Maxis set to ‘fiercely’ defend postpaid market leadership

KUALA LUMPUR: Maxis Communications Bhd has launched four new postpaid packages known as the “Value Plans” aimed at defending its leading position in the postpaid market and converting existing prepaid users into postpaid customers.

Its chief marketing officer Tom Schnitker said Maxis would continue to “fiercely” protect its postpaid market share that currently stood at over 50% in the country.

Value Plans would be one of the company’s strategies to defend its market share due to its low cost proposition, he told reporters after unveiling the new postpaid packages here yesterday.

“They require minimum commitment and the rates are low. You will see an increase in usage,” Schnitker said.

Under the Value Plans, customers can choose from four postpaid packages, namely Value 50, Value 80, Value 150 and the Family Plus Plan, which are touted as offering the lowest rates for calls available to postpaid users currently in the market.

As its name implies, Value 50 requires a minimum monthly commitment of RM50 from customers, who will be charged 15 sen per minute for calls within the Maxis network and 20 sen for those outside the Maxis network.

Customers who choose Value 80 had to commit at least RM80 every month and will be charged 12 sen per minute for calls within the Maxis network and 15 sen for those outside the network.

Meanwhile, customers who opt for Value 150 will have to commit at least RM150 every month and they will enjoy a rate of 10 sen per minute for calls within the Maxis network and 12 sen for those outside the network.

For those who opt for the Family Plus Plan, the monthly commitment fee will only be RM50 and they will enjoy free voice calls, short messaging service, and video calls as well as credit sharing among family lines.

Schnitker also reckoned that Value Plans could become the “first entry point” for cost-conscious prepaid users to switch to postpaid.

“Malaysia is a growing as a country and it is becoming more and more developed.

The trend in developed countries is they have more postpaid users,” he said.

He added that there was room to grow even though the mobile telephone penetration rate in Malaysia had exceeded 80%.