Following Maxis’ latest upgrade for its Hotlink FAST prepaid, Celcom has just responded with its newly upgraded M4GIC SIM. Right off the bat, it comes with unlimited voice calls to all Celcom/Xpax numbers if you perform a M4GIC Reload. For a worry free experience, they are still offering Free Basic internet which includes free access to WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger.

Also comes as standard is the ability to carry forward unused internet (half of base data plan) to the following month. The free unlimited Internet “burung hantu” between 1AM to 7AM is no more but you can enjoy that as an optional top up of RM2 for 2GB or RM5 for 10GB.

The biggest highlight, of course, is its data plans dubbed as M4GIC Reload. You can top up 1GB data at RM8/day or enjoy a whopping 7GB monthly data at RM68/month. Do note that the monthly plan quotas are split between all time and weekend data, similar to its current FIRST Postpaid offering.

All reload plans come with unlimited calls within Celcom’s network but only the XL and 2XL plans give you extra calls to other network. The XL reload comes with 30 minutes of calls to other networks while the 2XL reload comes with 60 minutes. Free unlimited music with Yonder Music is also included when you reload.

M4GIC RELOAD
S – 1GB Daily – RM8/day
M – 1GB Weekly – RM18/week
L – 4GB Monthy (2GB + 2GB Weekend) – RM38/month
XL – 5GB Monthly (3GB + 2GB Weekend) – RM48/month
2XL – 7GB Monthly (5GB + 2GB Weekend) – RM68/month

Celcom also pointed out that the new M4GIC Reload offers a more seamless experience. No longer you need to top up your credit and activate a plan by SMS as you can reload your credit, internet, unlimited voice and free music instantly in a single step.

When compared to its previous Magic SIM data options, it looks like you have to top up more than RM30 for a monthly data plan. We are told that you can continue to top up its previous data plans as shown below but you won’t get to enjoy free unlimited calls within Celcom’s network:

A new Xpax M4GIC SIM pack costs RM10 and it comes with RM6 preloaded airtime and 200MB of High-speed internet. The pack comes with 5 days validity and it also comes with 500MB Free Basic Internet. The previous MAGIC SIM with free burung hantu internet is still available but while stocks last. For more info, head over to the Xpax’s website.

Customers are really getting spoilt for choice when it comes to postpaid plans. After Celcom and Digi announced their latest offering, Maxis went out to boost their current MaxisONE Plans with even more data.

On top of that, they have also upgraded their MaxisONE Share supplementary lines with a new DataPool feature. Similar to U Mobile’s Hero Postpaid Plus, DataPool lets you combine your overall data and you can share it across your supplementary accounts.

So which postpaid plan is the best for your household? Read on to find out.

Maxis

To recap Maxis’ latest offering, their MaxisONE Plan now comes with up to 20GB of data per month. On top of its unlimited voice and SMS bundling, the MaxisONE 98 still retains the last upgraded 5GB of quota, but the next MaxisONE 128 now gets 10GB of data. Meanwhile, MaxisONE 158 gets 15GB and their top of the line MaxisONE 188 gets 20GB.

What’s new is their upgraded MaxisONE Share, where you can add additional supplementary lines (RM48/month) that comes with unlimited calls, SMS and 5GB of shared data. To make sharing easier, Maxis DataPool lets you share data between principal and supplementary lines which is somewhat similar to U Mobile’s Hero Plus Postpaid.

For greater control, the principal line can manage how much data quota each supplementary line gets from the Maxis App. As an added bonus, Maxis is throwing extra 5GB/month of data video streaming quota for the principal line which is usable for iflix, viu, Eros now and hopster.

Digi

For Digi, nothing much has changed since the last update. Following Maxis’ latest upgrade, Digi has increased its Digi Postpaid 238 (More Internet) data quota from 20GB to 30GB. Hitting the sweet spot is still their Postpaid 80 (More Calls & SMS) that offers 7GB (Anytime) + 3GB (Weekend) data and unlimited calls for RM80/month. Unlike the rest, Digi seems to have done away with dedicated supplementary plans.

Instead, principal subscribers of Postpaid 48 and above can register additional Digi postpaid lines underneath them. The rest of the plan bundling remains unchanged and all you get is free calls and SMS between principal and supplementary lines.

Celcom

Celcom is probably having the simplest approach for postpaid. You get just 3 choices – FIRST Blue at RM45/month, FIRST Gold at RM80/month and FIRST Platinum at RM150/month. All three FIRST Plans are now extended until 31 May 2016. For additional lines, they have their usual FIRST 1+5 supplementary plan.

At RM30/month you get 500MB of data, 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS to all network. Also included is free calls and SMS between principal and supplementary lines. For the price, family members that need more data would be better off getting a FIRST Blue plan that offers 4GB of mobile data for RM15/month more.

U Mobile

U Mobile has also extended its Hero Postpaid plan extra 8GB data offer until 31 December 2016. For RM70/month, it still a bargain offering a combined 15GB of data, unlimited calls and SMS. For additional lines for sharing, each Share 50 Member line costs RM50 and that gives you unlimited calls and extra 3GB of data that’s shared with the principal line.

U Mobile also lets you watch unlimited video streaming 24/7 with no data charges with Video-Onz. This covers 11 video platforms including iflix, YouTube, viu, HyppTV Everywhere, Youku and Tonton. Note that speeds on Video-Onz are capped at 1.5Mbps which is said to be enough for standard definition. If you want to stream at higher quality, there’s an option to turn Video-Onz off. The Video-Onz promo is offered until 30 June 2016.

Postpaid Plans under RM100

Postpaid Plans above RM100

Supplementary Plan options

Looking at the 4 telcos, only Maxis and U Mobile are offering supplementary postpaid plans that offer unlimited voice calls with data sharing. For the main line, U Mobile is the cheapest offering 7GB (+8GB extra) at RM70/month while MaxisONE starts off higher with 5GB at RM98/month. For supplementary lines, MaxisONE is more generous offering 5GB of extra shared data, unlimited calls and SMS for RM48/month. As a comparison, U Mobile’s Member 50 at RM50/month gives you 3GB of data and unlimited calls, while SMS are charged separately.

Depending on how much data and lines you need in a household, we’ve listed all possible options below for easy reference.

2 Lines

3 Lines

4 Lines

Conclusion

As always, before picking up a plan, there are other factors to consider. Ensure you’re getting a plan that suits your usage and take note of data splits if any. Some offers and benefits are time limited so do keep an eye out on the expiry as well.

Beyond the postpaid plan table, you would also need to take into account network coverage, customer service and additional value added services including roaming. We’ve said it before and we will say it again – what’s the point of having loads of data if you can’t use it at all? Which postpaid plan with supplementary lines is better for you? Let us know in the comments below.

Ahead of iPhone SE‘s official Malaysian release this Friday, Celcom has finally revealed its contract plans. It is available on FIRST Blue, FIRST Gold or FIRST Platinum, and you can own the iPhone SE from as low as RM578.

For Celcom FIRST Blue (RM45/month) and FIRST Gold (RM80/month), it comes with a single 12-month contract duration. Strangely, it is available with a shorter 6 months and a longer 24-month option on its highest FIRST Platinum plan. The iPhone SE bundled pricing are as follows:

iPhone SE 16GB
FIRST Blue (12 months) – RM1,665
FIRST Gold (12 months) – RM1,548
FIRST Platinum (6 months) – RM1,665
FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM578

iPhone SE 64GB
FIRST Blue (12 months) – RM2,090
FIRST Gold (12 months) – RM1,968
FIRST Platinum (6 months) – RM2,090
FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM998

During sign up, you’ll need to fork out an advance payment between RM45 to RM1,100 depending on which plan you pick. Take note that the 24-month FIRST Platinum offer is available only until 31 May 2016. To recap, the iPhone SE is priced outright at RM1,949 (16GB) and RM2,449 (64GB).

So what do you get with the plans? FIRST Blue gives you 4GB of data (2GB all time + 2GB weekend) along with 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS at RM45/month. Meanwhile, FIRST Gold gives you unlimited voice calls and SMS, plus a whopping 10GB of data (5GB all time + 5GB weekend) at RM80/month. For the ultimate bundle, the RM150/month FIRST Platinum plan gives you 18GB of data (9GB all time + 9GB weekend) along with unlimited calls and SMS. If you can’t finish your mobile data, you can carry it forward to the following month, up to your maximum all time quota.

For more info, head over to Celcom’s iPhone SE page.

[ SOURCE ]

Celcom is making this weekend extra special as they are doubling the internet quota for FIRST postpaid customers up to 2.25GB extra. This is applicable for FIRST Blue, FIRST Gold and FIRST Platinum postpaid subscribers.

To recap, FIRST Postpaid plans by Celcom offers additional data for each weekend and they are increasing its data quota for this coming weekend only on the 21-22 May 2016.

FIRST Blue – Free 500MB 1.0GB Weekend quota
FIRST Gold – Free 1.25GB 2.5GB Weekend quota
FIRST Platinum – Free 2.25GB 4.5GB Weekend quota

The promotion is offered in conjunction with the Thomas & Uber Cup 2016 finals that’s happening in China.

Xpax Prepaid users rejoice! Celcom’s prepaid brand has finally released a mobile app which allows you to manage your account easier than ever.

As you would expect, the app lets you view your current internet usage along with your bundled minutes and SMS. Subscribing to an internet plan is also a few taps away and MagicSIM users can choose from the usual internet pack, Magic Pack, MAX UP and Burung Hantu. If you’re low on credit, you can top up from the app with either a credit/debit card or through your online bank account via FPX.

At the moment, the app is available only for its prepaid users on both Android and iOS.

Celcom says they are working towards building the most advanced 4G network in the country. To achieve that, they are undergoing a nationwide modernisation exercise with Ericsson Malaysia and Huawei Technologies. More than 4,600 communication towers will be upgraded with the latest 4G equipment and software.

During the upgrade process between June – September 2016, customers in the Klang Valley may experience interruptions ranging from weaker connections to zero coverage. According to Celcom, the interruptions would occur between 10AM to 5PM and they have contingencies in place to minimise downtime. This would include setting up temporary base stations using “Cells on Wheels” for outdoors and femtocells for indoor usage.

The following is their latest schedule for the month of June:

9 June
Taman Kosas, Ampang, Bukit Belacan

17 June
Rawang area, Bandar Country Homes, Templer Park, Bandar Tasik Puteri, Sungai Choh
Pandan Indah, Kampung Pandan Dalam, Desa Pandan
Kepong area, Taman Bukit Desa, Taman Ehsan

18 June
Sungai Pelek, Sepang, Taman Bukit Pelandok, Bagan Lalang
Rawang area, Bandar Sungai Buaya, Jalan Batu Arang

21 June
Selayang Baru, Batu Caves,Jinjang Utara, Batu Caves, Gombak,
Taman Pinggiran, Taman Bolton, Bandar Baru Enstek, Labu,
Kampung Gadong Jaya, Taman Seriemas

23 June
Taman Sri Segambut, Taman Sinar Suria, Taman Sejahtera,
Taman SPPK, Jinjang, Jalan ipoh batu 5, Kampung Batu,
Bandar Baru Nilai, Taman Semarak, Desa Cempaka,
Laman Dahlia

Celcom assures that the four-month exercise in the Klang Valley will provide customers with a better 4G network which include better connections, no buffering while streaming, faster speeds and seamless 4G signals from outside to inside buildings.

They are allocating RM2 billion into their network across 5 years which will prepare them for 4.5G and eventually it will be a base for future 5G. Celcom aims to achieve 95% 4G LTE coverage by 2020 as part of the government’s requirement.

For more updates, head over to Celcom’s 4G Modernisation page.

Celcom has yet again extended its FIRST Postpaid plans which was supposed to end on 30 June 2016. The subscription fees from RM45/month remain unchanged but there’s some changes with its bundled SMS and data offering.

FIRST Blue Postpaid

For FIRST Blue, you get the same 2GB (all time) + 2GB (Weekend) data along with 50 minutes of calls and SMS. However its carry forward internet feature has been reduced from 2GB to 1GB.

If you need more data, you can MAX UP 1GB of data for RM20 and it comes with free unlimited music streaming with Yonder. According to its FAQ, you can also carry forward your MAX UP data for RM10 and this feature will be available after 15 July.

FIRST Gold Postpaid

Hitting the sweet spot at RM80/month, FIRST Gold Postpaid has maintained its 5GB + 5GB data offering but its carry forward quota has also been slashed from 5GB to 2.5GB. Celcom is still offering unlimited free calls however SMS are now charged at 20 sen each. On the flip side, Celcom now offers unlimited social messaging on WhatsApp and WeChat for FIRST Gold and Platinum users.

FIRST Platinum Postpaid

The ultimate FIRST Platinum plan at RM150/month still gives you a total of 18GB of data along with unlimited calls and SMS. Similar to the other plans, you can only carry 50% of your all time data quota (4.5GB) and it also gets unlimited social messaging for WhatsApp and WeChat.

FIRST 1+5 Supplementary Plan

Need supplementary lines? Celcom has finally upgraded its FIRST 1+5 offering with 4X the data. It now gets 1GB (all time) + 1GB Weekend data as well as the ability to carry forward 500MB of unfinished internet to the following month.

Each supplementary line gets 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS to all networks. In addition, each 1+5 line also provides 2,000 minutes of calls and 2,000 SMS to the principal line. If the principal line is a FIRST Gold or Platinum, the supplementary line holders are also entitled to enjoy free unlimited WhatsApp and WeChat.

For more info, you can head over to Celcom’s FIRST Blue, Gold and Platinum pages.

If you’re looking for another option to get the Huawei P9/P9 Plus on contract, both are now available via Celcom FIRST postpaid plans. The Huawei P9 which retails at RM2,099 can be yours for free while the larger Huawei P9 Plus priced at RM2,599 can be yours from RM399.

Both devices are bundled on their higher FIRST Gold and FIRST Platinum postpaid plans with a 24-month contract. The Celcom postpaid plans were recently revised for new subscribers. For FIRST Gold plan at RM80/month, the plan still gives you 10GB of mobile data (5GB + 5GB Weekend) and unlimited calls but the unlimited SMS has been replaced with unlimited WhatsApp and WeChat usage. However, you would need to top up another RM18/month for extra 2GB of data to be entitled for the device bundling. The higher FIRST Platinum plan still retains 18GB (9GB + 9GB Weekend) data, unlimited calls and SMS for RM150/month.

The bundled pricing for the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus are as follows:

Huawei P9
FIRST Gold [RM98/month] – RM699 (RM400 Upfront)
FIRST Platinum [RM150/month] – RM0 (RM800 Upfront)

Huawei P9 Plus
FIRST Gold [RM98/month] – RM999 (RM400 Upfront)
FIRST Platinum [RM150/month] – RM399 (RM800 Upfront)

To recap on the specs, the Huawei P9 is a 5.2″ flagship smartphone with a full HD display and a Kirin 955 Octa-Core processor that’s mated to 3GB of RAM. It gets 32GB of on-board storage which is also expandable via microSD. The biggest highlight is the P9’s dual-camera set up that’s co-engineered by Leica. There’s also a fingerprint scanner at the back while the front sports a 8MP selfie shooter. Keeping the device running is a 3,000mAh battery which charges via USB Type-C. You can check out our review of the Huawei P9.

The Huawei P9 Plus is a slightly bigger device at 5.5″ and it also gets a Kirin 955 processor but with a larger 4GB of RAM. Storage is bigger at 64GB and it also gets an added pressure sensitive display and a dual speaker setup (Treble + Bass) for better audio playback. Being a larger device, the P9 Plus gets a higher 3,400mAh capacity battery along with a faster dual IC rapid charger which is missing on the standard P9.

For more info, you can head over to Celcom’s Huawei P9 and P9 Plus pages.

This post is brought to you by FIRST by Celcom

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is arriving soon and you can get it FIRST on the most talked about plan in town. To be among the first in Malaysia to get it, you may pre-order at Blue Cube online today until the 10th August 2016.

While the Galaxy Note7 will officially go on sale in Malaysia on 19th August, Celcom will allow you to collect it earlier on 18th August. On top of that, those that pre-order will get to enjoy the following offers:

10% off the total device package
FREE Battery pack (worth RM359)
FREE Wireless charger (worth RM279)
FREE Travel adaptor (worth RM139).

With FIRST, you’ll be enjoying the best privileges in town. Indulge in high speed internet without breaking the bank plus more data for your weekend. On FIRST Gold, enjoy 10GB of internet for only RM80/month and you also get to carry forward to up 2.5GB of unused internet to the following month.

As always, domestic calls on FIRST Gold are unlimited, so you can connect to your loved ones anytime, anywhere and you won’t need to worry about extra charges again. You’ll also get to enjoy free and unlimited instant messaging on WhatsApp and WeChat as well as free access to Yonder Music streaming. If you need supplementary lines, FIRST Gold 1+5 keeps your family closer at only RM30 per line.

On FIRST Gold postpaid plan at RM80/month, the Galaxy Note7 can be yours at RM2,302 with a 24 month contract. It comes with 10GB of internet (5GB Internet + 5GB Free Weekend Internet), unlimited calls to all networks and free WhatsApp & WeChat usage. Alternatively, the Galaxy Note7 is also available with FIRST Platinum (RM150/month) at RM2,140 and FIRST Blue (RM45/month) at RM2,338.

To recap on the device, the Galaxy Note7 is Samsung’s latest flagship phablet with a dual curved 5.7″ Quad HD display and it runs on a top of the line Exynos 8890 processor with 4GB of RAM. To store loads of apps, it gets a massive 64GB of on-board storage with the option to expand further with microSD card up to 256GB. It also gets an impressive dual-pixel 12MP main camera and a 5MP selfie shooter.

The new Galaxy Note7 with its new improved S Pen are also IP68-rated dust and water resistant and it uses a new reversible USB Type-C port to charge up its large 3,500mAh battery. To keep your phone safe from prying eyes, it even has a new Iris Scanner can unlock your phone with a quick glance.

So what are you waiting for? Pre-book the Galaxy Note7 at Blue Cube Online today.

Attention Pokemon GO trainers! Need to up your Pokemon GO game? Xpax is giving you a chance to win up to 14,500 Pokecoins worth RM429.99 between 13 to 21 August on Xpax PokeDays at selected Celcom Blue Cube outlets.

What can you do with 14,500 Pokecoins? You can buy 170 lure modules, 275 lucky eggs or 3,600 Poke Balls. Read on to find out how you can win during Xpax’s PokeDay event.

The time and venue for each Xpax PokeDay will be picked by random and you’ll have to be quick. Once announced on their Xpax Facebook page, just be among the first 50 customers to rush to the selected outlet on the specified time with the required number of caught Pokemons to be eligible.

There will be a total of 5 PokeDays and a total of 500 winners. To make things more interesting, Xpax is also giving 10% rebate for in-app Pokecoin purchases if you pay with CelcomPay on the Google Play Store.

To avoid missing out on the next Xpax PokeDay session, be sure to like Xpax’s Facebook page and keep your eyes peeled for the next announcement.

Celcom has revamped its prepaid offering by introducing Xpax Turbo. This replaces its current MagicSIM and it comes with additional data for Facebook and YouTube along with 10GB of Burung Hantu (off-peak) data usage each month.

For the night owls, Xpax Turbo comes with 10GB of off-peak usage between 1AM to 7AM daily. However they are splitting the Burung Hantu allocation over 30 days, so you’ll get to enjoy just 333MB per day.

For greater value, Xpax Turbo also gives you additional free data quota for Facebook and YouTube usage. This us only applicable when you activate a data plan ranging from RM5/3days to RM80/month. The free Facebook and YouTube data are not unlimited and the quota varies depending on the plan that you subscribe to.

For short term usage, RM5 gives you 200MB of high-speed data plus 100MB for Facebook usage that’s valid for 3 days. At RM10/week, you’ll get 600MB of high-speed data, 600MB of Facebook quota and 300MB for YouTube.

If you prefer monthly data plans, RM30 gives you 2GB of high-speed internet, 1GB extra for Facebook and YouTube respectively. If you need more, RM50/month gives you 5GB data + 2GB Facebook + 2GB YouTube and RM80/month offers 9GB data + 3GB Facebook + 3GB YouTube. Overall, the latest Xpax Turbo offers more data for less compared to its previous MagicSIM offering.

It’s also good to know that Celcom isn’t splitting any weekday or weekend quota and they are still providing free unlimited music with its Yonder Music app.

The Xpax Turbo starter pack costs RM10 and it comes bundled with RM6 preloaded airtime and 200MB high-speed internet that’s valid for 7 days. Voice calls are charged at 24sen/minute while SMS are charged at 12sen each. Existing Xpax customers can make the switch on the Xpax app or by sending “MIG XPAX” by SMS to 28882. Take note that a RM2 migration fee applies. For more info, you can visit Xpax Turbo’s product page.

After releasing its Xpax prepaid app, Celcom will be introducing a similar app for its FIRST Postpaid customers soon. If you can’t wait, Celcom appears to have a beta release which is now available for Android users.

At the moment, you can’t find the Celcom app on the Google PlayStore. Since it’s in beta, the only way to download is via a QR code that’s pictured above. This will lead to an APK file (25MB) on dropbox.

From the looks of it, it looks very similar to its Xpax prepaid app. Once installed, just login using your Celcom online customer service ID. The app gives you a glimpse of your account data consumption, active internet plans and billing status. Take note that this isn’t official yet so proceed with this beta app at your own risk.

Thanks @KevinNgTK for the tip!

Before the iPhone 7 pre-orders commence in Malaysia tomorrow, Celcom has revealed its phone bundling to those who have registered their interest. The iPhone 7 is offered from as low as RM1,688 on its FIRST postpaid plans from RM98/month.

Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are available with storage options of 32GB, 128GB and 256GB. You have two contract options from Celcom – First Gold (+2GB extra data) and First Platinum that cost RM98/month and RM150/month respectively. The FIRST Gold postpaid plan is priced at RM80/month with 10GB of data (5GB + 5GB weekend) but you are required to take up additional 2GB of data which cost RM18/month extra. Calls and instant messaging are unlimited but SMS is charged at 20sen each. Their highest plan option is their FIRST Platinum at RM150/month which gives you unlimited calls, unlimited SMS and 18GB of data (9GB + 9GB weekend).

On Celcom, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are priced as follows with a 24 month contract:

iPhone 7
FIRST Gold + 2GB (24 months) – RM2,058 (32GB)
FIRST Gold + 2GB (24 months) – RM2,488 (128GB)
FIRST Gold + 2GB (24 months) – RM2,908 (256GB)

FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM1,688 (32GB)
FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM2,108 (128GB)
FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM2,538 (256GB)

iPhone 7 Plus
FIRST Gold + 2GB (24 months) – RM2,558 (32GB)
FIRST Gold + 2GB (24 months) – RM2,978 (128GB)
FIRST Gold + 2GB (24 months) – RM3,408 (256GB)

FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM2,188 (32GB)
FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM2,608 (128GB)
FIRST Platinum (24 months) – RM3,038 (256GB)

During sign up, Celcom would require an upfront payment of RM700 for FIRST Gold and RM1,100 for FIRST Platinum plan. This will be rebated back to your bill across 10 months.

To secure your device, Celcom will be accepting pre-orders on their Blue Cube online store which would require a full payment upon check out. Alternatively, you can also pre-order at a Blue Cube centre near you by placing a RM300 non-refundable deposit.

As a special promo, non-Celcom customers pre-orders online will stand a chance to be among the lucky 7 winners to take home the iPhone 7 (32GB) for only RM7. Meanwhile, for those who pre-order at their on-ground Blue Cube outlets will stand a chance to get the device for either RM7, RM77 or RM777.

To recap, the iPhone 7 is officially priced in Malaysia from RM3,199 while the bigger iPhone 7 Plus is going from RM3,799. Both models will be officially available next Friday on the 14th October.

Malaysians can now place their iPhone 7 pre-orders from the big 4 telcos in country – Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile. So which plan gives you more internet and most importantly, which offers a better deal?

To make your decision making easier, we compare all the plans along with its bundled calls, sms, data and subsidised iPhone pricing. Head after the break for the full iPhone 7 contract comparison.

Getting an iPhone 7/7 Plus is less complicated than before. There are a total of 11 plan options which is half of what was offered with the iPhone 6s. All options are tied with a 24-month contract duration and you get more than 10GB of data for plans above RM100.

For Maxis, they are bundling the iPhone 7 with its recently upgraded MaxisONE Plan that comes with more data, while U Mobile is still offering the familiar iPlans that’s also applicable for prepaid subscribers. Celcom and Digi have made things even easier by offering just 2 postpaid options.

Instead of focusing on the device price itself, we would advise taking a plan that works for you within your monthly postpaid budget. Apart from the amount of calls, sms and data, other factors to consider is network quality and coverage which varies depending on location. Since you’re going to be tied for 2 years, you might as well go with the telco that works best in your area. You may click on the image below for a clearer view.

iPhone 7/7 Plus plans (under RM130)

iPhone 7/7 Plus plans (RM130 and above)

During registration, all 4 telcos would require an advance payment which will be used to offset your future bills. You could waive this payment depending on each respective telco. Some would waive it if you opt for their auto debit billing via credit card while other telcos would do so if you’re an existing customer with good payment records. If you don’t want to fork out a large sum for the device, some telcos do offer 0% interest easy payment options with selected credit cards.

In case you missed it, the iPhone 7 will be officially available next Friday, 14th October throughout Malaysia. Instead of queuing up for the midnight countdown, telcos such as Maxis and Digi are offering deliveries on the day itself. Alternatively, there are also midnight pickup services at selected telco outlets.

For those who refused to be tied to a contract, you can also purchase the iPhone 7 outright at authorised Apple resellers nationwide. Machines, EpiCentre and Switch have announced that they will be offering the latest iPhone 7 at their stores next Friday. Alternatively, Apple will also allow you to order the iPhone 7 from their online store with free delivery. At the moment, pre-orders isn’t available on their online store yet and you might be able to do so sometime next week.

As usual, if you spot any errors or typos on the table above, do let us know in the comments below.

There is no perfect telco. Sometimes, problems are bound to crop up with your service and that can cause frustration from a consumer standpoint. From there, the default reaction in this day and age would be to type out an angry status on Facebook, tagging all the necessary parties. Also known as the ‘mohon viral’ tactic in some circles.

But that’s often not the right thing to do if you want your issue resolved quickly. Here is what you should do instead.

1. File an official complaint to your telco

This is the first thing you should always do. When you have a problem with a service provider, the best way to solve it is with the service provider themselves. The only thing you have to make sure is to file your complaints through the telco’s official channels. Here are some examples:

Maxis:

Support Centres
Live Chat
Twitter
Facebook
Call: 1-800-82-1123 (Personal) or dial 123 from mobile, 1-800-82-1919 (Business)

Digi:

Support Centres
Twitter
Facebook
Community Forums
Email: *protected email*
Call: 016-221 1800

Celcom:

Support Centres
Contact Form
Facebook
Online Customer Service
Call: 1111 (from Celcom numbers), 019-601 1111 (from Celcom numbers, fixed lines and mobile operators)

U Mobile:

Support Centres
Contact Form
Facebook
Twitter
Call: 018-388 1318

Yes 4G

Support Centres
Email: *protected email*
Troubleshooting Form
Facebook
Twitter
Call: 018-333 0000

webe:

Support Centres
Support Form
Live Chat
Facebook
Twitter
Call: 011-1000 1000

Keep in mind these are just some of the official methods in which you can contact your telco. If your particular telco is not listed here, you should usually be able to find the helplines, emails or support forms by hitting the “Help” or “Support” tab on your telco’s website. Alternatively, you can scroll to the bottom of the webpage and you should see contact information there as well.

However, we understand that sometimes the issue can’t be resolved through your telco and sometimes the resolution provided by your service provider isn’t satisfactory. When that happens, the next step is not to yell at your customer service rep, instead, you should move on to option #2.

2. File a complaint with the Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia (CFM)

The CFM is a forum under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) that was established to protect the rights of consumers in the telco industry. They do this by working closely with service providers and ensuring that all the customer complaints are solved as stipulated in the General Consumer Code.

To give you a general idea of how effective this Forum is, the CFM resolved over 97% of the complaints they received last year, in that year itself. The remaining 3% was resolved within the first quarter of 2016. That’s 7,326 complaints in just over a year. According to the CFM, the top five complaints that they receive are regarding poor service, billing and charging, poor coverage, SMS and unfair practice.

For 2015/2016, the CFM introduced the MY Mobile Rights app — the nation’s first one-stop telco consumers’ complaints submission mobile application. This meant that consumers could easily submit complaints regarding their telco via the app. Just download the application on Google’s Play Store and follow the steps within the app.

If you want to save space on your smartphone, you can also opt to drop a complaint at their online portal, by calling their hotline at 1-800-12-2222 or by visiting CFM themselves directly.

Regardless of what method you use to file a complaint with the CFM, you will receive a confirmation as well as a reference number for your particular complaint. Once CFM receives the complaint letter, the forum will begin their investigation. According to the General Consumer Code of Practice, 90% of complaints must be resolved within a time frame not exceeding 15 business days while 95% of the complaints must be resolved within 30 business days.

Should the issue not be resolved within 30 business days, the CFM will bring the complaint to the council for deliberation. Once that’s done, the cases will be escalated to relevant parties (such as the MCMC) for resolution.

The important thing to remember here is that you are not alone and you shouldn’t have to worry about being bullied by your telco with sub-par services. CFM is here to protect your rights so it’s important that everyone is aware of their rights and what they can do if someone violates it.

Celcom has once again revamped its FIRST Postpaid plans following Digi’s recent new postpaid refresh. Not only they are offering more mobile data but they are also giving you the option to combine both allday and weekend quota for greater freedom.

The popular FIRST Gold Postpaid Plan at RM80/month now gets twice the amount of data (20GB) with 10GB all day and another 10GB for weekend use. If that’s not enough, you can double up again with Gold PLUS plan (40GB) which gives you 20GB of all day and 20GB of weekend data for only RM98/month. Meanwhile, its top tier FIRST Platinum Plan at RM150/month now offers a whopping 60GB of data which is split between 30GB all day and 30GB for weekend use.

While unlimited calls are still retained across FIRST Gold and Platinum plans, Celcom no longer lets you carry forward unused data to the following month. All existing FIRST Gold and FIRST Platinum subscribers will be upgraded to these new plans automatically without extra charge by 1 November. The entry-level FIRST Blue postpaid plan remains unchanged and it still retains the same 2GB + 2GB (weekend) data bundle with 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS for RM45/month.

When it comes to data, having split quotas can be annoying especially when Celcom splits the weekend data on a weekly basis. So if you have 10GB of weekend data, that’s 2.5GB per weekend and you can’t carry forward unused data to the following weekend. For greater freedom, Celcom has introduced its AnydayGB add-on at RM10/month. This would combine both all day and weekend data, allowing you to maximise your data allocation without any weekday/weekend restrictions. As always, the new plans are offered for a limited time and it’s valid until 31 December 2016.

It looks like our Malaysian telcos have engaged in yet another round of postpaid price war. Now you can easily get at least 20GB of data for less than RM100/month from Celcom, Digi and U Mobile. This is good news for consumers and we’ll see if Maxis will respond to this.

During the press event, Celcom CMO Zalman Aefendy Zainal Abidin has also shared that the Celcom FIRST postpaid app will be ready by end of next month. At the moment, the app is currently available as a beta download.

Celcom had recently given its postpaid plans a massive upgrade, offering up to 60GB data for RM150/month. Now they are turning its attention to FIRST Blue postpaid users and they are finally giving it the upgrade it deserves.

Offered at RM45/month, Celcom FIRST Blue originally came with 4GB of data (2GB all-day + 2GB weekend), 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS per month. If you’re an existing subscriber, you should be getting an SMS above informing that your plan will be upgraded to 10GB of data (5GB all-day + 5GB weekend). The allocation of 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS per month remains unchanged.

At time of posting, this new upgrade isn’t reflected yet on Celcom’s website. They could be in the process of upgrading all existing customers before offering it for new sign ups. From what we heard, this is available first for subscribers that signed up before 28 October 2016.

With this 10GB for RM45/month offering, Celcom is trying to match Digi’s new postpaid 50 plan which also offers 10GB of data (5GB all day + 5GB 4G weekend) plus 100 minutes of calls for RM50/month. For U Mobile, their HERO Postpaid P50 offers 5GB of all-day data + 5GB of Video-ONZ and 50 minutes of calls for the same price. Meanwhile, on Maxis, existing SurfMore 50 (RM50/month) customers were recently upgraded from 3GB to 5GB of data and it now comes with 2GB of TVNow video stremaing.

Thanks @chunhoww for the tip!

This post is brought to you by FIRST by Celcom.

The best postpaid plans in town just got even better and bigger. If the typical big data plans aren’t enough, Celcom FIRST now gives you even more for less.

More than data than before

FIRST GOLD now offers a whopping of 20GB of data per month. That’s double of the previous plan and you get 10GB of weekday data plus another 10GB just for the weekends. You’ll also get unlimited calls, unlimited instant messaging and unlimited Yonder music, all for only RM80/month.

Still hungry for more data? Celcom has also introduced its FIRST GOLD PLUS which offers 40GB (20GB weekday + 20GB weekend) for RM98/month. That’s twice the amount of data for only RM18 extra. Nobody else gives you 40GB of data for less than RM100/month.

For those who seek the ultimate, FIRST PLATINUM plan is significantly upgraded from 18GB to 60GB of data each month. On top of that, you’ll still enjoy unlimited calls, SMS and instant message (WhatsApp and WeChat). As a bonus, FIRST PLATINUM also comes with free unlimited access to iflix for 12 months.

Weekend or Weekday? Use data your way

For those who seek ultimate freedom, Celcom now lets you maximise your monthly data with its AnyDayGB add-on. For just RM10/month extra, you can combine both weekday and weekend data in a single bucket. If you’re on Celcom FIRST GOLD PLUS, that’s RM108/month for 40GB of data that you can use any day of the week.

Experience faster internet with Celcom’s Ultrafast 4G Territory

Celcom is continuously upgrading its network in pursuit of building the most advanced 4G network in the country. With its current nationwide modernisation exercise, customers can expect faster speeds, better stability and a seamless internet experience.

Isn’t it time to go BIGGER

The new FIRST Postpaid plans offer the most data in town, so why settle for less? You can get up to 60GB a month and Celcom is the only telco that lets you combine weekend and weekday data for a small fee. If you haven’t signed up yet, you’ll need to hurry as these upgraded plans are offered until 31st December 2016. For more info, head over to Celcom’s FIRST Postpaid page.

To kick off the holiday season, Celcom is having a Blue Cube weekend promotion where you can get smartphones for free or enjoy discounts up to 80% with prices starting from RM288. This is starting tomorrow, Friday, 25th November until Sunday, 27th November 2016.

The free device offer is applicable for new sign ups on Celcom FIRST Gold Plus and FIRST Platinum postpaid plans that are recently upgraded with more data. Below is the list of devices available:

Celcom FIRST GOLD Plus (40GB) RM98/month
Lenovo VIBE C – Free
Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime – Free
ASUS Zenfone Go – Free

Celcom FIRST Platinum (60GB) RM150/month
Lenovo VIBE C – Free
Samsung Galaxy J1 – Free
Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime – Free
Samsung Galaxy J3 – Free
ASUS Zenfone Go – Free
OPPO F1s – Free

To recap, FIRST GOLD Plus at RM98/month offers 20GB data for all-day use and 20GB for the weekends. It also comes with unlimited calls and unlimited instant messaging on WhatsApp and WeChat. Meanwhile, its upgraded FIRST Platinum comes with 30GB of all-day + 30GB of weekend data plus unlimited calls and SMS.

If you’re interested, the 3-day Blue Cube promotion is happening at the following outlets which will stay open until 10PM:
Blue Cube Sunway Pyramid, Petaling Jaya
Celcom Centre Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Celcom Centre Ipoh
Celcom Centre Kuantan
Blue Cube Suria Mall, Kota Kinabalu
Blue Cube Tun Jugah, Kuching, Sarawak

For more information, you can head over to their Blue Cube weekend page.

The Huawei Mate 9 is now also available on Celcom and you can pick one up from as low as RM1,199. This is tied to a 24-month contract on their FIRST Postpaid plans.

There are only two postpaid options available – FIRST Gold Plus at RM98/month and FIRST Platinum at RM150/month. FIRST Gold Plus gives you 20GB (all-day) + 20GB (weekend) data and unlimited calls, while FIRST Platinum gives you 30GB (all-day) + 30GB (weekend) with unlimited calls and SMS.

The bundled Huawei Mate 9 pricing are as follows:

FIRST Gold Plus – RM1,499
FIRST Platinum – RM1,199

During sign up, you’ll need to fork out an upfront payment of RM300 for FIRST Gold Plus or RM600 for FIRST Platinum. This upfront payment will be rebated one shot in your first-month bill.

The Huawei Mate 9 which retails for RM2,699 is a flagship phablet that comes with a 5.9″ Full HD display and it runs on the latest Kirin 960 Octa-Core Processor. At the moment, it is only offered with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage that’s expandable via microSD.

For optics, it gets a similar dual-camera setup as the Huawei P9 but it comes with a 20MP (monochrome) + 12MP (colour) f/2.2 combo. For selfies, the front comes with an 8MP f/1.9 shooter. Keeping the lights on is a 4,000mAh battery which charges quickly via USB Type-C.

For more info, head over to Celcom’s Huawei Mate 9 page.