Virgin, Selangor state agency launch mobile prepaid service
(The Sun Daily) – Virgin Mobile MEA (Middle East & Africa), an associate company of Richard Branson’s UK-based Virgin Group, has launched its mobile prepaid service FRiENDi in Malaysia with 30% partner Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Bhd, with the promise of cheaper rates to set itself apart from more established rivals in an already saturated and competitive market.
According to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission mobile penetration rate was at 143.4% in the second quarter of 2013.
“We are very excited to enter the Malaysian mobile market with FRiENDi mobile, and with the Virgin Mobile global experience we are introducing customer benefits not available in Malaysia until today,” FRiENDi mobile Malaysia CEO Jonathan Marchbank said in a statement yesterday.
“With our low rates for local and international calls, per second charging after the first minute, and the unique lifetime validity, we expect to be warmly received by the Malaysian mobile customers, and we look forward to serve all our new customers,” he added.
FRiENDi claimed it is different from its competitors in the way it charges for phone calls, going by seconds instead of minutes.
For example, a FRiENDi mobile customer which makes a call for 2 minutes and 1 second will only pay for 2 minutes and 1 second. Current practice rounds up the seconds to the next minute when it come to billing.
FRiENDi claims that this method alone would enable customers to save up to 40% on their mobile phone costs depending on the duration and destination of the call.
Other features of the new prepaid service include, 30-days validity extension for every call, SMS, data consumption or reload made by the customer and a wide range of smaller internet access packages starting from as little as RM1.
The FRiENDi starter pack retails at RM5, that comes with RM5 credit. Top-ups are available from as little as RM3, or as much as RM100.
FRiENDi mobile has distribution network of 1,500 dealers across Malaysia, with plans for expansion.
