The latest price hike in Telekom Malaysia's fixed-line rental has raised eyebrows, as critics question if there is a valid reason for the move.

In a media statement today, DAP said the rise in phone rental effective from Saturday is unjustified considering that Telekom had o­nly last year increased the rental rate from RM20 to RM22.

"The previous increase of phone rental by RM2 had brought in Telekom an extra RM84 million. We can thus assume that the increase of a further RM3 will net the company another RM126 million. Is there any justification for such a drastic increase considering that Telekom had last year posted a group after-tax profit of RM1.09 billion?" asked national publicity bureau assistant secretary John Chung.