KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 1): Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX) recorded 145 Gpbs of data travelling per second as the highest point in 2015.

In a statement last Friday, MyIX, an initiative under the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the 145 Gpbs recorded last November was a 53% jump year-on-year.

MyIX chairman Chiew Kok Hin said a major driver for the increasing Internet consumption among Malaysians is attributed to the prominent trend in mobile Internet surfing.

He said this is supported by the rapid expansion of 4G networks in line with the Minister's 58% long-term evolution (LTE) coverage key performance indicator (KPI) for end-2015, which has been exceeded.

"MyIX has been noting that the change in consumer Internet surfing patterns have a direct correlation with the massive increases in Internet consumption — such as the increased usage of smartphones for just about everything," he said.

Chiew explained that research firm Gartner predicts that by the end of 2016, smartphones will comprise 82% of mobile phones, up by 2% from 2015.

He said this was in contrast to the declining PC shipments worldwide (of 8.3% in the Q4 of 2015).

"The market entry of online movie streaming operators such as Netflix and iFlix in the recent months with aggressive marketing campaigns, as well as more and Internet TV-based channels mushrooming — there will be an exponential increase in local Internet traffic consumptions in 2016.

"Malaysians are a highly suitable demography of Internet consumers who are quick to adopt new smartphone applications and content offerings, supported by the country's broadband infrastructure that is continually being promoted by MCMC," he said.