. Your building, your floor, or your neighbourhood shares the available bandwidth with dozens or hundreds of other users. When everyone is online between 9am and 11am, speeds drop — sometimes dramatically. When the building next door is doing a large backup at midnight, you feel it too.
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) is exactly what the name says: a dedicated, private connection that goes directly from your premises to the internet gateway. Nobody else is on your line. The bandwidth you pay for is the bandwidth you get, all day, every day, whether it is 9am Monday morning or 3am Sunday.
Full comparison: DIA vs Business Broadband
| Feature | Business Broadband (UniFi Biz / Maxis Biz) | Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Connection type | Shared — split among many users in your building or area | Dedicated — your bandwidth, your line, nobody else |
| Speed guarantee | No. Advertised speed ≠ actual speed (can drop 50–80% at peak) | Yes. Contracted 1:1 ratio. You get what you pay for, always |
| Upload speed | Asymmetric — upload is usually 10–20% of download speed | Symmetric — upload = download. Critical for cloud, VPN, backups |
| SLA / uptime | No SLA. Best-effort service only | Yes. Typically 99.5%–99.99% uptime guarantee |
| Latency | Variable — can spike during peak hours | Stable and predictable — typically <10ms domestically |
| Support | Consumer-grade helpdesk | Dedicated account manager + NOC monitoring 24/7 |
| IP address | Dynamic IP (changes) | Static IP included (multiple available on request) |
| Security | Shared infrastructure — lower isolation | Private connection — higher isolation and security |
| Typical cost (100Mbps) | RM 200 – RM 500 / month | RM 3,500 – RM 9,000 / month |
| Best for | Home offices, startups, <20 staff, non-critical use | 50+ staff, cloud-heavy, financial, manufacturing, MNCs |
RM pricing comparison: TM, Maxis & TIME — broadband vs DIA in 2026
This is the table most business owners want to see. Here is a direct comparison of what you pay for business broadband versus DIA at the same bandwidth tier from Malaysia’s major Tier-1 telcos.
| Bandwidth | TM UniFi Biz (Broadband) | TM DIA (Dedicated) | Maxis DIA | TIME DIA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Mbps | Not available | RM 1,200 – RM 2,500 | RM 1,500 – RM 2,800 | RM 1,200 – RM 2,400 |
| 50 Mbps | RM 199 – RM 399 | RM 3,000 – RM 5,500 | RM 3,200 – RM 6,000 | RM 2,800 – RM 5,000 |
| 100 Mbps | RM 299 – RM 499 | RM 3,500 – RM 9,000 | RM 3,800 – RM 9,500 | RM 3,200 – RM 8,000 |
| 200 Mbps | RM 399 – RM 599 | RM 6,000 – RM 12,000 | RM 6,500 – RM 13,000 | RM 5,500 – RM 11,000 |
| 500 Mbps | RM 499 – RM 699 | RM 9,000 – RM 16,000 | RM 9,500 – RM 17,000 | RM 8,500 – RM 15,000 |
| 1 Gbps | RM 599 – RM 899 | RM 15,000 – RM 28,000 | RM 16,000 – RM 30,000 | RM 14,000 – RM 26,000 |
Why does DIA cost 10–20× more than broadband?
The price gap is large, but it reflects three real cost differences:
1. Physical infrastructure
DIA requires a dedicated fibre run directly to your premises. If your building is not on the telco’s existing network, the telco must physically lay new fibre cable. This is expensive and often takes 4 to 8 weeks. Broadband uses shared infrastructure that is already built.
2. Guaranteed capacity
With DIA, the telco reserves your bandwidth exclusively for you at the network level. They cannot sell the same capacity to anyone else. With broadband, the telco sells the same infrastructure to many customers, relying on the fact that not everyone uses it at full speed simultaneously — this is called the “contention ratio”.
3. SLA and support cost
DIA comes with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that legally obligates the telco to maintain uptime (typically 99.5%–99.99%) and respond to faults within defined windows (often 4 hours). This requires dedicated NOC engineers, spare capacity, and backup infrastructure. Broadband has no equivalent commitment.
How much does downtime actually cost your business?
The price of DIA looks different when you calculate the cost of being offline.
| Business type | Estimated hourly cost of downtime | DIA monthly cost (100Mbps) |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce / retail (50 orders/hr) | RM 5,000 – RM 15,000 | RM 3,500 – RM 6,000 |
| Manufacturing plant (automated line) | RM 10,000 – RM 50,000+ | RM 4,000 – RM 8,000 |
| Financial institution / trading firm | RM 50,000 – RM 200,000+ | RM 5,000 – RM 10,000 |
| Professional services firm (50 staff) | RM 2,000 – RM 8,000 | RM 3,500 – RM 7,000 |
| Call centre / BPO (100 seats) | RM 8,000 – RM 20,000 | RM 5,000 – RM 12,000 |
For most businesses above, a single day of broadband outage costs more than a full month of DIA. The economics of upgrading are straightforward once you frame it this way.
When should you stay on broadband vs upgrade to DIA?
| Stick with business broadband if… | Upgrade to DIA if… |
|---|---|
| You have fewer than 20 staff | You have 50 or more staff |
| No cloud ERP, no VoIP, no video conferencing | You rely on cloud ERP (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) |
| Internet downtime costs you little to nothing | 1 hour of downtime costs you thousands of ringgit |
| You work mostly with email and basic browsing | You use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace heavily |
| You are a startup or home office | You handle financial transactions or sensitive data |
| Budget is the primary constraint | You need a guaranteed SLA with a formal contract |
What does DACS do differently from going direct to TM, Maxis, or TIME?
When you approach a single telco, you get one price from that telco. That is their published rate, and it leaves you with no leverage and no comparison.
DACS is an authorised aggregator and reseller for all four major Tier-1 telcos in Malaysia — TM, Maxis, TIME, and uMobile. When you engage DACS, we:
- Submit your requirement to all relevant telcos simultaneously
- Perform a building readiness check to confirm fibre availability at your address
- Compare pricing, SLA terms, and installation timelines across all providers
- Recommend the best value option for your specific building, bandwidth, and budget
- Manage provisioning, router configuration, and ongoing support — you deal with one point of contact
This typically saves businesses 15–30% versus approaching a single telco, and saves 3–6 weeks of back-and-forth.
Frequently asked questions
How long does DIA installation take in Malaysia?
For buildings already on TM, Maxis, or TIME’s network: typically 4–6 weeks from order to live. For buildings requiring new fibre to be laid: 8–16 weeks, sometimes longer in industrial areas. DACS performs a building readiness check upfront so you know what to expect before you sign.
Can I get DIA for my factory or warehouse outside Klang Valley?
Yes. TM has the widest coverage, including most industrial estates in Penang, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, and Kuantan. Maxis and TIME cover major urban areas well. Coverage in more rural or newly developed industrial areas varies — DACS checks all three simultaneously to find the best available option for your address.
What is the minimum contract period for DIA?
Most DIA contracts start at 24 months. Some telcos offer 12-month terms at a higher monthly rate, or 36-month terms at a lower monthly rate. DACS will show you the price breakdown across contract lengths so you can make an informed decision.
Can I keep my broadband as a backup line alongside DIA?
Yes, and we strongly recommend it. A DIA + broadband failover setup gives you enterprise-grade primary connectivity with a low-cost backup. DACS can configure dual-WAN failover on the router so your traffic automatically switches to broadband if the DIA line has any issue. Combined cost is typically RM 300–500/month on top of your DIA subscription.
Is the pricing in this guide current?
Prices are indicative as of May 2026 for Klang Valley locations. The most accurate way to get current pricing is to request a comparison from DACS — it is free and takes less than 24 hours.
Ready to compare DIA pricing for your address?
Tell us your location, bandwidth requirement, and number of staff — DACS will come back to you within 24 hours with a side-by-side comparison from TM, Maxis, and TIME.
- 📧 Email: info@dacs.com.my
- 📱 Phone / WhatsApp: +6011 1673 0468
- 🌐 Website: dacs.com.my/contact-us/
Related reading: Malaysia Dedicated Internet Access Price & TM DOME Price Guide
Related reading: Dedicated Internet Access service page