DiGi Reports 10.4 million Subscribers as of Q1 2013 [Business]

DiGi.Com Berhad recorded higher revenue of RM1,647 million in the first quarter of 2013, up 5% compared to the same period last year. This was mainly driven by mobile internet revenue which grew 55% year-on-year, from a larger base of 5.8 million mobile internet customers, including 3.0 million smartphone users.

For the quarter under review, DiGi’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was RM720 million, at a margin of 44%. Profit after tax grew by 3% year-on-year to RM329 million in the quarter mainly due to lower accelerated depreciation, the company said.

DiGi currently has about 10.4 million subscribers(10,372 million), slightly lower than what the operator had as of Q4 2012(10.5 mil). Based on the latest numbers, DiGi prepaid subscribers dropped from 8,823 mil prepaid subscribers as of end last year to 8,694 mil prepaid subscribers as of March 2013, a difference of 120,000. [...]

Usain Bolt is Celcom’s latest Icon for its 4G LTE campaign

Celcom Axiata Berhad on last week unveiled that it has chosen Usain Bolt as an icon for Celcom’s Fastest Territory campaign.

Some details of Celcom’s upcoming 4G LTE campaign:

• Usain Bolt represents the lightning-fast speed of Celcom 4G LTE. Celcom brought Usain’s speed and spirit to Malaysia in line with the seamless internet experience that The Fastest Territory now offers.
• On Monday 22 April 2013, the public will be able to see Usain Bolt – the face of Celcom’s Fastest Territory through advertisements on major TV and news dailies. In the week leading up to the unveiling, Celcom put up teaser billboards since Thursday night on 11 April 2013 at SS2 along the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP) and USJ Summit.

Some updated information on Celcom 4G LTE and Network: [...]

Get a Celcom BlackBerry Z10 from only RM1,188 [ADV]

Meet the BlackBerry Z10, the first smartphone powered by BlackBerry 10, the re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a new and unique mobile computing experience.

Experience it from only RM1,188 when you sign up with a Celcom mPro data plan.

Otherwise, you can also enjoy the BlackBerry Z10 with Celcom’s other plans: [...]

Maxis Launches Hotlink Social Edition

Maxis Berhad today launched a new Social Edition Hot Ticket and also a new starter pack called Hotlink Social Edition.

[From left: Christopher Chua, Maxis’ Head of Central Region, Suren J Amarasekera, Maxis’ Joint Chief Operating Officer, and Jeff Chong, Maxis’ Head of Mobility Products and International Services, launching the Hotlink Social Edition]

The mobile operator said that Hotlink Social Edition, the latest prepaid plan from Maxis, is the first 3-in-1 social media prepaid plan to be launched in the market, with free unlimited access to Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. The Hotlink Social Edition is also catered to existing Hotlink customers, where they can purchase the Social Edition Hot Ticket to enjoy the services and more.

The new Hotlink Social Edition starter pack cost RM10, offers customers the following services that have a combined value of RM18: [...]

Lenovo IdeaPhone S890 & IdeaPhone P770 now available in Malaysia

Lenovo today announced two new smartphones in Malaysia, the IdeaPhone S890 and IdeaPhone P770, designed for trendy individuals and young professionals respectively. Both models were showcased for the first time at the CES 2013 in Las Vegas earlier this year.

According to Lenovo, the new S Series smartphone comes packed with multimedia and entertainment features. This model is designed especially for youths, with special attention paid to the style, design and optimization for apps favored by these users. The P Series caters to the needs of the urban professionals and possesses long battery life, special security and anti-virus features. These smartphones feature dual-SIM slots, larger and higher resolution displays and enhanced specifications. [...]

Samsung Galaxy S4(Non-LTE) Price in Malaysia- RM2199 [Insider]

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming to Malaysia this month. The Galaxy S4 launch event is expected in the last week of April, we are guessing either 26 or 27.

Unfortunately, we believe there will be two versions of the phone- LTE and non-LTE.  The non-LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is expected to be price at RM2199 in Malaysia. Price of the Galaxy S4 LTE version below. [...]

Asus FonePad from as low as RM729 from Celcom

The Asus FonePad will be officially available starting next week at the retail price of RM849 via local retailers. Celcom Axiata however will make available the device exclusively tomorrow at PC Fair(12-14 April 2013) at the price of RM729, a discount of RM120 if customers choose to purchase it with a 12-months contract plan.

The Asus Fonepad is a competitively priced 7-inch handheld with 3G voice and mobile data. The tablet runs Android 4.1, powered by the new Intel Atom Z2420 processor and it features a sleek metallic design that can be held comfortably in one hand. It also has a vibrant HD IPS display with wide viewing angles comes with a microSD slot for up to 32GB additional storage, and up to nine hours battery life.

Details of the Celcom First-Asus FonePad plans below: [...]

Samsung ATIV S price at RM1699 in Malaysia

Samsung Malaysia Electronics has introduced its Windows Phone 8-powered Samsung ATIV S to Malaysian consumers.

The ATIV S was announced at IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany almost 7-months ago. Samsung ATIV S Product Specifications: [...]

Maxis iPhone 5 4G LTE Official Media Release

Maxis has officially confirmed our report on the iPhone 5 4G LTE update. Full media release below.

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Find out how fast your iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad 4 can go with the nation’s largest 4G LTE network! Maxis Berhad (Maxis), Malaysia’s only integrated communications service provider, today announced that customers using the iPhone 5, as well as iPad mini and iPad 4 can now enjoy super-fast internet through its 4G LTE network. These three Apple devices join the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC One XL which were the first two smartphones to be activated on Maxis’ 4G LTE network.

Suren J Amarasekera, Maxis’ Joint Chief Operating Officer, said, “In 2009 Maxis was the pioneer to introduce the iPhone to Malaysia and now Maxis is proud to announce that Maxis users of Apple iPhone 5, fourth generation iPad with Retina display and iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular model will be the first in Malaysia to experience superior services on Maxis’ high speed 4G LTE network.  We firmly believe that our range of plans offer compelling value to our Apple users and will give them the opportunity to get the most out of the amazing features of these Apple devices.  We are certain that our Apple customers will be pleasantly surprised with the superb experience with Maxis’ 4G LTE network.”

Mark Dioguardi, Maxis’ Joint Chief Operating Officer, added, “Since the launch of our high-speed 4G LTE network on 1 January 2013, we have worked hard to expand our footprint. At present, we have successfully quadrupled our 4G LTE coverage, allowing approximately 100,000 customers to enjoy super fast internet from Maxis. With today’s announcement, even more customers will be able to enjoy incredible internet speeds from Maxis. [...]

Maxis iPhone 5 4G LTE update is available now [Exclusive]

Apple has just rolled out the much awaited iPhone 5 LTE(Long Term Evolution) update for Malaysia Maxis customers early this morning about 1am. We mentioned about this update on the MalasianWireless Facebook last week.

The carrier bundle update is similar to the one rolled out in the US for T-Mobile except that the Maxis iPhone 5 LTE runs on 1800Mhz. The software release notes for the T-Mobile iPhone 5 update as below(Please note that not all is available in the Maxis iPhone 5 LTE update):

Enables the following:

• Visual Voicemail
• 4G network indicator
• Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS)
• AWS LTE (T-Mobile and officially unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 only)
• HD Voice (T-Mobile and officially unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 only) [Not available on Maxis]
• AWS HSPA+ (T-Mobile and new 2013 AT&T iPhone 5 only)

Auto configures:

• MMS Settings
• Personal Hotspot Settings (Smartphone Mobile Hotspot)
• APN settings for LTE connectivity

My Account bookmark

Improvements

• Battery life (result of network/device optimization)

Maxis has yet to release any official statement on the iPhone 5 LTE update however a number of users on our Facebook page has confirmed the update.

Some screenshots. [...]

Keep up with the 13th Malaysia General Election with these Windows Apps [Apps]

With the 13th Malaysia General Election expected to be held no later than 27 June 2013, Malaysians are turning to various media channels such as newspapers, TVs, radios, news sites, blogs & social media to keep up with the latest developments in the country.

Available to users of  Windows devices are many apps that they can use to keep track of all the latest developments leading up to polling day as well as the General Election results announcement; while also learning more about the country and its political players.

To start with, there is a locally developed SPR Electoral Roll Checking Windows Phone app by Pun Soong Teck (also known as Tc Pun). This free app allows Malaysian voters to key in their NRIC number to determine their voter status from the latest electoral roll by the Malaysian Election Commission. This is an important first step for Malaysians towards casting their vote for the upcoming General Elections. [...]

HyppTV gets a new Graphic User Interface (GUI)

Telekom Malaysia, the Internet Service Provider that operates UniFi, Malaysia’s high speed speed broadband service, has release a new Graphic User Interface (GUI) for its IPTV service, HyppTV giving its viewers an enhanced viewing experience with the new look and feel.

With the new GUI, the programme timeline displays the programme duration, indicating whether a particular show has just started or is nearing the end. By using the programme guide on the platform, it not only indicates the duration of the show currently on air, but also includes a seven (7) days programme info that could be scrolled by date. [...]

HTC Service Centre opens at Berjaya Times Square

HTC opened its new HTC Service Centre located at Berjaya Times Square Shopping Mall as  part of its expansion strategy to enhance customer service for the growing base of HTC users in Malaysia.

[L-R: Lawrence Lee, Managing Director of EMCS, SK Wong, Country Manager of HTC Malaysia & Jinson Chiang, Head of Global Customer Service Operations from HTC Global with the models at the opening of the HTC Centre]

The 1050-square feet HTC Service Centre is located at Level 7 (Lot 7-45). [...]

U Mobile to deploy SAS Visual Analytics [Business]

U Mobile Sdn Bhd and SAS Malaysia, a company offering business analytics software and services, today announced the integration of SAS’ Visual Analytics solution into U Mobile’s operations in Malaysia. With the solution, it will give U Mobile immediate access to real-time consumer behaviour data for significantly more informed business decisions.

[Andrew Tan (left), Managing Director of SAS Malaysia and Jaffa Sany Ariffin (right), Chief Executive Officer of U Mobile Sdn Bhd shaking hands and exchanging the partnership document at the signing ceremony.]

The initial phase of the integration of SAS’ Visual Analytics encompasses U Mobile’s marketing, product development and sales departments. Jaffa outlined the company’s commitment to ensuring that consumers are first in line to benefit from U Mobile’s capabilities enhancement.

According to Jaffa Sany Ariffin, Chief Executive Officer of U Mobile, the new solution will help the operator enhance their services. “We will be using SAS’ Visual Analytics to better understand our customers”.

Responding to a question from MalaysianWireless, Jaffa said “We use analytic(solutions) from Ericsson & ZTE previously however they are not experts in this field.” [...]

IDC: 4G Smartphones to grow by more than 400% this year in Malaysia

According to IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, shipments of 4G-capable smartphones are expected to grow by more than 400% this year in Malaysia.

Earlier this year, Maxis became the first operator in Malaysia to launch LTE (4G) services, which it claims is capable of providing up to 5 to 10 times faster download speeds than its 3G data services, while other operators such as Celcom, DiGi, U Mobile & P1 have announced their intentions to rollout LTE plans in 2013.

IDC expects competition in the 4G space to intensify and demand for LTE-enabled smartphones to significantly increase towards the second half of 2013, when LTE networks from all three major mobile operators are expected to be up and running. [...]