Malaysia MVNO Offers Free Data Roaming With Singapore Debut

Malaysian mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) redONE has made its official debut in Singapore following a month-long pilot launch that kicked off in late-May. Its service plans start from S$8 a month with 3GB data allowance and other offerings include an add-on that targets heavy users of popular apps and sites such as WhatsApp and YouTube. 

redONE customers travelling between Singapore and Malaysia also will not have to pay additional data roaming fees and can tap their existing data quotas to access the internet via their mobile devices. 

In addition, with its redSOCIAL Lite value-added service, users will be have 10GB of data at $10 a month to access Facebook, Skype, WhatsApp, and YouTube. Heavier users can opt for the 20GB data option at $18 a month.

SMS users also can purchase add-on packages at $2 a month for 50 SMSes or $3 for 100 SMS messages.  

Apart from 3GB of data, its $8 monthly mobile service plan includes 100 minutes of local voice calls and 10 local SMS messages. At $18 a month, subscribers will have 6GB of data, 200 minutes of local voice calls, and 20 local SMS messages. The high-end plan at $28 a month includes 10GB of data, 300 minutes of local voice calls, and 30 local SMS messages. 

Founded in Malaysia in 2012, redONE describes itself as a budget postpaid mobile provider with more than 1 million active users in its domestic market.

The MVNO said it planned to set up a network of 200 resellers in Singapore, including individuals who could become redONE agents, and a partnership with an IT retail chain--to be announced "shortly"--through which its services would be made available in major shopping malls island-wide.

Commenting on the market competition, its group CEO Farid Yunus said redONE had outlasted rivals in Malaysia, where it outlasted other MVNO players, and this track record would stand the company in good stead. 

It also was making plans to launch in other markets across the region and expand its free data roaming service to these countries, creating "a single Asean service", the telco said. 

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