Tune Talk subscribers can enjoy lower IDD rates over other mobile operators

SEPANG: New mobile operator Tune Talk Sdn Bhd, which operates the prefix 010 for its prepaid cellular service, aims to beat the competition by offering IDD rates that are 10% cheaper.

The company will charge a flat rate of 22 sen per minute for calls to any operator in the country, while an SMS cost 5 sen each.

Chief executive officer Jason Lo said Tune Talk would focus on voice calls and SMS but would be introducing GPRS services sometime next month.

Speaking after the launch of Tune Talk at the Sepang Aircraft Engineering Sdn Bhd’s hangar yesterday, Lo said the Tune Talk SIM pack was sold at RM5 and it came with a RM5 pre-loaded worth of talk time.

Chairman Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said he expected one million subscribers for Tune Talk and AirAsia Bhd also hoped to bring in the customers for its mobile services.

Tune Talk would become profitable in the next six months and its cash position would also be positive by then, he added.

Tune Talk operates a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that rides on Celcom’s 2.5G cellular infrastructure to roll out services.

Celcom chief executive officer Datuk Ser Shazalli Ramly said the partnership will enable Celcom to leverage on both Tune Talk’s and AirAsia’s successful Internet business models.

Lo said Tune Talk also aimed to make inbound advertising as a key source of income.

It had secured AirAsia, Etiqa Insurance Bhd and 99 Speedmart Sdn Bhd as its SIM pack co-branding partners.

He said all Tune Talk subscribers would be given a free RM100,000 personal accident coverage from Etiqa Insurance.

It is also giving over RM1mil worth of AirAsia e-gift vouchers to its top 10 callers everyday for the next 12 months.