U MOBILE PUTS SMILES ON FACES AT UMMC

Telco provides free high-speed WiFi Internet service to help patients and their families stay connected with their loved ones

Kuala Lumpur, 14 June 2012 – U Mobile Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s most innovative and dynamic 3G mobile service provider, is putting smiles on the faces of patients in the Children’s Oncology Ward at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) by providing a free WiFi service using its 42Mbps network, which is the fastest mobile broadband in town.

This heart-warming initiative allows patients and their families to keep in touch with their loved ones whilst they are warded or undergoing long-term treatment. The telco has set up the U Mobile Surf Zone which covers the Children’s Oncology Ward, enabling patients, parents and visitors to surf the internet for free.
Jaffa Sany Ariffin (right) CEO of U Mobile Sdn Bhd and YBhg Professor Dato’ Dr Ikram Shah Bin Ismail, Director of UMMC officiating the launch of U Mobile Surf Zone at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Children’s Oncology Ward.

In addition, U Mobile is also sponsoring 10 units of tablet PCs, for patients to play games, surf the Internet and stay connected with their friends and families while they are in the hospital for treatment.

Jaffa Sany Ariffin, CEO of U Mobile, said, “We believe it is our responsibility to the Malaysian society to provide quality telecommunications to keep people connected. An extension of that responsibility is to provide this initiative with free connectivity to those who need it the most. We are delighted that our services can make such a difference to the lives of these children. The smiles on their faces say it all.”

“This initiative also attests to our commitment to giving back to the same society which has supported our growth. U Mobile always strives to provide exciting and innovative offerings at affordable rates to cater to the needs and demands of our consumers,” he added.

YBhg Professor Dato’ Dr Ikram Shah Bin Ismail, Director of UMMC who was present at the event said, “We are thankful to U Mobile for providing this service as well as sponsoring the devices. The children who are in this ward can be here for months and their parents are here every day supporting them. The children are missing school, missing the regular contact with their friends and other family members who are often inter-state, and the parents are out of touch with their support networks. The free WiFi will be like a breath of fresh air to those in the children’s cancer ward.”

Jaffa added that with free WiFi and the tablets to use, the children will be able to study and do the things other children enjoy – play games, watch movies, listen to music and chat online to their friends and families. Parents too will be able to keep in touch with the outside world, without the added cost of mobile devices and hefty phone and data bills.

This is one of the many corporate responsibility initiatives U Mobile is embarking on this year, which is parallel to the telco’s 2012 resolution to be more customer-centric by providing innovative products and service offerings to benefit customers and the larger community.

The patients in the Children’s Oncology Ward, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 18 years, were treated to a party after the launch event which featured a string of fun activities, such as balloon sculpting and funny antics by a clown, playing the mobile game, Angry Birds, and sand art. ,