PETALING JAYA, June 14 — The “balik kampung” traffic is a familiar nightmare but it is 10 times worse if you are stuck in it with poor network coverage.

And who has not experienced the struggle of trying to send a “Selamat Hari Raya” SMS or WhatsApp to friends when back in your kampung? Cue the visual of you sticking your handphone out of the window in hopes of getting a better signal.

Well, the Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia (CFM) has provided a set of tips to avoid network congestion this Aidilfitri.

CFM Chairman Mohamad Yusrizal Datuk Yusoff said in a statement that he is confident service providers will do their best to ensure minimal service disruption.

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“The communication network usage is like a road or highway. The capacity is sufficient for everyone on normal days. However, when it comes to festive seasons, more cars will be using the same road and this leads to traffic congestion, especially in rural areas.”

Yusrizal added the tips will help Malaysians stay connected with their loved ones.

Admit it, we’ve all done this before. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Admit it, we’ve all done this before. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Here goes:

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  1. Switch your mobile data to support 3G/2G networks other than 4G LTE. Consumers will experience slower data but this is a viable alternative when the 4G network is congested.
  2. Go outdoors or try moving away from areas with known high mobile consumer density if you need to make important calls or send important messages.
  3. Limit phone calls and try to send text messages as they are easier to access.
  4. If you still NEED to make that call, wait 10 seconds before trying again.
  5. Avoid using applications which consume data such as photo and video sharing.
  6. Close any apps running in the background and monitor the amount of data used.
  7. Deactivate auto update or data sync on other applications.
  8. If you need to make a video call, do so by using Wi-Fi instead of mobile data.
  9. Download applications such as Internet Speed Master, Internet Booster & Optimizer to boost your data speed.
  10. Ask those around you if they are facing the same issues. If they are and also using the same service provider, then it is most probably a network congestion issue.
  11. Make sure your phone battery is not almost empty.
  12. Restart your phone if you are experiencing the same problem.