Maxis Communications

Maxis Communications or Maxis Berhad is a communications service provider in Malaysia. It is one of the oldest and largest telecommunications companies in the country. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it provides a variety of communication products, applications and value added services for consumers, large enterprises as well as small & medium business owners. Maxis uses the dialing prefixes of "011 12000000 through 12499999", "012", "014-2", and "017". The majority of the company's stake is owned by Malaysian billionaire, Ananda Krishnan. Its coverage is from Arau (Perlis) to Long Pasia (Sabah).

For the video game development company under Electronic Arts, see Maxis.

Maxis Berhad
TypePublic limited company
MYX: 6012
ISINMYL6012OO008
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded1993 (1993) (Listed in 2009)
FounderAnanda Krishnan
HeadquartersMenara Maxis, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Area served
Asia (excluding Korea DPR and Nepal), Middle East and North Africa, South America (including Peru and Chile)
Key people
Mokhzani Mahathir (Chairman)[1]
Goh Seow Eng
(CEO)
RevenueDecrease RM8.966 Billion (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Decrease RM1.852 Billion (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Decrease RM1.382 Billion (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Total assetsDecrease RM21.932 Billion (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Total equityIncrease RM7.050 Billion (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Number of employees
3,748+ (2021)
ParentUsaha Tegas Sdn Bhd
SubsidiariesHotlink
Websitemaxis.com.my

business.maxis.com.my

hotlink.com.my

Coverage, Products and Services

Maxis operates 2G EDGE, 4G LTE and 4G LTE-A networks.

As of 2016, Maxis has a 100% 4G population coverage with minimum signal strength of -110dBm in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru; 95% 4G population coverage with minimum signal strength of -110dBm across all state capitals; 88% 4G population coverage with minimum signal strength of -110dBm nationwide.

In July 2018, Maxis claimed that its 4G LTE network covered 92% of the population in the country.[3]

There are several high-profile celebrities who have signed on as spokespersons for Maxis, including Siti Nurhaliza, the Malaysian reality television show Akademi Fantasia's contestants, along with Jessy Wong The Diva and Arthur the Brave and Fluffy. Maxis was the first company to launch LTE services in Malaysia on 1 January 2013, starting in the Klang Valley region.

Frequencies used on Maxis network in Malaysia
BandFrequencyFrequency widthProtocolNotes
8900 MHz (905~915,950~960)2 * 10 MHzEDGE / LTE / LTE-A(expiry June 2032)
31800 MHz (1710~1730, 1805~1825)2 * 20 MHzEDGE / LTE / LTE-A(expiry June 2032)
12100 MHz (1935~1950, 2125~2140)

(2015~2020)

 2 * 15 MHz

5 MHz

 LTE / LTE-A (expiry April 2034)
72600 MHz (2500~2510, 2620~2630)2 * 10 MHzLTE / LTE-A lease spectrum from Redtone
72600 MHz (2510~2520, 2630~2640)2 * 10 MHzLTE / LTE-A until June 2027

Maxis FastTap

Maxis had launched Malaysia's first Near Field Communication (NFC) service called FastTap. It integrates Touch 'n Go, Visa Wave from Maybank[4] and other banks as well.

Maxis eBooks

Maxis introduced its Malaysia's 3rd e-book service called Maxis ebooks (or Maxis ebook in its official website and app). The first was eSentral followed by MPH Digital.[5] It was launched on 16 April 2012 and in launch, more than three hundred thousand books were made available in the e-book store, the web, an iPad application or through an Android tablet running Honeycomb or newer.[6][7]

Maxis eKelas

"eKelas" is a premier community program by Maxis to encourage continued after-school learning for all Malaysian students and to also bring digital learning closer to the community by providing free access and quality content to students, especially those from the rural communities. Officially launched on the 5th of December 2016, this after-school digital learning initiative offers a fun way to learn through the provision of free access to quality educational content and engaging activities, in line with the Malaysian school syllabus. The program focuses on three core subjects namely Mathematics, Science and English for Standard 6 to Form 5 students nationwide, bringing the learning enrichment in a fun and vibrant way content.[8][9]

Maxis eKelas Usahawan

Maxis launched another digital platform called eKelas Usahawan. It is a structured digital marketing program and platform to empower women entrepreneurs in rural communities to develop a stronger digital presence and help grow their business. The launch was officiated by former Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun on 26 March 2021. The company said the response was extremely positive and seeing that the vast majority of participants were women, it decided to launch eKelas Usahawan as a dedicated women's program. The program comprises a series of digital marketing workshops with a practical and hands-on approach to equipping entrepreneurs with digital tools and skills to help them grow their respective business and expand their income opportunities.[10]

Maxis Fibre Broadband

Officially launched on 31 March 2011, Maxis offers high speed broadband for home and business users. The maxis fibre broadband plan for home users is called Maxis Home Fibre (formerly MaxisONE Home Fibre),[11] as for businesses it is known as Maxis Business Fibre (formerly MaxisONE Business Fibre).[12] The new broadband for home and business plans offer speeds of up to 800 Mbit/s. Additionally, the fixed IP is only available for Maxis Business Fibre plans.[13]

Subscribers

As of the second quarter of 2020, there were 9.863 million revenue generating subscribers (RGS), 6.747 million prepaid RGS, 2.97 million postpaid RGS.

Smartphone users in the network include 87% of postpaid accounts and 81% prepaid. Its postpaid subscribers consume an average 11.2 GB a month, while prepaid users consume an average 8.2 GB a month. It has 5.2 million 4G LTE devices in the network.[3]

Corporate History

On 19 October 1999, Maxis introduced the prepaid brand "Hotlink".

In 2002, Maxis acquired TimeCel, a rival mobile service provider, from TimedotCom Berhad. Prior to the purchase, Maxis offered prefix number beginning with 012, and TimeCel 017.

On 27 April 2007, an offer was made to buy out Maxis and privatise the company in preparation for expansions into the Indonesian, Indian and Qatari markets. The deal was offered by Ananda Krishnan, who pledged Maxis RM17.46 billion (US$5.1 billion) in exchange for all remaining shares of the company. The offer is to be formally made by Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd, a company owned by Krishnan, on 3 May 2007, while the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange suspends trading of the company's shares until 3 May.[14][15][16][17][18]

Maxis' first logo used from 1993 to 2014.

Under the urging of the former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Maxis announce that it will re-list the company in Bursa Malaysia on 11 November 2009. The initial public offering, which constitute 30% of the company and involve its Malaysian operations, will raise at least MYR 11.7 billion.[19]

In September 2013, Maxis prepaid, Hotlink launched its #Hotlink plan, which is claimed to be the first telecommunications company to offer free internet services on cellular networks, Hotlink calling it "Free Basic Internet" which offers download speeds up to 64kbit/s and which the management says is enough for checking Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia on mobile optimised sites and also essentially eliminating data overage charges which as previously implemented at MYR 0.10/10KB.[20]

Previous logo (2014-2020)

Maxis introduced a new brand identity in 2014 that maintains essentially the same logo, but with the squiggle on the letter "i" in a brighter shade of green. The squiggle and bright green colour are used throughout the new corporate identity along with the Aaux Next font.[21]

In August 2020, Maxis introduced a new logo set in the popular Proxima Nova font that replaces Aaux Next in the corporate identity with its new brand purpose "Always Be Ahead" in conjunction with its 25th anniversary and the upcoming Merdeka celebrations in the country. The squiggle has been removed from the letter "i" and placed beside the wordmark. According to the telco, the new brand purpose signifies the intertwining of Maxis’ and Malaysia's past, present and future journeys together in this rapidly evolving digital age. Maxis is more than just advertising and producing brand acts, but also about acts. As such, it is also rolling out a series of initiatives to help offer assistance and fundamental skills for digital adoption and acceleration in communities across the country.[22]

Majority Stakeholders

Maxis Communications is part of Ananda Krishnan's business empire. In 1996, the company launched Malaysia's first three satellites; MEASAT 1, 2 and 3. The fourth satellite, MEASAT 1R (now known as MEASAT-3a[23]), was damaged and reconstructed for launch in June 2009. Saudi Telecom Company bought a 25% stake of Maxis.

Logo used for the Hotlink brand since 2020

The most popular service offered by Maxis is the Hotlink prepaid brand which is currently subscribed by more than 6.3 million users in Malaysia. Launched in 1999, Hotlink offers prepaid plans and calls at first followed by their Hotlink postpaid plans and services to the people of Malaysia. Both Hotlink prepaid and postpaid depend on the 4G and LTE networks of wireless mobile telecommunications technology that provides much faster speeds compared to the 3G network. In Malaysia, 4G and LTE are used in the same manner thus calling it as 4G LTE but different devices will display it differently.[24] Apart from that, they also offer the IDD 132 (International Direct Dialing) service which offers the lowest discounted calls & rates to landlines in selected countries only at a rate of 20 cents per minute and which at certain times are much cheaper for most customers than local calls. Maxis is currently embroiled in a price war with its competitors namely Telekom Malaysia, U Mobile, Celcom and Digi, in the prepaid SIM market which has caused their Hotlink starter pack sales to plummet.[25]

See also

References
  1. "Mokhzani takes over as chairman of Maxis". Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. "Maxis Group Berhad 2020 Annual Report" (PDF). Maxis. 31 December 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  3. "Maxis has 9.86 million mobile subs, 2.09 million on MaxisONE plan as of 2Q18". 19 July 2018.
  4. Soyacincau (19 April 2009). "Maxis introduces FastTap NFC Service". Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  5. Liau Yun Qing (13 April 2012). "M'sian operator launches online bookstore". ZDNet. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  6. "Time to turn to ebooks". The Star. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  7. "Official website of Maxis ebuuk". Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  8. "Learning in a Virtual World". The Star. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. "Maxis eKelas". Maxis eKelas. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  10. "Maxis launches eKelas Usahawan to empower women entrepreneurs with greater digital adoption". Maxis. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  11. MaxisONE Home Fibre
  12. Maxis ONEBusiness Fibre
  13. Maxis Fibre Broadband
  14. E-Ling, Liaw (30 April 2007). "Malaysia's Maxis Receives Takeover Bid From Parent". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
  15. "Cara Daftar Paket Internet Smartfren Terbaru 2014". Cek kuota. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  16. Azman, Syed (30 April 2007). "UPDATE 5-Malaysian tycoon to buy out telco Maxis". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
  17. "Announcement: Cara Daftar Paket Internet Simpati Loop 12GB February 2014". Cek kuota. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  18. Maxis Communications Berhad (MYX: 5051), bursamalaysia.com
  19. "Maxis to raise RM11.7bil via IPO". The Star. 29 October 2009.
  20. http://www.lowyat.net/2013/09/hotlink-introduces-new-hotlink-that-comes-with-free-unlimited-mobile-data-removes-pay-per-use-charges/
  21. "Maxis: "It's Not OK To Be OK"". Maxis. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  22. "Maxis launches 25th anniversary celebration with goal to enable customers to Always Be Ahead". Digital News Asia. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  23. "TSE - Measat 1R". www.tbs-satellite.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  24. "Maxis Launches #Hotlink 4G Service, Kicks Off Chinese New Year Campaign". vernonchan.com. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  25. "Hotlink Postpaid & Prepaid Plans by Maxis". Hotlink. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
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