Contrary to popular belief, the most watched thing on the Internet is not porn – it's the spinning wheel on YouTube.

Least that was the wry observation of Afzal Abdul Rahim, chief executive officer of Time dot Com (TdC) during the launch of Time Fibre Broadband — a high speed Internet access service offering speeds of up to 50Mbps – at Mont Kiara Plaza last week.

That's right, 50Mbps. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Well to those outside the Mont Kiara area, it is, at least for now.

"The idea behind this new service is in realising the possibilities of big bandwidth broadband, where download and upload speeds range anywhere within a mere five seconds to five minutes for mp3 files, video clips and even HD movies.

"We're focused on delivering the first and only pure fibre optic broadband network while others work on packaging services around existing or hybrid infrastructure.

"Simply put, Time Fibre Broadband is the answer to the long awaited needs of Malaysian Internet users. We want to provide good pipes," said Afzal.

Members of the media were treated to a demonstration of the service's capabilities, with an HD movie downloaded in mere seconds along with a further demonstration to address some misconceptions users have towards slow speeds.

"You will get different speeds from different sites," explained Afzal, noting that many content providers throttle the speed to temper the costs, giving bandwidth preference to those who have paid for their content. So you see, it’s not always our fault!"

When asked about why the installation of needed infrastructure has been such a slow process, Afzal quipped:

"To be honest, you want to know what the biggest hindrance is? Local councils. If they can cut the red tape and approve our applications for permits, we'd start digging tomorrow!"

This marks the company's return to the consumer market, with the bulk of past operations focused on wholesale, corporate and small-and-medium enterprises.

The fixed-line telecommunications solution provider currently has 3,000 subscribers in Mont Kiara for its fibre broadband service, with plans to expand its coverage to the greater Mont Kiara community and selected areas in the Klang Valley. High density areas will be targeted.

Currently Time Fibre Broadband offers three packages: 2Mbps for RM149, 5Mbps for RM199 and 10Mbps for RM329.

TcD also offers a Boost option for subscribers, which allows access to maximum speed for a predetermined amount of hours every month, which can be scheduled via its online service portal.

Additional hours can be topped up for a fee of about RM4 per hour. Afzal confirmed that a fair usage policy with be put in place but it will come at a later date once the company has a better idea of user behaviour and uptake.

This is a very pretty carrot on an extremely long stick for most Malaysians, as the wait for TM's High Speed Broadband (HSBB) service to roll out en masse continues; those in Kuantan have Jalenas Sdn Bhd, a company owned by High Speed Broadband Sdn Bhd working on providing HSBB to them by this year.

Nevertheless, it does represent a welcome element to the broadband industry landscape – competition. For more information, visit www.time.com.my.