Maxis expands 3G coverage

December 14, 2005

Maxis Communications, a Malaysian mobile operator, expands its 3G service coverage to Penang to further enhance its customers' experience in enjoying mobile telephony at broadband speeds.

Maxis customers in Penang will enjoy the high-performance 3G network, enabling enhanced communication including video calls, live mobile TV, games and broadband Internet access at transfer speeds of up to 384 kilobits per second over both mobile phones and data cards for laptops.

Maxis Chairman Tan Sri Dato' Megat Zaharuddin bin Megat Mohd Nor said: "This is a key milestone in the rollout of our 3G services. We have expanded our coverage to Penang - one of the most important places for tourism and industry in Malaysia, being visited by over 10,000 tourists and business travelers daily".

"We are confident that Maxis 3G will be very well accepted here, just like how other Malaysian consumers have been enthusiastically adopting 3G as the way to do business and access entertainment on the go. We now have 22,000 active 3G users. Live TV and video updates, especially EPL goal alerts, traffic checks, and our 3G data card are proving to be very popular. We now see that 3G has indeed the ability to spur the usage of mobile data to a much greater potential," he added.

Since the launch of its 3G services on 1 July, Maxis has significantly increased its 3G coverage in the Klang Valley and will soon offer 3G services in Johor Bahru.

"Finalising the building of a widespread 3G network in Johor Bahru is our next step, with half the sites already in place. However, the currently accessible network is still dispersed - and we will only launch it once it is well optimized and guarantees good performance to our customers," he explained. In the meantime, Maxis' 3G customers are already able to trial 3G in selected places in Johor Bahru and the network will be fully available by early next year.

With more than 500 sites in the Klang Valley, 120 sites in Penang Valley and 120 sites in Johor Bahru by early next year, Maxis' customers will soon enjoy the largest and best performing 3G network in the country.

In areas without 3G coverage, the 3G handset automatically switches to other high-speed networks such as EDGE or GPRS, providing seamless and uninterrupted performance of calls and broadband access to the Internet throughout Malaysia.

Megat also said: "Maxis will soon have an unbeatable data network through the combination of the largest 3G network, the farthest reaching EDGE network, and the most extensive GPRS network covering 93% of the populated areas."

In addition, Maxis offers the widest 3G connectivity overseas, offering customers the option to roam with 33 operators in 17 countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia and UK.

Maxis' 3G coverage and capacity will continue to expand in the future, with the primary focus in 2006 on enlarging its presence in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru. To date, Maxis has invested RM400 million in the build-out of its 3G network. 2006 will also see the introduction of very high speeds on the Maxis' 3G network, with the implementation of HSDPA (Higher Speed Data Packet Access). (£1 = RM 1.70)

On the mobile, Maxis 3G offers extensive entertainment and information on the go. With 7 live TV channels, 5 radio channels, multiple news, business and sports video alerts, live traffic checks, home surveillance, and 20,000 music tones, over 200 video clips and 250 games to choose from, customers can turn their phones into a full-fledged multimedia and entertainment center.

"We see a great opportunity to make the upcoming World Cup in Germany come alive on 3G", said Megat. "As the main broadcast sponsor, we want Malaysian customers to enjoy the World Cup as if they were there - through real-time goal alerts and match highlights via video streaming, and instant access to the latest results and team information".

Pricing of 3G services is very affordable. Until June 30, 2006, Maxis is offering video calls at voice call rates from as low as RM0.15. Video content packages are priced between RM8 to RM15, with the first month being offered for free. These prices are all inclusive and Maxis is not charging additional kilobyte charges for video transmissions or downloads. For example, for a combined TV package of Hitz.TV and Cartoon Network, customers only pay a fixed amount of RM 15 per month, regardless of how often they access or how long they view.

In conjunction with the Penang launch and the extension of the Klang Valley network, Maxis is also offering up to RM400 airtime rebate for the first 3,000 postpaid customer and RM210 airtime rebate for the first 1,000 prepaid customers who purchase a Maxis 3G handset on Maxis mobile.