Digi has announced that the Digi Broadband postpaid plans can now be obtained with more data than before. Despite the increase, the prices for these plans remained the same as before.

Specifically, the Broadband 45 now offers a total data pool of 25GB which consisted of 15GB base quota and 10GB for streaming applications. Prior to this, the plan comes with 8GB base data and 7GB data that is meant only for YouTube.

For Broadband 65 plan, its base quota has been increased from 20GB to 30GB while the plan streaming quota has now been set at 20GB instead of 15GB. As for the highest end offering in the group, the Broadband 105 plan now comes with 60GB base quota and 40GB streaming quota as compared to the previous arrangement of 40GB and 35GB respectively.

Existing customers that already subscribed to any of these Digi Broadband postpaid plans will receive the higher data quota as well. At the same time, Digi has also noted that postpaid customers are able to obtain lifetime discounts of up to RM 10 per month if they choose to add Broadband plans alongside their existing subscription.

To learn more, just head on to Digi’s official website.

The post Digi Broadband Postpaid Plans Now Available With More Data, Up To 100GB appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Digi has recently announced a new ownership plan that is aimed for users that are looking to own the latest and greatest smartphone in the market without splurging all their money in one go at the point of purchase. The arrival of the new plan which is called PhoneFreedom 365 seems to be quite timely since there are several high-end phones that have just landed in Malaysia this week including iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, and iPhone XR as well as Huawei Mate 20 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro.

In many ways, the new PhoneFreedom 365 ownership plan has many of the characteristics that were part of the recently discontinued Digi Up plan. That includes no upfront fee and Digi Shield protection scheme that covers accidental damage and theft as well as free screen replacement.

The PhoneFreedom 365 plan also comes standard with 24 months 0% installment scheme and this time, customers don’t have to return their device as the end of their contract as opposed to what happened under the old Digi Up plan. Consumers are also given the option to upgrade their device for free although this depends on the specific device that they choose to purchase through PhoneFreedom 365 plan though:

Tier 1 – free upgrade at month 18:

iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR

Tier 2 – free upgrade at month 20:

iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Samsung Galaxy A8 Star, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Huawei Mate 20, Huawei P20 Pro, Huawei P20, Huawei Nova 3, OPPO Find X, OPPO R15 Pro

Tier 3 – not applicable for free upgrade:

iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus

In addition to that, the monthly fee that customers need to pay for each of these devices not only depends on their prices but also the specific Digi Postpaid plan that they prefer to subscribe for their new device. Nevertheless, Digi has stated in the FAQ document for the PhoneFreedom 365 that the total payment that customers have to pay to the telco will not go more than the Retail Recommended Price of the device that they obtained through the new ownership plan.

Before you rush out to the nearest Digi outlet to sign up to get any of the devices mentioned above under the PhoneFreedom 365 ownership plan, do note that the plan is currently available only for existing Digi Postpaid customers that have already been with the telco for at least 6 months. For further information, just head on to Digi’s official website.

(Source: Digi)

The post Digi PhoneFreedom 365 Is A New Device Ownership Plan with Upgrade Option and Zero Upfront Fee appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Digi has recently deployed a hotspot service called Digi Wi-Fi. Currently in beta, the service is apparently being delivered through a partnership with Telekom Malaysia.

Through Digi Wi-Fi, customers are able to utilize unlimited connection at selected locations with up to 4 devices at the same time. However, it is only available for Digi customers for the time being but the FAQ on Digi Wi-Fi’s official website seems to hint that the service might be opened to non-Digi customers in the future.

At the same time, the service is also not free of charge. These are how much it cost to use access Digi Wi-Fi for now:

30 minutes: RM 0.70

1 hour: RM 1.00

2 hours: RM 1.20

4 hours: RM 2.00

Customers are able to obtain these passes when they logged in to the Digi Wi-Fi hotspots. Naturally, the fee will be charged to customers’ postpaid bill or deducted from their credit if they are a prepaid customer.

For now, the Digi Wi-Fi coverage is still quite limited with almost all of its  277 hotspots are located within Klang Valley and only one in Negeri Sembilan. To learn more, just head on to its official website right here.

(Source: Digi Wi-Fi via Amanz / SoyaCincau BM)

The post Digi Wi-Fi Provides Unlimited Connection Up To 4 Devices Simultaneously; Now In Beta appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

A local Mobile Virtual Network Operator, Tron has announced that it will be shutting down its operation very soon. Alongside that, the company has also revealed a number of options that its existing customers can choose before Tron closes its doors.

One of the obvious options is that customers can port out to other telcos especially for those who want to retain their numbers. That being said, Tron has also arranged a special direct port-in program involving Tune Talk that already in progress and applicable until 31 January 2019.

Of course, customers can also choose to terminate their Tron service and the phone number that attached to their Tron account altogether. For these customers, they can apply for a refund of their reload balance from Tron until 17 January 2019.

If customers choose not to do anything by that date, their numbers will be then automatically transferred to Digi. This despite the fact that that the reason why Tron who has been in operation since 2011 decided to shut down its service is because its contract with Digi has expired.

Additionally, both companies were also not able to find mutual ground for them to continue their collaboration further. If you are a Tron customer, there is still some time for you to decide your next move. So, don’t rush it out.

(Source: Tron. Images: Tron – 1, 2. Thanks to everyone that submitted the tips!)

The post Tron MVNO To Shut Down On 17 January 2019; Refund and Port-Out Process In Progress appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Digi today has unveiled its plan to come out with a digital prepaid card but before there’s any misunderstanding, this is not related to the telco’s prepaid plan. Instead, we are talking about a prepaid-based payment card that will come in the form of a mobile app.

Scheduled to be available to consumers within the first half of 2019, the digital prepaid payment card by Digi is being developed through a collaboration ManagePay Systems Berhad (MPay). Mastercard is also on board the partnership which allows Digi’s upcoming digital prepaid payment card to be used throughout the world at any merchants that accept Mastercard.

In addition to that, the digital prepaid payment card can also be used for online transactions.  While this payment option is not exactly unique to Digi since it is similar in nature to AirAsia Group’s BigPay, Mastercard’s global reach provides it with additional flexibility as compared to a general eWallet app.

That being said, the announcement today has no mention or even a reference to Digi’s existing eWallet app, vcash. Hence, it is not known at the moment whether the telco’s new digital prepaid payment card has any impact or relation to vcash.

The post Digi To Come Out with Digital Prepaid Payment Card; With The Help Of MPay and Mastercard appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Aside from Astro, another company who has emerged one of the Retail Service Provider at TNB’s National Fiberization and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) pilot project in Jasin is Digi. Instead of its existing wireless-based Home Broadband service, the telco is offering around 1,100 households that are covered by the pilot project a fibre-based service instead.

Branded as the Digi Home Fibre service, customers have two packages that they can choose for their premise:

Based on the brochure above which we acquired during the NFCP launch event this morning, it seems that customers will also receive a router alongside their subscription. Aside from what we have mentioned here, Digi didn’t provide much detail regarding its new Home Fibre service.

Nevertheless, those are residing within the NFCP areas in Jasin and are interested in Digi Home Fibre service can register themselves at Digi’s official website in which the telco will revert back in order to begin the installation process.

The post Digi Home Fibre Goes Live In Jasin; Starts At RM 95 Per Month for 50Mbps appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

UPDATE (11:15 AM): Digi have alerted us that services have been fully restored, any customers still having issues have been advised to restart their devices (or cycle flight mode) to resolve any issues with their service.

Digi’s official statement reproduced verbatim in full.

Dear customers,

Some of you may have faced intermittent connection issues earlier this morning. Our technical teams have addressed and fixed the issue, and services have recovered. We advise you to please go to flight mode and back, or restart your device if you continue to experience problems. We continue to monitor all services, and will keep you updated on progress. We deeply apologise for any inconvenience faced, and thank you for your patience.

ORIGINAL STORY (9:30 AM):

Well, it looks like it’s a week of service disruptions as Digi customers joins U Mobile and Maybank customers in experiencing severe service disruptions – across the country.

Digi customers woke up this morning to find out that their devices were no longer connected to the Digi network. We can independently verify that the service disruption is affecting both voice and data services, including Digi’s mobile broadband service.

Digi has since released a statement via their official social media channels that they are experiencing unplanned service disruption, and estimate that their services will be restored within the next 4 hours.

We regret to inform you that currently there's an unplanned service interruption. We're currently rectifying the issue and the service will be recovered as soon as possible(Estimated time 4 hours). Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Thank you.

— Digi (@digitelco) March 28, 2019

Both Maybank and U Mobile pointed to ‘technical’ issues when queried to the cause of their service degradation over the last couple of days but did not provide details.

The post Digi Late To The Party: Severe Service Disruption To Voice and Data Services Today [Updated] appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Opensignal today has released the latest edition of its Mobile Network Experience Report for Malaysia. Using data that the company collected from 1 December 2018 till 28 February 2019, the report is almost based on measurements that were done through almost 750,000 devices.

According to the report, Celcom is leading the way in terms of 4G availability as the telco is apparently able to provide LTE connection to Opensignal users 86.8% of the time. However, that figure is just 3.6% more than Maxis and this case also applies to upload speed as there is only 0.1Mbps gap between them.

Speaking about Maxis, the company is once again leading other telcos when it comes to download speed at 17.9Mbps. Despite being ahead, Opensignal has pointed out that Maxis’ download speed growth was less than 1Mbps as compared to previous report cycle while Celcom has managed to increase its download speed by more than 2Mbps.

Another area that Maxis has proved to be better than other telcos is latency at 47.2ms. That being said, it is being followed closely by Celcom and Unifi at 48.1ms while U Mobile and Digi have latency rating of more than 50ms.

Interestingly, Opensignal has rated Celcom and Maxis as equal when it comes to video experience. Not only that, both telcos are the only companies to receive Good rating in this category while Digi’s rating has positioned it within the Fair class. On another hand, Unifi and U Mobile landed themselves in the Poor side of the spectrum.

As far as this Opensignal report is concerned, it seems that Celcom and Maxis were having a very close fight for the past few months on a national scale. At the same time, it goes without saying that other telcos might want to start improving their performance.

(Source: Opensignal.)

The post Opensignal Says Celcom Is Leading In Terms of 4G Availability; Maxis Still The King of Download Speed appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

In a media briefing today, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has revealed the list of telcos that will be putting up their live 5G network at the upcoming 5G showcase in Putrajaya. In fact, some of them already up and running.

According to Gerard Lim, the Chief Office for Digital Industry Development and Commercialisation Sector of MCMC, Celcom and Digi‘s 5G network already went live on 1 April. Maxis, TM, and U Mobile will be deploying their 5G network for the showcase very soon as well.

At the briefing, Celcom representative has also stated that its 5G network deployment for the event is a localized implementation that covered a radius of less than 1km. Utilizing mmWave and C band, the telco’s 5G network for the showcase is delivered through 2 indoor and 2 outdoor base stations.

Other telcos didn’t provide any details regarding their 5G implementation but we generally assumed that it will be no different as well, given the nature of the occasion. The 5G Malaysia Showcase will be taking place at Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya and will be opened for public on 20 & 21 April.

The post Celcom, Digi, Maxis, TM, and U Mobile 5G Network Will Be Present At Putrajaya Showcase appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Six months after it was originally made available for existing postpaid customers, Digi today has announced that its PhoneFreedom 365 ownership plan is now available for everyone. Through the plan, customers are able to obtain smartphones including some of the latest in the market via a 24-months 0% installment scheme.

Among premium phones that are available through the scheme include iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, Galaxy S10 Plus, Galaxy Note 9, Mate 20 Pro, and Mate 20. Huawei’s latest flagship devices, P30, and P30 Pro are part of the list too even though they have not yet appeared on Digi’s official website.

Additionally, there’s also no upfront payment needed when customers sign up for the plan. Of course, this depends on whether they are eligible for the benefit which is the reason why the PhoneFreedom365 ownership plan can only be obtained through Digi Store or Digi Store Express physical branches.

Other than that, the PhoneFreedom 365 ownership plan also allows customers to upgrade their phone without the need to pay for any upgrade charges. This can be done starting from the 18th month of their installment period for Tier 1 phones or 20th month for Tier 2 phones.

For customers that choose to sign up for Digi Postpaid 190 with PhoneFreedom 365, they will also receive free Digi Shield Classic protection scheme that covers their new phones from accidental damage and liquid damage. To learn more about the ownership plan, check out Digi’s official website although we would suggest you to head on directly to the nearest Digi Store and Digi Store Express.

The post Digi PhoneFreedom 365 Ownership Plan Now Available For Everyone appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Ahead of the upcoming 5G Malaysia Showcase in Putrajaya next week, Digi has provided a glimpse on the capability of its 5G network of the event. As you might have learned from our previous report, the showcase which is hosted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), involves multiple companies within the telecommunication industry and will be opened for public next week.

Digi stated that its 5G network at the showcase area is running on 100MHz spectrum. At the same time, the telco claimed that the network able to deliver consistent throughput of 1.6Gbps as shown in the chart provided by the telco below:

Given the occasion as well as the picture that the telco provided in its media release, we believe that the 5G network is a localized implementation as per what we have mentioned in another report. Hence, the footprint of the network should be quite small, and we don’t expect it to be permanent there since it is generally set in a lorry.

Meanwhile, the telco stated that it will be showcasing several use cases during the 5G Malaysia showcase including emergency services, Augmented Reality learning, and eSports via Virtual Reality. The Head of Telenor Research, Bjørn Taale Sandberg will also be present at the showcase to present insights surrounding multiple topics related to 5G including Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things.

Bjørn will also share some insights from the 5G network deployment that Telenor Group (Digi’s parent company has carried in Norway since November last year. As mentioned earlier, the 5G Malaysia Showcase will take place at Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya and members of the public are more than welcome to visit the event on 20 as well as 21 April.

The post Digi 5G Network At Putrajaya Showcase Able To Deliver 1.6Gbps Throughput appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

UPDATE (4:30 PM):

Digi has released full media statement regarding the expansion of its Home Fibre service. The statement reveals additional areas that are covered by the service including Bandar Sunway, Bangi, and Shah Alam.

Additionally, Digi has also clarified that the upload speed for the 50Mbps plan is 20Mbps while the 100Mbps plan’s upload speed goes up to 50Mbps.

Another interesting thing to note is that Digi is referring to the rollout as “pilot” which is similar to what the company did in Jasin.

As for which infrastructure that Digi is utilizing to deliver the service, the telco not able to disclose it at the moment. We will be discussing the reason in another article coming your way soon.

ORIGINAL STORY (12:35 PM):

When Tenaga Nasional Berhad launched its National Fibrerization and Connectivity Plan pilot project in Jasin a few months ago, a number of mobile telcommunication providers who participated in the pilot started offering their own fibre broadband plans within the area, including Digi. We have learnt today that Digi has started to offer the same service outside of Jasin.

We were first alerted on this development through a thread opened by Lowyat.NET forumer with Hobbez who received an SMS regarding Digi Home Fibre service this morning. We then reached out to Digi’s representative who has confirmed that the mobile telco is indeed offering its fibre service in selected areas within Selangor.

Specifically, Digi has revealed that their Home Fibre plans are now available in Subang, Rawang, and Kajang. To find out whether your area is covered by their Home Fibre plans, you will need to enter your address on Digi Home Fibre’s official website.

In terms of pricing, the Digi Home Fibre 50Mbps plan goes for RM 99 per month while the 100Mbps plan is listed at RM 129 per month. We assume that the speed stated on the site is download speeds although we have reached out to Digi for further details with regards to upload speed on their plans.

We are also waiting for their confirmation whether Digi’s Home Fibre is running on the telco’s own infrastructure or through other organizations such as TM or TNB.

If you live in any of these three areas and want to check whether Digi Home Fibre is available for you, just head on to this website.

The post Digi Home Fibre Now In Select Areas Within Klang Valley; Starts At RM 99 for 50Mbps (Updated) appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

It was quite a surprise when we learned that Digi has started to expand its Home Fibre coverage from TNB’s National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) testbed in Jasin to multiple areas within Klang Valley. Naturally, one of the questions that we asked the telco regarding the Home Fibre rollout is its infrastructure.

Specifically, whether the telco deployed its own fibre or utilizes infrastructure from other companies just like what it did in Jasin together with TNB. Unfortunately, the response that we eventually received from Digi didn’t answer the question directly, but it was still an interesting answer, as shown below:

We are working with multiple access providers for the various pilots, but unfortunately are not at liberty to disclose specifics on which provider for each case. This approach will allow us to asses several forms for how we can provide fixed broadband solutions to Malaysians.

Meanwhile, Digi also pointed out that the 50Mbps and 100Mbps is just the beginning though. The telco is currently working to roll out more plans under its Home Fibre offerings including 1Gbps plan which is something that the company has mentioned in its website.

That being said, Digi didn’t provide any timeline for the expansion of its Home Fibre service regardless in terms of plans or coverage areas. Guess we have to wait and see how things will progress for the telco.

The post Digi Is Working With Multiple Providers To Deliver Fibre Service; 1Gbps Plan Coming Soon appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Mobile service provider Digi lost close to 459k prepaid subscribers in the first quarter of 2019. According to their 1Q19 financial results released last week, their combined subscriber base as of March 2019 now stands at 11.25 million, down from 11.66 million as of December last year.

Their postpaid subscribers base, meanwhile, grew by 50k subscribers during this period but did little to alleviate the huge number of prepaid drop-offs – who are very likely to have ported out to a different Telco.

Digi’s combined revenue for the first quarter of 2019 was also down 9.9% compared to the previous quarter, and 7.4% compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Their sales of mobile devices also took a significant hit in this period.

On a slightly positive note, Digi posted a healthy increase in Internet revenue, as well as a higher average data consumption per user in this quarter. The MyDigi app monthly active users also climbed up to  3.2 million with 21.0 million upsell transactions for the quarter recorded on the app.

Digi 1Q 2019 Financials:

Key Highlights (Y-o-Y), according to Digi

• Service revenue at RM1,441 million fuelled by solid postpaid and internet revenue growth
• First interim dividend of 4.3 sen or RM334 million, payable to shareholders on 28 June 2019
• Internet revenue grew 13.3% y-o-y to RM862 million
  Postpaid revenue1 grew 13.5% y-o-y to RM671 million over a larger 2.9 million subscriber base
• Prepaid revenue moderated to RM769 million; more importantly, prepaid subscriber mix shifted to 52% internet vs. 48% voice base setting the foundation for sustainable growth for the future
• OPEX reduced 0.4% y-o-y from solid efficiency initiatives, opex to service revenue healthy at 35.2%
• EBITDA stood at RM723 million or 48% margin
• Profit After Tax (PAT) at RM366 million with 24% margin
• Ops cash flow moderated 6.6% y-o-y but improved 8.8% q-o-q to RM555 million or 37% margin due to investments in IT and network upgrades
• Net debt to EBITDA ratio healthy at 0.8 times while conventional debt over total assets steady at 21%, well within the Shariah threshold

Source [MalaysianWireless] via [Digi 1Q19 Financial Report]

The post Digi Lost 459,000 Prepaid Subscribers In The First Three Months of 2019 appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

It has come to our attention that Axiata and Digi have suspended shares trading on Bursa Malaysia. This takes place just as The Edge released a report which claimed that the Axiata Group and Telenor Group are planning to merge their operations in Asia.

Since both companies cited pending announcement as the reason behind the suspension of their share trading, it provides a valid ground to The Edge’s report.

Axiata Group is the parent company of Celcom while Telenor Group is the parent company of Digi.

This is developing news. Please refresh this article for the latest update.

(Source: Bursa Malaysia – 1, 2 // The Edge Financial Daily.)

The post Axiata and Digi Suspend Trading on Bursa Malaysia; Ahead of Possible Merger Announcement appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Following up on our report this morning, Axiata Group and Telenor Group have confirmed that they are in discussion to merge their telecom and infrastructure assets in Asia. This will result in the creation of a new entity that will cover 300 million customers as well as 60,000 towers throughout the region.

The newly merged entity will be based in Kuala Lumpur, with the Telenor group holding 56.6% of shares while Axiata will control the remaining 43.5%. In Malaysia, Axiata’s subsidiary, Celcom and its Telenor counterpart, Digi will be merged as well to become the largest mobile telco in the country.

If the plan goes smoothly, the new entity could also position itself as one of the top five mobile infrastructure company through the combination of Axiata’s edotco Group and Telenor’s tower assets within Asia.

The deal will also include the establishment of an Innovation Center which is said to be the largest in this region and will cover IoT as well as 5G. Additionally, there is also a plan to create a Global Talent Factory via the new deal.

The “mega-merger” is still in the planning stage at the moment and is still subjected to due diligence as well as regulatory compliance. Both companies expect that the finalized agreement will be ready by the end of Q3 2019.

(Source: Axiata via Bursa Malaysia // Telenor.)

The post Celcom and Digi in Discussion To Merge; As Part of Axiata and Telenor Deal appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

If you’ve missed out on all the stunning Hari Raya deals this year, fret not as you’ve got up till the end of June to pick up Huawei devices with an exclusive 1 year extended warranty thrown in. The top of the line Huawei P30 Pro, as well as the P30, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20, Nova 4, and Nova 3i are all part of the ‘Raya Just got More OSEM with PhoneFreedom 365‘ campaign from Digi.

Coupled with the 24-month PhoneFreedom 365 package, the extended warranty gives you complete peace of mind that your devices will be protected from any mechanical failures or breakdown of the phone – without any additional costs. You’ll also be getting free pick up and delivery of your device, free online technical support as well as a 7 days a week, business hour call centre support for your device.

Digi PhoneFreedom 365 ownership program makes it easier for you to own next flagship smartphone with RM0 upfront payment (subject to eligibility), 0% year long interest as well as accidental and liquid damage protection with Digi Shield. If that’s not appealing enough, there is also an optional Free Phone Upgrade after 20 months thrown in.

Huawei’s P30 which has a retail price of RM2,699 will cost anywhere between RM192 and RM2,112 depending on the postpaid package you opt for, while the top of the line P30 Pro 512GB which has a retail price of RM4,399 can be yours for between RM2,856 and RM3,456 also depending on your package choice.

Head on over to Digi’s ‘Raya Just Got More Osem with PhoneFreedom 365‘ page for more info on how to sign up for this plan before you miss out on yet another Osem Raya deal.

Disclosure: This article is brought to you by Huawei.

The post Have an Osem Raya with Huawei and Digi PhoneFreedom 365 appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

Back in February, Maxis began rolling out eSIM support to its customers. Celcom has also done the same in March. It looks like Digi has done the same, offering its subscribers the eSIM option.

The Digi eSIM is available for subscribers of the Digi Postpaid, Prepaid and Broadband plans. To get it, you’ll need to get it from participating Digi Stores. The telco is making the change free for a limited time, so there’s a fair incentive to get it. There’s no mention as to when this offer will end.

It’s also important to note that new Digi Postpaid Family and Digi Prepaid plan users will not get the eSIM right away. You’ll still have to register for a standard SIM first, and then request for a SIM replacement immediately after.

Also, like the other two telcos, it looks like only the latest iPhones can make use of the eSIM. To be exact, only the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR running iOS 12.2 or later are compatible with Digi’s eSIM. Digi’s FAQ page does say that “more devices will be made available” but does not say which devices those are, or when they will be made available.

(Source: Digi [1], [2] via SoyaCincau)

The post Digi Now Offering eSIM; Also Only Available For Latest iPhones appeared first on Lowyat.NET.

For those going through extremely rough patches in life, the Befrienders can be a lifesaver. That said, calls to its helpline are charged just as calls to any other number is. That’s set to change next week, according to an announcement by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The MCMC is working with eight telcos to waive call charges made to the Befrienders helpline. The telcos are Celcom, Digi, Maxis, Telekom Malaysia, TIME, U Mobile, Webe Digital and Yes 4G. Calls made to the Befrienders through these telcos will be free of charge starting 1 August 2019.

For those who don’t know who the Befrienders are, it’s a non-profit organisation that has been around since 1970. The Befrienders provide 24-hour emotional support to all who are in a bad state in life, and in need of a listening ear. Its services are free, will cost even less once the call charge is waived.

If you’re in a situation where you think you may need a listening ear, then you can call the Befrienders KL at 03-7956 8145. While it’s the only one its helpline open 24 hours everyday, there are Befrienders in other states as well, including Penang, Perak, Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan. If you prefer, there’s also an email option, with the address being sam@befrienders.org.my.

(Source: MCMC, Befrienders Penang. Image: Befrienders Kuching)

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The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission recently has revealed several statistics regarding the compounds that it has issued to local telcos. Up till 31 July 2019, the regulator stated that it has delivered a total of 107 compounds which worth RM 3.13 million.

Interesting enough, that amount is already 20.4% higher than the total amount of compound that MCMC issued to local telcos for the whole 2018 which was said to be RM 3.18 million.

Out of these 107 compounds, 44 were issued within April and July 209 with YTL Communications being the biggest offender through 15 compounds that costs the company RM 750,000. Symphonet also received 15 compounds but with a much lower fine of RM 150,000.

Other offenders in the list were Maxis Broadband who received six compounds that carried a total cost of RM 250,000 while Digi and Enabling Asia Tech received two compounds each that have a total value of RM 200,000. Celcom, TM, Tune Talk, and U Mobile have also received one compound each with a combined fine of RM 160,000.

While MCMC didn’t reveal the exact reason behind each compound, the regulator stated that they were due to offences that are related to the Guidelines on Registration of End Users of Prepaid Public Cellular Services, General Consumer Code, and Mandatory Standards.

Since we still have around four months to go before we move on to 2020, we are not surprised if the number of compounds issued by MCMC will continue to grow.

(Source: MCMC. // Additional image: Nur Zueraisha Qistina.)

The post MCMC Telco Compounds In The First Seven Months of 2019 Already Higher Than The Whole 2018 appeared first on Lowyat.NET.