Celcom’s targets youth segment with 15 pax, data

Celcom announced that their prepaid plan, Xpax will allow users to call their 15 favourite numbers (15pax) for 12 sen a minute, while each text message to Celcom and non-Celcom numbers will cost half a sen and six sen respectively.

As for normal, non-15pax call rates, the new plan allows customer to calls at 38 sen a minute, while each text message will cost 10 sen.

The plan allows customers to register for up to two years before credit expiry. The starter pack is priced at RM 8.50, with RM5 airtime. The Xpax has daily unlimited data plans at RM6 daily, customers can also opt for the weekly RM20 plan.

The revamp came as Celcom plans’ target the youth segment, and through that take the number one spot in the local telco market. Celcom CEO, Dato’ Sri Shazalli Ramly said that the youth has more demands and not just voice or text services, and that their need to virtual socialisation will require Celcom to adapt their strategies.

Celcom launches SOX (School of X)

Kuala Lumpur: Celcom recently launched SOX (School of X), said to be the first and only prepaid plan in Malaysia designed for students aged between 12 and 18, offering them the best rates to all networks.

SOX users will enjoy calling rates of 10 sen per minute and 0.5 sen per Short Messeging Service (SMS) to their eight selected numbers on its “8PAX” feature.

SOX users can also enjoy SMS rates of 1 sen to non-8PAX registered numbers on the same network and 6 sen to other networks, while the calling rate to non-8PAX numbers is 15 sen a minute.

Video calls are priced at 15 sen per minute for same network and 30 sen for other networks, while multimedia Messeging Service (MMS) rates are 20 sen.

The prepaid plan has various bonuses for user as newly registered users will get an extra RM10 credit upon activation of the plan, when they reload RM10.

The plan also promises monthly credit bonuses where extra credits are given every month depending on the usage, and users can enjoy free calls and MMS to their 8PAX numbers for seven days on their birthday week.

In conjunction with this, Celcom recently launched a new programme called “SOX All Stars” challenge to encourage excellence in various fields such as music, sports, academics, technology, environment and entrepreneurship among secondary school students.

“We see this programme as a platform for youths to learn, practise and compete in extra-curricular activities,” said Celcom CEO Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly.

“We are confident this programme will produce team leaders with calibre for the future, as it promotes excellence in various areas for the benefit of the students’ overall development and help unleash their hidden talent and creativity.”

Celcom Wireless Broadband Prepaid Review

This would be the first review for the technology track thanks to the Tech Team for sponsoring the phone & the prepaid starter pack.

The Celcom Wireless Broadband Prepaid was introduced on 19th March 2009, is the country’s first prepaid mobile broadband service, ready-to-use & without the hassle of customer registration at all. The starter pack can be purchased from Celcom branches, Blue Cube branches & other participating outlets.

Nokia 6600 Slide with Celcom Wireless Broadband Prepaid Starter Pack

This service is extremely useful & convenient for students, foreigners or even executives traveling around Malaysia who need instant Internet access without the stress of going to branches to subscribe to such similar service.

Priced at RM25, the Celcom Broadband Prepaid™ starter pack comes with RM20 credit. No registration is required and the pack is instantly activated upon use. However, voice/video calls and SMS features are not supported in the pack.

In line with the introduction of this new service, Celcom will also be launching a new Weekly Unlimited package at only RM20 a week, in which customers can enjoy unlimited Internet access for seven consecutive days. This is on top of the existing Daily Unlimited package, priced at RM6 for 24 consecutive hours of broadband access. This means that now both prepaid broadband and postpaid subscribers will be able to choose from the Daily or Weekly package to suit their needs.

With Celcom Broadband Prepaid™, customers can access the Internet based on the following options:

• Directly from a mobile phone that supports 3GX (HSDPA) or 3G
• Using a notebook/PC + mobile phone as modem
• Using a notebook/PC + personal computer manufacturer interface adaptor (PCMCIA/PCI) datacard as modem
• Using a notebook/PC + USB modem

Souce : Celcom

To start using the service, customers need to activate the service & subsequently subscribe the service via SMS. The steps are available from the Celcom’s Broadband website.

For this review, Tech Team sponsored a 3G Nokia 6600 Slide phone. Insert the SIM card into the phone & connect the phone to a computer using the USB cable provided. Next up, install Nokia PC Suite. Test site is in Seksyen 17, Petaling Jaya.

Connecting...

PC Suite Connection Status

Once everything is done, Windows would install the appropriate drivers for the Nokia USB modem. Click on the Connect to the Internet icon from the PC Suite. The program is smart enough to detect the service provider & connect properly. If it doesn’t, choose the Nokia USB modem & Celcom Malaysia settings. You should be able to connect in mere 4 clicks of the mouse.

Windows Connection Status

Windows reported that I managed to connect at 460.8Kbps. A check from the speedometer from Celcom’s website reports another thing. I only managed to connect on an average speed of 250Kbps & a maximum of 259Kbps recorded.

Test Results

In conclusion, it is up to individual’s opinion when it comes to judging this service. As for me, I am satisfied with service based on convenience sake. I do not have to run to the nearest cybercafé or to the local coffee shop that provides Wi-Fi services. I can surf the web in my convenience in my own dorm provided that location has coverage.

Formula Extreme’s Technology Track will push for the HSDPA review which has the potential speed of 3.6Mbps soon. Stay tuned.

Celcom Prepaid X-PaX Terbaru

Celcom yakin mampu jadi peneraju perkhidmatan telekomunikasi

Shazalli Ramly (berdiri kiri) bersama kakitangan Celcom menunjukkan pek dan replika pek XPAX pada majlis pelancaran pelan prabayar itu, di Kuala Lumpur semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR 15 Mei - Celcom (M) Bhd. (Celcom) dijangka mampu mencapai sasaran Petunjuk Prestasi Utama (KPI) nya pada tahun ini ekoran pertumbuhan positif yang dicatatkan bagi 12 suku kewangan berturut-turut.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly berkata, berikutan itu, Celcom yakin dapat menjadi peneraju bagi perkhidmatan telekomunikasi di negara ini menjelang tahun 2012.

''Berdasarkan keadaan semasa, Celcom yakin dapat mengekalkan momentum pertumbuhan itu melalui pelancaran produk baru pada tahun ini seperti pelan prabayar XPAX yang baru.

''Selain itu, setakat ini, asas pelanggan kami bagi segmen prabayar XPAX adalah tujuh juta sehingga pada Disember tahun lalu dengan sejumlah 3.5 juta adalah pengguna berusia di bawah 25 tahun,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada majlis pelancaran produk terbaru Celcom pada tahun ini pelan prabayar XPAX baru, di sini hari ini.

Hadir sama di majlis itu Ketua Pegawai Pemasaran Celcom, Chee Pok Jin dan Naib Presiden Kanan Pemasaran, Zalman Aefendy.

Tambah Shazalli, pelan terbaru XPAX ini ditawarkan berdasarkan penyelidikan menyeluruh terhadap kehendak pelanggan terutama bagi segmen pelanggan remaja.

''XPAX yang baru ini direka khas bagi remaja berusia di bawah 25 tahun mengikut kehendak dan keperluan mereka untuk menjadikan kami sebagai pesaing dalam industri telekomunikasi ini,'' jelasnya.

Pelan prabayar XPAX terbaru yang pertama seumpamanya membolehkan pelanggan mendaftar nombor dari semua rangkaian sebagai 15 nombor pilihan atau yang dikenali sebagai 15pax.

15pax menawarkan kadar sama rata bagi panggilan serendah RM0.12 seminit dan pesanan ringkas (SMS) setengah sen untuk satu SMS serta enam sen untuk satu SMS dari rangkaian lain.

Manakala panggilan video hanya pada kadar RM0.30 seminit dan khidmat pesanan multimedia (MMS) pada kadar RM0.35 untuk satu MMS.

Selain itu, pelan terbaru ini juga menawarkan perkhidmatan jalur lebar bergerak (mobile broadband) pada harga RM6.00 untuk harian dan RM20.00 mingguan.

XPAX terbaru ini juga menawarkan tempoh tamat sehingga dua tahun serta memberikan pelbagai manfaat lain seperti bonus setiap bulan, hari jadi dan sebagainya.

Pelan prabayar XPAX terbaru boleh didapati pada harga RM8.50 dan akan mula dipasarkan pada 19 Mei ini.

Postpaid Plan Comparison between Celcom,Maxis,Digi & U-Mobile

Cheapest Postpaid Plan Comparison between Celcom, Digi, Maxis & U-Mobile

Looking for the lowest commitment fee of Postpaid Plan? The lowest monthly commitment fee offered by a telecommunication company doesn’t mean the package is offering you the cheapest calling or SMS rates. Have you done any comparison between all the postpaid plans available in the market to find out which plan benefit you the most?

I assumed readers here who are looking for a best deal of monthly lowest commitment fee plan are budgeting for a package below RM50. Because there are other better packages available for those users who spend more than RM50 per month.

1) Celcom – Celcom Exec 20

Image Source: Celcom
Some of the highlights are:

• Monthly Commitment Fee: RM20 (Access Fee = RM20, Talk Time Rebate = RM0)
• Voice call is charged at 30 seconds per block
• Itemized Bill: RM3

2) Digi – DG 20

Image Source: Digi
Some of the highlights are:

• Monthly Comittment Fee: RM20 (Access Fee = RM20, Talk Time Rebate = RM0)
• Voice call is charged at 30 seconds per block
• Itemized Bill: RM3

3) Maxis – Value First

Image Source: Maxis
Some of the highlights are:

• Monthly Commitment Fee: RM30 (Access Fee = RM15, Talk Time Rebate = RM15)
• Voice call is charged at 60 seconds per block
• Itemized Bill: RM3
• Attached with 3 Optional “Value Extras” Mini Packages

Extra Ten – Pay Extra RM8 per month to enjoy 8 sen/min & 1 sen/SMS
Extra SMS – Pay Extra RM8 per month to enjoy Free 500 SMS
Extra Weekend – Pay Extra RM8 per month to enjoy 50% off Maxis-to-Maxis weekend calls

4) U-Mobile – U38 Plan

Image Source: U Mobile
Some of the highlights are:

• Monthly Commitment Fee: RM38 (Access Fee = RM0, Talk Time Rebate = RM38)
• Video Calls and Voice Calls at the same rate
• Voice/Video calls are charged at 1 second per block
• Itemized Bill: RM5

Summary:

• Cheapest Monthly Commitment Fee: Celcom and Digi (RM20/month)
• Cheapest Voice Call rate to Other Operators per minute: Celcom, Digi and Maxis (RM0.20/minute)
• Cheapest Voice Call rate to Same Operators per minute: Maxis and U Mobile (RM0.18/minute)
• Cheapest SMS rate to Other Operators per SMS: Celcom and Maxis (RM0.10/SMS)
• Cheapest SMS rate to Same Operators per SMS: U Mobile (RM0.05/SMS)

Comparison - Budget RM38 for Phone Bill

To have a better picture in your minds on the comparison of all the packages, I have assumed that a user is allocating a budget of RM38 for his/her monthly phone bill. The lowest package we have from U Mobile is RM38 for the U38 Plan. Therefore we will allocate budget of RM38 mobile phone usage as a benchmark for comparison purpose. This is to ensure the calculation comparison is on apple compare to apple basics.

What you get from Celcom with Budget of RM38?

• Either 90 minutes of voice calls to same/other operators, OR
• 180 SMS to same/other operators

Reason to Subscribe Celcom Exec 20:
This plan is most suitable for users who are only allocated with minimum budget for the monthly phone bill and/or less frequent mobile phone usage. Celcom Exec offers you the lowest postpaid plan in Malaysia with commitment fee as low as RM20 per month.

What you get from Digi with Budget of RM38?

• Either 90 minutes of voice calls to same/other operators, OR
• 120 SMS to same/other operators

Reason to Subscribe Digi DG 20:
Digi DG 20 is a similar product as Celcom Exec 20. Both are charging same access fee as RM20. But if you are comparing between Celcome Exec 20 and Digi DG 20, unless majority of your friends and family are using Digi network, else I believe you are smart enough to do the right decision for yourself.

What you get from Maxis with Budget of RM38?

• Either 75 minutes of voice calls to other operators plus 100 minutes with Extra Ten package (Maxis-to-Maxis), OR
• 150 SMS to same/other operators plus 500 SMS with Extra SMS package

Reason to Subscribe Maxis Value First:
Fortunately, Maxis Value First attached with 3 optional Value Extras mini packages. Else, the original plan of Value First itself alone will not be attractive at all. If any of the add-on Value Extras packages benefits you, then you might consider subscribing Maxis Value First.