Local telcos U Mobile and Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd are offering Voice over LTE (VoLTE)-enabled smartphones bundled with their respective postpaid plans, in conjunction with the country’s independence day celebrations.
From now until Sept 16, U Mobile’s new and existing customers can purchase such phones for RM0.99 as part of a bundle when they subscribe to one of the following postpaid plans: Unlimited Hero P79, P99, P139 or Giler Unlimited GX68 for two years.
Under this plan, only Android smartphones are available, including models normally priced from RM459 to RM1,199.
The higher end models require users to subscribe to the more expensive packages to qualify for the subsidy. Users that terminate their contracts are required to pay back the subsidy, according to the period left in their contract.
In a press statement, the telco encouraged customers to switch over to VoLTE-enabled mobile phones, as 3G is slated to be retired in Malaysia at the end of this year.
VoLTE calls are made over the Internet and use the 4G network, thus will not be affected by the phasing out of 3G.
U Mobile defines VoLTE as the new standard for voice calls on smartphones running on the 4G network, resulting in clearer audio quality, faster call connections, and the ability to multitask on apps that use mobile data applications while on phone calls.
The offer is in line with the government’s Pakej Peranti RM1 Malaysia Prihatin initiative, which encourages local telcos to help users to upgrade their devices to be VoLTE compatible.
Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) is also taking part in the initiative through its Gemilang Deals, which run until Sept 30.
This comes in two different offers: the Digi PhoneFreedom 365 where customers can get the latest smartphones with no upfront payment and an interest-free 24-months payment plan (subject to various terms and conditions), and the Digi Postpaid Device Bundle where subscribers can purchase selected smartphones for RM1 when paired with the Digi Postpaid 60 plan.
Under the Gemilang deal, customers can choose to purchase either the Samsung Galaxy A02 or Redmi 9A at only RM1, or Samsung Galaxy A02S for RM24, when they pair it with Digi Postpaid 60.
In January, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced that it would no longer certify 3G devices and discouraged the import of such devices.
This was part of the National Digital Infrastructure Plan (Jendela), sunset 3G networks by the year’s end, to reuse the spectrum for 4G networks instead.
It stated that 4G coverage in populated areas had reached 93.77% as of end-March, while the target was to hit 96.9% by end of year.
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