Happy!

Not sure what to make of this, but there is a new prepaid service called Happy and it's a telecommunications plan that offers the following:

* Calls at 1sen/second to a maximum of 99sen, after that it's free
* MMS RM1
* IDD RM5/min
* GPRS Activation RM2 (One time fee)
* GPRS RM0.50/10Kb
* Call Center (014-3333800) charges RM2.00 per call

It's a really amazing plan because even though it's one sen per second (which works out to 60sen per minute), there is a cap at 99sen, after which you can talk however long you want. That is what the website claims, but in reality, users report that after 45 minutes, the phone will automatically disconnect you.

The service is actually part of Digi, because it rides on the same carrier signals as Digi. As of now, I would assume that this new service is targeting Digi's prepaid user base because the rates are directly competing against Digi's prepaid service, and with such an astonishing rate, who would want any other provider?

Unfortunately though, there is no Friends and Family list, which really sucks because smses from Happy are 0.10sen each, which is wayyy high. I am used to smsing my girlfriend at 1sen per sms so I will be sticking to my Digi's Fuyoh plan which also allows me to call her after midnight at 45sen/hour. However, I think I will be getting this prepaid starter pack all the same, because 99sen/45mins is a very good deal.

The only thing though, is the fact that I have certain doubts about this service. According to Lowyat.net, the service is doable because Happy is getting rid of all the marketing and extra fluff that a normal prepaid like Digi, Hotlink or Xpax is doing and in doing so, the savings are passed down to the consumer. I, on the other hand, think that the pricing also helps. 10sen per sms allows them to earn quite a lot considering most smses are priced less than that and if you are just calling up people for a minute or two, it's going to cost you a full 60sen/minute, way higher than the normal 15sen/minute or 38sen/minute that's typical of the other prepaid services. So the maths should balance out.

On the other hand, a lot of Malaysians will probably jump at the opportunity and get the SIM card for a second-handphone, and use this only when they expect to call someone for a length of time (business collegue, girlfriend, family, etc) and milk the service for all it's worth. Anyway, right now there isn't much information around regarding this service beyond what is printed on the website. As time goes on, I think more details will surface as to how Happy intends to keep their 99sen/45minute service going while still maintaining a profit. If this is long term, then Hotlink and Xpax, as well as the rest of the telecommunications industry in Malaysia, will be looking at a whole new ball game.

Right now, I'm feeling excited, but with a healthy amount of skepticism. As should you.

Links:
Happy.com.my's Website to order your SIMpack now
Pixyflick's take
Jeffooi's Screenshots's take
Lowyat.net's take