After the launch of iPhone 3G, Maxis is scheduled to bring in the next version, the iPhone 3GS. Previously rumoured to be launched on 19th July 2009, we can now confirm that this news is confirmed as Maxis has launched the iPhone 3GS Promo site.

More details here.

For  telco news & latest updates, please visit SoyaCincau.

As officially announced yesterday, Maxis will be launching the iPhone 3G on March 20th at KLCC Convention Centre. Malaysia won’t be alone, as its neighbour Indonesia will also be launching on the same date too.

Telkomsel has been identified as an iPhone 3G’s carrier in Indonesia and they have been accepting registration for pre-booking. This has been going on for several months and nobody has seen anything happen after that. Perhaps Telkomsel is collecting a database of interested users before hand which is a different strategy compared to Maxis surprise last minute pre-booking.

Today, they had sent a mass SMS to all users that had pre-register with the following:

Pelanggan YTH, Andalah yg pertama kami informasikan: Apple & Telkomsel dgn bangga akan menghadirkan iPhone 3G ke Indonesia, pd tgl 20 maret 2009 pkl 20:00 WIB.

This simply translates that “you” are the first to be informed that Apple & Telkomsel is proud to bring the iPhone 3G to Indonesia on 20th March 2009 at 8:00PM West Indonesia Time.

Similiar to Maxis, their iPhone 3G promo page is located at http://www.telkomsel.com/iphone/

Telkomsel iPhone 3G Plans

Telkomsel offers the iPhone 3G in Prepaid and 3 Post Paid plans.

For the prepaid, it costs about RM2968 for the 8GB version and RM3448 for the 16GB version.

While for the post paid, there are 3 plans with commitment of RM109/month, RM150/month and RM225/month respectively. The contract is available only for 12 months.

The price for the iPhone 3G for postpaid ranges from RM806 to RM1369 for the 8GB version and RM1255 to RM1819 for the 16GB version. These are calculated with today’s rate of RM1 = Rp3248.

From the looks of it, Telkomsel is offering a better deal than Maxis with the Telkomsel’s RM109/month plan having the 8GB iPhone 3G for only RM1369.

It is finally true! Maxis is bringing in the iPhone 3G after 8 months of waiting!!

Read on more at soyacincau.com.

You may start booking your iPhone 3G at http://www.maxis.com.my/iphone

At iPhone 3G for Malaysia, we would like to give a big thank you for your support to this movement!

Read more…
Official Press Release

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – 11 March 2009: Malaysia’s leading mobile operator Maxis Communications Berhad (“Maxis”) today announced that it will offer iPhone 3G 8GB for free on its iValue 4 plan from March 20. Maxis will offer a range of new tariff plans, starting at just RM100 per month, tailored specifically for iPhone customers.

iPhone 3G combines three products in one – a revolutionary phone, widescreen iPod and breakthrough internet device – to create an incredible mobile experience. With fast 3G networking, GPS mapping and support for enterprise features including Microsoft Exchange, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. The groundbreaking App Store provides access to tens of thousands of applications from games to social networking to financial planning and health management, generating more than 500 million downloads to date. iPhone 3G is now available in over 70 countries around the world.

“As the nation’s leading operator, Maxis has always stood for innovation and distinctive customer experiences,” said Sandip Das, Chief Executive Officer of Maxis.  ”We are very pleased to launch iPhone 3G in Malaysia as many of our mobile users have been eagerly anticipating this revolutionary phone. They will really enjoy the many embedded and downloadable applications from the first time they use iPhone 3G.”

Maxis will offer the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G models with four new and specially designed postpaid plans called iValue, all of which are voice-data bundled price plans, starting from RM100 per month. For customers who sign up for a monthly commitment of RM375 over a 24-month period on the iValue 4 plan, the iPhone 3G 8GB will be free of charge.

The bundled voice and data plans are the first of their kind in Malaysia, reflecting the substantial growth in mobile data usage among Maxis’ customers. Maxis’ subscribers form the largest base of mobile data users in Malaysia, with more than 4.4 million accessing mobile internet services and sites on a regular basis.

“Malaysians, including our Maxis customers, are among the highest internet and data users in the world; and iPhone 3G will further enliven their mobile experiences with Maxis,” added Mr Das. “We are making nearly RM1.6 billion of investments into our networks this year. Over the coming months we will continue a comprehensive upgrade and expansion programme that will further enhance coverage and performance, including our high speed 3G data network.”

The new price plans on 24-month contracts are:

NOTE: All customers are also eligible to add any existing SMS bundle to their iPhone plan at standard rates.

The Maxis iPhone 3G launch will be held at 7pm on March 20 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, where customers who have pre-booked iPhone 3G will be invited to the event to collect their phones. Walk-in customers who have not registered may also book iPhone 3G at the launch and collect their phones at a later date.

Maxis announced the launch of the special website www.maxis.com.my/iPhone. Customers can visit the site to find out more about iPhone 3G and iValue plans. To be among the first in Malaysia to own an iPhone 3G, customers can either pre-book via the website or visit one of the 29 Maxis Centres nationwide, as well as selected Maxis Exclusive Partners and authorised Apple resellers.

Further details about the launch can be found at www.maxis.com.my/iPhone. Maxis customers can also call 1800 821 123 for details on how to book their iPhone 3G devices and plans.

About Maxis Communications Berhad

The Maxis Group currently operates in three key Asian markets – Malaysia, India and Indonesia – with a 5,000 strong workforce collectively serving over 30 million customers and offering a comprehensive range of communications services, including mobile and fixed line telecommunications, value-added data and content services, wireless and fixed line broadband services and international gateway services.

In Malaysia, Maxis Communications Berhad (“Maxis”) is the country’s premier mobile telecommunications operator, with the lead in postpaid and prepaid (Hotlink) subscriber base.  The Maxis Group operates in India through subsidiary Aircel Limited and in Indonesia through PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler.

Since it began operations in 1995, Maxis has won numerous awards. Recently, the company was recognised as “Malaysian Mobile Operator of the Year” by Asian Mobile News at the 2008 Asian Mobile News Awards and “Malaysia’s Service Provider of the Year” by Frost & Sullivan at the 2008 Malaysia Telecoms Awards, due to its clear demonstration of leadership in business performance, brand value, sustained service excellence, network quality and product innovation.

For more information, please visit www.maxis.com.my

Media Contact:

Sheryll Stothard

Corporate Communications Department

Maxis Communications Berhad

Tel: +603 2330 7424

Fax: +603 2330 0586

Email: ssheryl@maxis.com.my

iPhone3GforMalaysia has amassed over 400 petitions to date!

Over 400 Malaysians believe that our local telcos should work their asses off to bring the iPhone 3G here officially.

Come 22 August eager beavers in 20 countries will be getting their iPhone 3G as the second wave of launches hits.

Disappointingly Malaysia is not listed in these 20 lucky countries.

We wonder what will it take, what will we need to do to convince the CMOs and CEOs of Maxis, Celcom, DiGi and U Mobile to finally listen to their customers and bring the iPhone 3G to Malaysia.

The festive season and MNP are just around the corner and our fingers are crossed in hopes that one of these telcos will breakout and make the announcement that all 400 of us and maybe even more have been wanting to hear.

Maxis, Celcom, DiGi, U Mobile – the ball’s in your court. Pick it up and do something!

To the 400 (maybe more) over iPhone 3G hopefuls out there – congratulations and thank you all for sharing your voice with us!

Check out the names of those who believe that our local telcos should work hard to bring the iPhone 3G officially to Malaysia here

If you have a blog or your own website, please do let us know so that we can display them with much delight here in iPhone3GforMalaysia.

And don’t forget to include the power2theRAKYAT sidebar icon on your blog. Let us know as well so we can include your blog in our program affiliate section.

Send in your support now. Together, we will make it happen!

Malaysia Boleh!

The day we are all dreading is getting closer and closer. It’s the day Singapore launches the iPhone 3G officially.

For those who’ve missed it, the next wave of iPhone 3G launches are just 2 days away.

Come 22 August, Apple and its partner telcos will be launching the new iPhone in 20 new countries.

One of them is Singapore and none of them is Malaysia. Thank you passive telcos of Malaysia.

With the Singapore launch date looming, SingTel has announced its pricing plan for the iPhone 3G. You can check out the details here. Or we can save you some time and just continue to read this article

The gist of it is that there are a whole range of plans to choose from to suit the different needs of an iPhone user.

There’s the iFlexi plans which SingTel says are customised plans just for the iPhone 3G.

Click for larger image

For those who are already on SingTel there’s add-on plans as well.

Click for larger image

From where we’re looking, there’s nothing revolutionary about the plans. You could say that it’s reasonably priced but we can’t be the judge of that as we have no experience paying for mobile plans in Singapore.

For those who have experience feel free to let us know what you think.

In addition, the fine print says that there’s a one-time activation fee of SGD$10.70 (about RM25.00) and rather ridiculous SIM card charge of SGD$32.10 (about RM76.00).

We know SIMs don’t cost that much. But again we’re not familiar with things across the causeway so if anyone care to explain why SIM cards cost so much in Singapore, we’re all ears.

It’s not prominent but apparently SingTel’s iPhone plans are tied up with a 2-year contract which is considered standard over in Singapore.

Pouring over the FAQs we discovered that the iPhone 3G from SingTel will not be SIM locked. It’s interesting to see how the answers are worded to give a vague answer. But if you read between the lines, technically you can use other SIMs even if you’re on one of the SingTel plans.

We believe like Malaysia, the mobile communications regulatory body in Singapore has disallowed exclusively locking of a device to one network.

From SingTel’s iPhone 3G FAQ

Will the SIM be locked to SingTel?
What SingTel says:
The handset will be preset to the SingTel Network. Phones not connected to the SingTel network will not be supported by SingTel.

Our interpretation:
Basically yes, iPhone 3G from SingTel with other SIMs will be supported by that particullar SIM’s network. For example, if you use Starhub’s SIM in an iPhone 3G you got from SingTel, odds are it should work fine as Starhub network will support the SIM.

Will my iPhone work with a StarHub or M1 SIM?
What SingTel says:
It may work but you may not enjoy the same iPhone experience as SingTel only supports iPhone 3G devices that are connected to SingTel’s network.

Our interpretation:
Basically yes again. As long as the network has 3G, HSDPA and WiFi you should have no problems using the features of the iPhone 3G.

Disappointingly, there is no prepaid option for the device from SingTel “at this stage”.

Sale of the iPhone 3G in Singapore will start at the stroke of midnight on Friday, 22 August.

StarHub and M1 targets to have stocks of the device by end of the year. In addition, StarHub promises attractive prices for those willing to wait.

Things are heating up in Singapore and it’s as cold as hell here in Malaysia. Maxis, Celcom, DiGi, U Mobile – what are you doing!

Yes, you’ve read it right. Just over one month has passed since the iPhone 3G went on sale.

Since then, over 3 million new gen iPhones have gone to lucky owners the world over. Looking back, the original iPhone only managed its first million after over 70 days it was released into the market.

There’s no denying that the fact that the new iPhone is available in more than 20 countries has tremendously boosted its sales figures but the appeal and unprecedented demand for the device is also unquestionable.

Interestingly, this seems to defy global trends of downward consumer spending, employment levels and overall economic health.

So it looks like supply of the hot device is still a bit of an issue. Despite this Apple has already made a commitment to launch the iPhone 3G in 70 countries by year’s end and it’s safe to assume that they’ve got a plan to sort out the supply issues well before December.

If not, Apple will be in a whole heap of trouble as Christmas is just four months away.

Disappointingly, at the local front, there’s still no word from any local telco that they’ll be bringing the device to Malaysia.

Despite all the rumours and hoopla, there’s no official word from Maxis as well.

So Maxis, what gives?

And what about the rest? Celcom, DiGi and U Mobile, still nothing from them either.

Well, it’s now August and the festive season will be upon us very soon. We have Merdeka coming up and then Ramadhan, next Hari Raya and Deepavalli, Hari Raya Haji, Christmas and New Year all happening in quick succession.

MNP is also just around the corner. Perhaps the local telcos are holding up for a big surprise by then. We can only speculate. Of course, if there’s anything new. We’ll let you know.

For those who’ve just joined us, the iPhone 3G first hit stores July 11

iPhone3GforMalaysia has amassed over 300 petitions to date!

First 100, then it was 200, now thanks to your support iPhone3GforMalaysia has successfully collected over 300 signatures!

We know this number can only grow and grow as we stand united to demand that the local telcos bring the iPhone 3G to Malaysia officially.

No excuses! No rumours! Just make the announcement!

Check out the names of those who believe that our local telcos should work hard to bring the iPhone 3G officially to Malaysia here

iPhone 3G hopefuls out there – congratulations and thank you all for sharing your voice with us!

If you have a blog or your own website, please do let us know so that we can display them with much delight here in iPhone3GforMalaysia.

And don’t forget to include the power2theRAKYAT sidebar icon on your blog. Let us know as well so we can include your blog in our program affiliate section.

Send in your support now. Together, we will make it happen!

Malaysia Boleh!

Macworld reports Apple will be launching the iPhone 3G in 20 additional countries on 22 August.

Amazingly this comes in despite a certain telco claiming that high demand is hindering its progress to bring the iPhone 3G into Malaysia.

We are still adamant that this is not the case.

With regards to the supply-demand issue, as we’ve mentioned, Apple would soon have it under control based on their past experiences with iPod launches. Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook disclosed that Apple is confident is its ability to boost production to be able to launch the iPhone 3G in 20 more countries on 22 August.

Unfortunately, Cook didn’t specifically mentioned which countries will launch the device next month. Looking at the reports flying in we would name Singapore and India as hot favourites for the next batch of iPhone 3G.

Apple is looking forward to making the iPhone 3G available in 70 countries by year end and aims to shift 10 million phones within the same period.

We and over 200 iPhone 3G hopefuls are hoping Malaysia will be in the list of 70 countries.

Send in your support now. Together, we will make it happen!

Malaysia Boleh!

AT&T – one of the earliest adopters of the iPhone and the iPhone 3G – is doing very well.

Its second quarter numbers are reported “solid highlighted by strong wireless growth, double-digit gains in revenues from IP-based data services and further expansion of consolidated margins”.

We don’t want to bore you with the facts and figures but if you’d like to have a look, click here.

Though it would be improbable to think that this stellar second quarter performance is solely attributed to the iPhone and iPhone 3G, AT&T does not discount the fact that the much sought after devices were and still is a contributing factor.

The Apple iPhone 3G is a dramatic example of this transformation. In the days following our exclusive U.S. launch of this new device, powered by the nation’s fastest 3G wireless network, customer response has been everything we had anticipated and more. – Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer

With over 700,000 units sold in just 12 days, the iPhone 3G is selling twice as fast compared to the original last year for AT&T. It’s safe to assume that iPhone 3G will have a significant impact on the increase of mobile broadband connectivity for the American service provider.

Our question now is…what are the local telcos waiting for? Despite overwhelming demand and activation issues consumers are still coming in throngs to purchase the iPhone 3G.

Is this still not an enough reason for local telcos to start winning the hearts of their customers?

We think that its more than enough.

Send in your support now. Together, we will make it happen!

Malaysia Boleh!