According to their Facebook Page, U Mobile has set 6th and 7th May to be a service maintenance period whereby customers will NOT be able to do the following:
So if you’re running low on credit you’re out of luck until the 8th May. Join the conversation at the U Mobile Facebook page here!
The HTC One M8 will be launched in Malaysia this coming Thursday, and is also expected to be available for purchase immediately after the launch event. Local telco Maxis has just been announced as the exclusive local telco to offer HTC’s latest flagship smartphone as part of its postpaid plans, offering the device from as low as RM1399.
Just as it hinted earlier this week on its Facebook page, Maxis is offering the HTC One M8 across all of its postpaid plans, from the data-centric SurfMore 30 and 50 to the coive-oriented TalkMore 28, 48 and 78 with bundled mobile Internet. As usual, you can opt for either 12- or 24-month contract durations, with the longer contracts offering higher rebates for the One M8. The greatest amount of savings for the M8 can be had for the 24-month TalkMore 78 plan, where you can get the device for only RM1399 – RM1000 off the retail price.
Here is a breakdown of the rebates offered for the HTC One M8, including advanced payment costs:
What’s more interesting, however, is the fact that the M8 is the first HTC device in an agreement between HTC and Maxis, where Maxis will be the exclusive local telco to offer HTC devices in its postpaid plans. More HTC devices are to come in this agreement, which will also see Maxis offering a new, “best-in-class” after sales service, offering “one of the fastest” guaranteed turnaround time for warranty claims via Maxis outlets.
According to Dushyan Vaithiyanathan, Maxis’ Head of Consumer Business, “we (Maxis) are excited to be in an exclusive agreement with HTC in being the only local telco to offer HTC devices, starting with this sleek new smartphone. This exclusive and strategic agreement with HTC is testament to our strong commitment to delivering high quality devices to our customers with the best value. Furthermore, they will be able to enjoy the best mobile experience at low monthly commitment fees, on the best and widest 4G network.”
Still undecided on the HTC One M8? Check out our review for more.
Within a couple of hours of Maxis announcing the exclusivity of the M8 and all HTC phones moving forward to the green side, U Mobile have announced that they too will be carrying the highly anticipated device and it will be even cheaper than Maxis’ offerings. All you have to pay is for the device which starts at RM2,147 when you take the U58 plan, RM1,599 for the U88 plan and a breathtaking RM999 for the U Plus Plan that has a monthly fee of RM138. The only catch is that to waiver an upfront payment, you need to purchase the phone with a credit card and subscribe to auto debit for the monthly access fee.
The promotion is available in U Mobile Stores only and will be valid until 30th June 2014 or while stocks last.
Find out more about the promotion here and more about the plans after the jump
Maxis has today officially announced the new Hotlink Red app for its prepaid customers, featuring plenty of features that normally requires users to access clunky old menus using USSD codes. The Hotlink Red app also introduces the new LiveLifeLoud social hub, which rewards users with plenty of freebies, from free movie passes, merchandise to even exclusive backstage passes to concerts of your favourite stars!
The new Hotlink Red app was designed primarily for Hotlink users using smartphones, allowing them easier access to basic account information such as tracking their balance and data usage, and even top up as well as subscribing to the mobile Internet plans – things that usually requiring users to navigate through various USSD codes. With the Hotlink Red app, all the basic information are infinitely easier to access, and also displays them in a more visual manner. For example, the first thing you see upon opening the app is your prepaid balance. One swipe to the left, and you’ll find the amount of Internet data that is available based on your mobile Internet plans.
The Hotlink Red app isn’t just about making it easier to top up your balance or other self-serve features, however. In fact, the app has been designed to reward its users who are “always on” – a conscious decision which dovetails perfectly with the free basic Internet that the new #Hotlink plan offers. Just like social apps such as LINE and WeChat, Hotlink Red will push notifications to its users via the LiveLifeLoud hub in the app, offering limited-time promotions for free tickets, autographed merchandise and even exclusive invites to parties and other Hotlink events and activities.
The Hotlink Red app is now available as a free download on the Google Play Store. An iOS version is expected to arrive by Q3 of this year.
Exclusivity, schmexclusivity, eh? Less than 24 hours after both Maxis and HTC Malaysia announced an agreement for an exclusive partnership where Maxis will be the only local telco to offer HTC devices with its postpaid plans starting with the flagship HTC One M8, U Mobile announced their own postpaid bundle for the same device – and with an arguably more attractive offer.
Last night, DiGi jumped into the bandwagon as well, teasing the One M8 with a “Stay Tuned” message on its Facebook page.
So much for exclusivity, then. Two out of Maxis’ three main rivals in the telecommunications industry have now both announced or intends to announce postpaid bundles for the HTC One M8, despite both Maxis and HTC sending out press releases to celebrate the occasion. So far, Celcom has not yet made any references to the HTC One M8 on both its website and Facebook page – but with the other two telcos openly mocking the agreement, what’s stopping Celcom from doing the same?
The centre of the tug-of-war between Malaysian telcos – the HTC One M8
It may well be that both U Mobile and DiGi have found a loophole within the fine print in Maxis and HTC’s agreement that emboldened both companies to offer the One M8. But here’s where it gets interesting. U Mobile has just removed the listing for the HTC One M8 on its website. There was no official statement, no announcements on its social pages…nothing.
[Update @ 12:07pm] The plot thickens. The HTC One M8 is back on U Mobile’s website, offering the same no-upfront-payment bundle as advertised yesterday.
And, given DiGi’s history of trolling, the teaser on its Facebook page could just be that – a tease.
We’ve approached Maxis and U Mobile for comments on the matter, and will update the post when we receive them.
Maxis has begun offering the HTC One M8 for sale at its online store. Just as promised earlier this week, Maxis is offering the HTC One M8 from as low as RM1399 with a 12- or 24-month contract with four of its postpaid bundles. Head on after the jump for a breakdown of the price comparisons.
Maxis is not only offering the HTC One at its retail outlets, but also via its online store, which is offering a special RM120 rebate for the TalkMore 48 & 78 and the SurfMore 50 plans. Maxis One Club users who subscribe for a 24-month contract for the One M8 with the TalkMore 78 will also get an additional RM120 rebate, making it a total of RM240 in savings.
Here’s the price comparison between the four postpaid plans on offer:
Click to enlarge
One point to note here is that Maxis is requiring users who subscribe to the TalkMore plan to automatically subscribe to a pre-selected mobile Internet plan at the online store, though it is likely you’ll be able to subscribe to a different mobile Internet plan at its retail outlets. Another interesting aspect with the bundles on offer is the fact that Maxis is only offering one SurfMore plan – SurfMore 50 – as part of the HTC One M8 postpaid bundle. The SurfMore 30 plan is the other data-centric plan on offer, but it’s only available as a supplementary plan. As a highly capable 4G device, we think that’s a pretty odd move.
In any case, the HTC One M8 is now available in both Glacial Silver and Gunmetal Grey options, which are both in stock at the Maxis online store. For more information, head on to the store product page here. Check out our HTC One M8 review for more about HTC’s latest flagship.
It’s been around for about two years now, but Celcom is making a concerted push for its Celcom First Power plans, which are tailored for businesses. The plan, which offers as much as 5GB of data per month, and competitive voice call rates of 10 sen per minute, also lets you enjoy up to 50 hours of free voice and video calls within the Biz Circle.
It is indeed odd that Celcom is pushing hard for a business-oriented postpaid plan. Despite having a dedicated “Business” portal on its website, Celcom has instead included a promotion for the Celcom First Power plans – featuring global super star Jackie Chan, no less – on the “Personal” portal where most of the site’s traffic comes from.
In any case, here’s what the Celcom First Power plans offer:
Currently, new subscriptions to the Celcom First Power plans will entitle customers to receive two KAX limited edition dolls, which are part of the company’s World Cup 2014 promotions. For more information about the Celcom First Power plans, head on to the official product page here.
A couple of months ago, Maxis CEO Morten Lundal took to twitter via the @MaxisComms account and the hashtag #MortenMaxis to speak to the public in a “CEO Chat Session”. From 11am – 12pm on the 16th of May, Morten will be back on the official Maxis twitter account with the same hashtag to take more of your questions, comments and overall banter. It was a rather successful outing the last time and Maxis want to keep a good thing going so keep your trolling to a minimum in increase the chance that your question or comment will be replied.
Amid the recent confusion with Maxis and HTC”s exclusive collaboration, DiGi have now revealed their own postpaid bundle for the HTC One M8. Offering the device for as low as RM1299, DiGi is now the second local telco to offer the One M8 after U Mobile despite HTC’s exclusivity agreement with Maxis.
DiGi is offering the HTC One M8 with three of its postpaid SmartPlans, namely the SmartPlan 78, 108 and 148. Unlike Maxis’ plans, however, the subsidized price is only applicable for 24-month contracts. But, for those who have been with DiGi for over 12 months, advanced payment for the device will be waived.
Here’s the breakdown of the DiGi HTC One M8 postpaid bundle:
Like the other telcos, DiGi is also offering the One M8 in both Glacial Silver and Gunmetal Grey. Its online store also mentions that estimated delivery of the device will start from May 16. For more information, head on to DiGi’s HTC One M8 product page here.
If you’re a call heavy Maxis subscriber and most of your friends are on the same network, Maxis has a good Add-On deal for you. With Extra Weekend, you get 50% off calls to all Maxis and Hotlink numbers on Saturdays and Sundays for only an additional RM8. If you use your phone to call a lot, this may be a good investment in the long run for you. All you have to do to activate this is to dial *100# and select AddOns to subscribe and it will be reflected on your next bill.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today has revealed that it has issued a total of 28 compounds to several major telcos in the country including Celcom, DiGi, Maxis, and U Mobile due to unsatisfactory rate of dropped calls. Altogether, the compounds have cost these telcos RM 1.2 million.
While that amount might not be much if you compared to the revenue that these telcos manage to collect every year but it is still significantly higher from the compounds that what MCMC has issued in March 2013.
According to MCMC, these compounds are issued to telcos that have more than 3% dropped calls rate and is based on the test that the organization has run throughout the country from July to September 2013. From the test, Maxis was apparently the worst offender with 8.16% in Pendang, Kedah.
This followed closely by DiGi in second and third place due to its 8% and 7.78% dropped calls rate in Laluan Jalan Utama from Tuaran to Kudat, and Laluan Jalan Utama from Membakut to Keningau respectively. In terms of compounds amount per company, DiGi leads the list with 11 compounds that is equal to RM 480,000 which is then followed by Maxis (9 compounds, RM 360,000), Celcom (7 compounds, RM 310,000), and U Mobile (1 compound, RM 50,000).
Frankly speaking, it is indeed good to see MCMC flexing its muscles to keep these telcos in check. In fact, the body has also stated that it has since see the reduction of dropped calls rate among the telcos during MCMC’s latest test session that was done from January to March 2014:
This is with the exception of Maxis though which somehow has doubled the amount of dropped call rate in Q1 2014 as compared to Q3 2013. Well, not hard to guess who will be summoned to MCMC’s HQ very soon then…
[Source: MCMC]
As you can recall, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) earlier this has recently revealed that it has issued RM 1.2 million worth of compounds to four telcos for not meeting the standard of dropped calls rate in Q3 2013. Among them was Maxis who not only received a total of 9 compounds that is equivalent to RM 360,000; one of its sites was also listed as the worst in the list.
Not enough with that, MCMC also stated that Maxis dropped calls rate has increased twofold according to the body’s Q1 2014 test results. Maxis has since then responded to MCMC’s report with an official statement.
Here is the statement in full:
Statement from Maxis Berhad
We place a lot of emphasis on network investment to ensure that we continuously give our customers the best experience. We are confident that Maxis is at level with good international standards. We are also accelerating our network modernisation, performing system capacity expansion and enhancing network quality to serve our customers better.
To continuously improve our services, we build more sites, conduct engineering upgrades and site optimisation to improve network coverage, capacity and quality. We also carry out regular drive surveys and perform periodic independent benchmarking on roads nationwide to gauge the network performance.
When services are interrupted due to equipment theft, faulty equipment or power failure, our teams are immediately deployed to quickly restore services. To minimise theft, we continuously strengthen site security and work closely with the police to prevent such incidents.
To address issues related to devices, we provide useful information for customers on device settings through various channels. We also conduct thorough tests on the devices that we introduce into the market to ensure network compatibility.
As you can see above, Maxis stands firm by it network capability despite the recent report by MCMC. The telco has also generally detailed its on-going efforts to improve and sustain the network’s quality. That being said, Maxis didn’t mention any statistics in the statement above to show the level of improvements that has been made to its network although we do know from its recent financial report that the telco has invested RM 118 million in capital expenditure for network modernisation in Q1 2014.
Just like I said in the previous article, it is indeed good to see MCMC flexing its muscles for the benefits of consumers. This periodic network test is certainly one such example since it seems like telcos are now starting to take the report very seriously although many (including our esteemed readers here) feel that the value of compounds that MCMC has served to local telcos are still too small as compared to the revenues that these telcos made every year.
All in all, let’s see how Maxis (and other telcos as well) MCMC’s next round of network test.
Today, to celebrate the imminent arrival of the World Cup, Celcom have announced the arrival of KAX, a series of 8 collectable plush toys exclusive for XPAX customers. Dressed in colours corresponding to particular teams for the world cup, these 8 limited purple and blue plush toys are said to be your “new BFFs when you lose your current ones to the World Cup”.
To get your very own KAX doll you can do one of the following things:
All you need to do is head to the redemption centres at the Celcom Blue Cube and Celcom Xclusive starting 15th May 2014.
The KAX will be released in pairs from now until the End of August so keep an eye out for the one you like! Find out more at the site here!
U Mobile have just introduced their latest postpaid offerings to replace their existing U58 and U88 plans; Called “#TheBestUnlimited” Unlimited 50 and 80 Postpaid, the plan offers users free internet roaming across Asia (Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan & Thailand), share minutes and data across up to 3 SIMs under a single plan, free calls to U Mobile friends all day and night as well as unlimited internet with no extra charges after exceeding quota, all starting at RM50 a month.
Sounds too good to be true?
A further look into the FAQs reveals that for one of the big features of this plan: The Unlimited Data Roaming Across Asia reveals that only the first 50MB of the day will be free and the rest will be charged accordingly at RM30 per day. 50MB is a very very small amount in this day and age. Granted if you are just using WhatsApp, this may last you the whole day (if you don’t have multiple chatgroups with auto image download on) but for regular surfing and social media, it’s a little on the skinny side. Now if they had started offering 500MB for free, it would still be doable and reasonable.
For more information about the new Unlimited Postpaid Plans head over to the U Mobile site here
Meanwhile, for a comparison of how the Unlimited Plans stack up to U Mobile’s current offerrings:
Click for full resolution image
Today, DiGi announced the appointment of Lars-Ake Norling as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st August 2014. Norling will replace outgoing CEO Henrik Clausen who will be headed to Sweden to join Telenor Group in a senior position. Norling joins DiGi from the role of CEO of Telnor in Sweden.
“Lars-Ake [Norling] has successfully led Telenor Sweden in one of the world’s most highly advanced telecom markets,” said Sigve Brekke, chairman of DiGi and head of Telenor Asia.
“I am confident that he has the market know-how to further drive DiGi’s growth and Internet For All ambitions, and the right leadership skills to develop our strong company culture and way of work.”
(Source: Digital News Asia)
Celcom has become the first local telco to offer the Nokia X Android smartphone as part of its postpaid bundle, offering the device for free with a 24-month contract. Interestingly, the bundled plan is with Celcom First Data that’s tailored for tablets instead of the standard Celcom First Prime plans.
The Nokia X is Nokia’s first-ever Android smartphone, which is developed using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) platform and based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. As such, the Nokia X is not affiliated to Google’s version of Android, meaning that it will not feature the Google Play Store, as well as other Google services. This dual-SIM device, which is meant for the lower-end market, packs a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of expandable storage, 3MP fixed-focus rear camera, and a 4-inch 480 x 800 display. In Malaysia, the Nokia X retails for RM399.
Celcom is offering the Nokia X for free with a 24-month contract with the Celcom First Data Basic postpaid plan, which offers 4GB of data at RM68 per month. As mentioned earlier, the Celcom First Data plan is a data-only postpaid plan, and is better suited for tablets instead of a smartphone. To remedy this situation, the Nokia X bundle will also feature special voice and SMS rates: 15 sen per minute to all networks for calls, and 10 sen per SMS to all networks.
(Source: Celcom)
Celcom is pushing hard to promote its other products in its portfolio. Just last week it promoted its business-oriented postpaid plans in the consumer tab of Celcom’s website, and now it’s promoting its new Traveller SIM packs with yet another superstar in its roster: Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt.
While the Celcom Traveller SIM packs have been available for some time, the local telco is offering two pre-loaded SIM packs with a generous mobile Internet quota and special voice, SMS and MMS rates. The traveller packs also come with competitive IDD rates, which can be found here. They also have a longer validity period, that is not tied to the amount of credit balance left in the account.
Here’s the breakdown of what the new Traveller SIM pack offers:
Click for full resolution
On top of that, Celcom is also offering its limited edition collectibles, the KAX, for free. Every purchase of the Celcom Traveller SIM packs entitles customers to two KAX free of charge. This KAX offer will run for a limited time only, from yesterday until August 31.
For more information, head on to Celcom’s Traveller SIM pack page here.
DiGi has just released a teaser on its Facebook page. It’s fairly easy to decrypt this, especially since the Chinese character “Mi” for rice appears on top of 3 bowls of rice. Yup, it looks like DiGi will be bringing in the Xiaomi Mi 3 with its postpaid bundles pretty soon. But wait! There’s more.
As you can see on the teaser above, DiGi has also included a potential release date, for the 19th of May. If you recall, Xiaomi will be holding a launch event to announce its arrival in Malaysia on the 19th, before sales of the Mi 3 and theMi Power Bank begins on May 20. In the email invite for the Xiaomi event, we were also told to anticipate some “key announcements” by Xiaomi co-founder Bin Lin and Xiaomi Global VP Hugo Barra.
Could it be that DiGi has managed to strike a deal with Xiaomi to be the exclusive local telco for Xiaomi products? It’s certainly a big departure from what the Chinese manufacturer has operated before, so it is also equally likely that it’s just the Mi 3 that DiGi will hold exclusivity for. Whatever it is, we’ll definitely find out come next Monday.
(Source: DiGi (Facebook))
Thanks to a teaser by DiGi last week, we recently learned that the telco will be offering Xiaomi Mi 3 to customers very soon. Today, it turns out that the Yellow Man…I mean Yellow Coverage Fellow will not be the only one though.
At the on-going Xiaomi Malaysia’s media event today, the company today has revealed that Xiaomi will be made available through Celcom and Maxis as well.
However, no further details were mentioned beyond that revelation. In fact, Xiaomi Malaysia stated that further announcement will come from all three telcos instead.
Meanwhile, we have finally received initial information regarding DiGi’s Xiaomi Mi 3 plan even though the mini site that the telco has created for the device (digi.my/xiaomi) has yet to go online. Learn more about it right here.
With their latest promotion until 30th June, Maxis is giving people who sign up for their SurfMore 50 or 75 plans up to 3 months of waived monthly commitment fees, giving you up to RM225 back. When you sign up for a new Surfmore 50 or Surfmore 75 plan, you will get 3 months or 1 month worth of fees waived depending on if you are taking a 24month or 12month contract respectively.
24-months contract: 3 months of Free Internet Access; we will waive your monthly commitment fee of RM50 x 3 months (SurfMore 50) or RM75 x 3 months (SurfMore 75)
12-months contract: 1 month of Free Internet Access; we will waive your monthly commitment fee of RM50 x 1 month (SurfMore 50) or RM75 x 1 month (SurfMore 75)
For more info about the SurfMore Plans, head over here to the product page