Thursday January 3, 2013

Government lifts smartphone cap

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian youths eyeing new smartphones under the Youth Communications Package scheme had more reason to cheer yesterday as the Government announced the abolition of an earlier ceiling price of RM500 per smartphone.

Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim made the announcement after chairing the ministry's post-Cabinet meeting yester- day.

“The Cabinet has agreed that youths aged between 21 and 31 years old who earn less than RM3,000 a month are now eligible to enjoy the RM200 rebate on any smartphone, regardless of price, starting this month,” he said in a tweet yesterday.

The package had earlier applied only to smartphones costing up to RM500 and from a designated pool of models.

The package, which is handled by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is offered on a first-come-first-served basis to the first 1.5 million eligible youths.

The plan was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when tabling Budget 2013 last September, and is meant to give youths better access to the information superhigh- way.

Seven telco companies involved in the rebate scheme are Celcom, Clixster, DiGi, Maxis, Tune Talk, U Mobile and YTL Communications.

Youths shopping for smartphones under the Youth Communications Package now have a wider choice — the RM500 price limit on handsets that would qualify for the RM200 rebate has been removed.

In another statement, the MCMC explained that it was compulsory for all parties involved in the implementation of the package to ensure the products were sold at an acceptable price.

It had earlier announced that about 5,500 eligible youths had already applied for the rebate through its website www.skmm.gov.my after pre-registration opened two days ago.

Upon registration, eligible youths will be issued a registration slip, which they must then print out and take to their nearest telco service provider outlet for approval before they can purchase the smartphone of their choice.

Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin welcomed the move, thanking the prime minister.

“Cabinet has decided that there will be no price limit for smartphones for the rebate program. Thanks for listening, @NajibRazak,” he tweeted yesterday.

News

Thursday January 3, 2013

Government lifts smartphone cap