Maxis First to Deliver BlackBerry Bold in Malaysia

Loyal Maxis Customers First to Get the Boldest of Them All

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 19 September 2008 – Maxis Communications Berhad (“Maxis”) today delivered the first units of the much-anticipated BlackBerry® Bold smartphone to over 30 lucky postpaid customers. These customers were among the many Maxis subscribers who had pre-booked their BlackBerry® Bold online from mid-August 2008. They collected their units from the Maxis Centre in KLCC, Kuala Lumpur at a special event this afternoon.

The BlackBerry® Bold smartphone is the first in the BlackBerry series to support tri-band HSDPA networks around the world and comes with top-of-the-line multimedia and communications features, providing customers with a world class mobile experience. The smartphone includes GPS and Wi-Fi®, a sophisticated new interface, a stunning display and a newly designed QWERTY keyboard.

Demand for the BlackBerry® Bold among Maxis customers has been unprecedented, with hundreds of Maxis postpaid and enterprise customers queuing up online to make their bookings. This in line with the global excitement surrounding this model, due to its user-friendliness, sleek design, high definition display and additional lifestyle features.

“Maxis is proud to be the first Malaysian operator to deliver the BlackBerry® Bold to our customers,” said Mr. Matthew Willsher, Maxis’ Chief Marketing Officer. “The BlackBerry® Bold has many fans among our loyal customers, and we felt that we owed it to them to ensure that they are the first Malaysians to own one.”

Maxis postpaid customer Cik Rozanna Mohd Ariff, who was at the Maxis Centre today said this after collecting her BlackBerry® Bold unit: “It feels great! I’ve been waiting for it to be released in the United States but unfortunately, it wasn’t. I ordered it online as soon as I found out about it. The BlackBerry Bold will give me an extra edge over other phone users. It has WiFi and GPS, and I’m also looking forward to using the push email and BlackBerry Messenger features.”

Another happy customer was Puan Juliana Ibrahim: “I am a first-time user of BlackBerry. My husband is using one. When I saw the BlackBerry Bold on the Maxis website, I immediately fell in love it. It’s gorgeous!”

Regular BlackBerry® user and Maxis subscriber Mr. Manogaran Govindan wanted to upgrade from his current BlackBerry unit: “I previously was using the BlackBerry Pearl, which is more than a phone to me. It can do so much. I wanted to upgrade to an even better version and I am sure that the Bold will serve me even better.”

For first time BlackBerry® user Encik Syed Elyas Bin Syed Abdillah: “This is my first time on BlackBerry. I am very excited. I found out about the Bold through the Maxis website. I am sure it will give me faster emails, great entertainment and the GPS system will be very useful for me.”

Earlier this week, Maxis had started delivering BlackBerry Bold units to their corporate customers on September 16, 2008, making it the first operator in Malaysia to do so.
“Maxis has always been at the forefront of mobile communications and technology. We were the first operator to introduce the BlackBerry® wireless solution in Malaysia in 2004 for our corporate clients and have continued to lead the way with the introduction of new models to the business market,” said Encik M. Fitri B Abdullah, Head of Enterprise Business for Maxis. “With the BlackBerry® Bold, we hope to extend the BlackBerry® lifestyle and excitement to our non-business subscribers.”

“The BlackBerry® Bold has amazing crossover appeal for the non-corporate user, and so, Maxis is confident that this will be one of our most successful units in our already impressive BlackBerry® catalogue,” said Willsher. “The global excitement about this model will help fuel even more demand among our customers, who make up the biggest group of mobile data and advanced data service users in Malaysia, totaling 3.7 million currently.”

Maxis also announced that customers who pre-booked their BlackBerry® Bold units online may collect their units from September 20 until September 25, 2008 from the respective Maxis Centres indicated by them in their online booking. Customers who have not made online pre-bookings may purchase their BlackBerry® Bold units from September 26, 2008.

The BlackBerry® Bold is offered to Maxis customers at the retail price of RM2,199 (without contract); and at RM1,899, if purchased with a Value 150 postpaid plan (that comes with a 24-month contract).