Celcom network crashes under pressure

I have recently purchased an X-PAX prepaid pack from Celcom, I needed to get a back up service because my home area has very poor Maxis coverage... and since Celcom had been proudly announcing that it has the widest coverage of mobile service in Malaysia, I thought that I had a service provider that I could depend on.

But just one week through the subscription, I was about to take the service to a test. It was the Hari Raya celebration week, I had to travel to Pahang in areas that are on the fringes of urban boundaries.

However, my expectations were not satisfied. The services were down when I needed it the most. I was trying to contact my family to wish them a good Hari Raya celebration, and it seems that I could not get through.

This announcement came up on the celcom website,



All goes to show... there are still not a single service provider that can guarantee the quality of service for their customers. I would have probably not have such high expectations if the Celcom weren't the premier Mobile Network Operator in Malaysia... they should have been the only company that is matured and understands their consumer habits... I believe capacity planning even in the smallest mobile company in Malaysia, should have incorporated the traffic spikes in rural areas during festive seasons on their annual calendar.

U Mobile - an update

This is an excerpt from the star. You can read the full story here.

It is reported that the two giant telecommunication companies in Asia, DOCOMO and KTF had failed in their endeavors to be part of the Malaysian telecommunication industry. Earlier, the two companies bought stakes in the fourth Malaysian Mobile Operator, U Mobile with a holding of 16.5% each.

Historically, it was with the stakes purchased, these two companies had imposed to U Mobile that they will be take over the management of the company and planted their best personnel to be in the C-Levels. They had commented in The Star that the main issue faced by them is “due to differences of opinion with other shareholders over management".

From a personal viewpoint and word of mouth in the industry, the real issue was actually the inability of the "foreign" management to adapt and understand the local business culture and customer segments. There were many viewpoints and suggestions from the local representatives that were totally ignored by the foreign management.

With the exit of these two foreign influences, U Mobile should now be able to look back into its own local resources and expertise to formulate more competitive strategies and win the local market.

All the best.