"Conexus Mobile Alliance Launches Mobile Data Roaming Plan for BlackBerry® Smartphones, And Other Customer Benefits"

19 November 2008, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Macao, Manila, New Dehli, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo -Conexus Mobile Alliance today announced the start of the regional rollout of a mobile data roaming plan for BlackBerry® smartphones among Alliance members. The new plan offers a high mobile data access ceiling in most countries to cater to the data usage needs of frequent mobile roamers. This translates to significant cost-savings for active business travellers roaming onto Alliance members’ mobile networks as they will be able to stay connected on their corporate emails and/or surf the Internet wirelessly with peace-of-mind and true convenience.

Indonesia’s PT Indosat Tbk, India’s MTNL, Philippines’ Smart Communications, Inc, Singapore’s StarHub Ltd and Thailand’s True Move will be rolling out the new mobile data roaming plan by the end of 1Q-2009. The plan is currently offered by Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited in Hong Kong while Japan’s NTT DOCOMO, INC will start to offer promotional special rates for data roaming users including BlackBerry users, in 1Q-2009. Depending on the operator, the new mobile data roaming plan may also be activated for other mobile devices.

The mobile data roaming plan for BlackBerry smartphones serves as a complement to the Alliance’s current Pay-Per-Day Mobile Data Roaming Plan, which targets business travellers equipped with HSDPA-enabled notebooks and other devices.  The new plan is open to registered BlackBerry smartphone users, and specific rates and details by individual operators may vary. Business customers should check with their individual Alliance operators to find out more.

“The BlackBerry smartphone is one of Asia’s most popular mobile devices among business travellers for staying in touch with their company while travelling. This new mobile data roaming plan helps businesses control their costs better because of its predictability in data roaming charges,” said Alliance Chairman and Head of StarHub Ltd’s Advanced Multimedia Services in Singapore, Mr Chan Kin Hung. “Together with the Pay-Per-Day Flat-Rate Data-Roaming Tariff Plan for mobile broadband Internet, we believe the Alliance is providing the most comprehensive and cost effective mobile data roaming services for business travellers in the region.”

Expansion of Alliance’s Pay-Per-Day Data Roaming Flat Rate Plan

The Alliance is also pleased to announce the expansion of its popular Pay-Per-Day Data Roaming Flat Rate Plan into Thailand and India. True Move (Thailand), and India’s BSNL and MTNL will be rolling out this plan to their own customers by the end of 1Q-2009, ensuring that their business travelers with HSDPA-enabled notebooks and other devices will benefit from a fixed daily flat rate roaming charge that is both simple to understand and transparent to them.

Conversely, Taiwan’s FarEasTone, Hong Kong’s Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited, PT Indosat Tbk (Indonesia), NTT DOCOMO, INC (Japan), Philippines’ Smart Communications, Inc, and StarHub Ltd (Singapore) will include Thailand and India as part of their network coverage that offers the Pay-Per-Day Data Roaming Flat Rate plan in early 2009, giving their customers more destinations to enjoy greater roaming cost savings.

Introduced in April 2008, Conexus Mobile Alliance is the first alliance to take the initiative by offering the customers of its members the innovative pay-per-day flat-rate data roaming tariff plan, ensuring that member customers can benefit from greater cost savings, predictability and flexibility in managing their mobile phone bills when roaming overseas. This customer-friendly way of data-charging has been very well-received, since customers feel more reassured of the price and therefore tend to use more of the service over a Conexus member network.

Toll-Free Customer Service Hotline for Alliance Member Customers

To further offer customers the home-away-from-home seamless roaming experience, nine Alliance members have agreed to establish a roaming toll-free customer service hotline in 1Q-2009. Travellers using the Alliance mobile networks while roaming can call their home Customer Service Hotline absolutely free. This is extremely useful whenever travellers need to get help on their mobile service, be it activating a value-added service while overseas, configuring their phone or checking on billing charges.  

Extension of SIM Card Replacement Service (for Corporate Mobile Users) into Thailand and India

Since 2007, customer service centres have been set up by member operators to help their corporate mobile users with a company-registered mobile line, get a new and activated SIM card should they lose their original SIMs while traveling in a country with an Alliance member. The Alliance will now extend such a service into Thailand (via True Move) and India (via MTNL) for added convenience to business roamers in both countries. True Move’s service centres will start offering this service from 1 Dec 2008 while India’s MTNL will begin theirs by 1Q-2009.

Note: details of the new mobile data roaming plan for BlackBerry smartphones and the Pay-Per-Day Data Roaming Flat Rate Tariff Plan will vary among member operators. Terms and conditions may apply.

For specific information on Conexus Mobile Alliance, visit www.conexusmobile.com.

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About Conexus Mobile Alliance

Established in April 2006, Conexus Mobile Alliance is one of Asia's largest mobile alliances. The alliance is formed to develop and enhance international roaming and corporate mobile services for greater convenience and ease of use for its members' customers. The alliance is committed to promoting voice, video and data roaming via its members' GSM/GPRS, W-CDMA networks and/or HSDPA networks and aims to create a Virtual Home Environment for its member customers to experience seamless, convenient mobile-related services when they roam. The Alliance boasts a combined customer base of about 210 million mobile subscribers.

For more information, visit www.conexusmobile.com.