Digi has finally officially launched the iPhone last week ending Maxis’ monopoly on the iPhone in Malaysia for almost a year. Since then there has been a lot of talks on the blogs and forums as to which plan offers better value to consumers like us. Before we can answer this question, let’s dig deeper and take a look at what are the Digi offering.

iDigi Rate Plan table

Payment options for iPhone

Digi’s iDigi plan is very similar to Maxis’ iValue plans in the sense that both offers bundled voice, sms and data. Digi’s iDigi88 planoffers 200 minutes voice, 200 sms, 20 MMS and 1GB data vs Maxis iValue1 plan which offers 333 minutes, 100 sms, 10MMS and 500MB data. At a glance, Digi’s plan seems more attractive because it offers double the sms, MMS and data compared to Maxis’ iValue1 plan and at a cheaper price of RM88 vs RM100. Maxis’ higher bundled voice of 133 minutes is equivalent to RM19.95(based on call rates of 15sen/min. The purchase price of the iPhone 3GS 16GB(based on 24 months contract plans) for Digi is RM1590 compared to Maxis which is RM1390(additional RM200 off). This is based on Maxis’ iPhone Anniversary promotion. So, although the Digi’s monthly price is RM12 lower, the purchase price is RM200 more for the same iPhone 3GS 16GB.

Next, let’s take a look at the payment plans.

Digi’s plan offers 3 different types of payment arrangements:-

  • Cash/Credit Card Up front
    Pay the subsidised iPhone price in full according to subscribed iDiGi plan with 6 months iDiGi plan. So, total amount to be paid is RM2,144(RM88+5%tax + RM1590). Let’s compare this with Maxis iValue1 plan. The total amount to be paid is RM400(advanced payment) + RM1390 which is equivalent to RM1,790. This is RM354 higher than Maxis’ iValue1 plan.
  • (EPP 24) 24 months iDigi plan subscription(inclusive of 5% tax) + iPhone over 24 months
    Pay the subsidised iPhone and 24 months iDigi subscription(inclusive of 5% tax) over 24 months at 0% Interest by Credit Card. So, total amount to be paid monthly(using example of iDigi88 and iPhone 3GS 16GB) is RM159/month for 24 months. Let’s compare this to Maxis’ iValue1 plan. If you are on the iValue1 plan, you will be paying RM105(inclusive of 5% tax) + RM58(with RM200 iPhone anniversary Promotion) which is equivalent to RM163/month.
  • (EPP 24+12) 24 months iDigi subscription + iPhone over 36 months
    This is the lowest monthly ownership but you’re actually paying for only 2 years usage for 3 years. So, using the same example of iDigi88 and iPhone 3GS 16GB, the monthly charges will be RM106 per month for 3 years. On month 25, you will need to sign on another data plan as you are only paying for 2 years usage over 3 years. Maxis does not offer such a plan, so there is no comparison here.

Other information and considerations:-

1.  Digi’s plans have a minimum contract period of 24 months. Maxis does have a 12 months contract plan although the subsidy is lower. Maxis also offers the iData plans on top of their existing ValuePlus Voice plans. The iData plan with ValuePlus Plans are more practical for users who roams and calls IDD frequently.

2.  Maxis should have a much wider 3G/3.5G coverage compared to Digi. In terms of speed, there is a recent 3rd party broadband speedtest conducted by Mobile World which can be viewed at the website http://bit.ly/mwspeedtest . The test showed that Maxis has the fastest speed overall for broadband.

3.  Based on a reliable source, the average data usage on an iPhone is ~300 to 400 MB per month. As a heavy user of the iPhone myself, i am personally using about 300MB data per month only.

4.  Maxis has 1 year headstart in the iPhone in terms of experience, customer service, support etc.

Conclusion:-

i believe most Malaysians will welcome Digi’s entry into the iPhone as this will finally create the competition to allow price war and competitive pressures to enable the entry price of the iPhone to be reduced further.

i must admit that i was a little disappointed as i was expecting a little more aggressive iPhone plans from Digi since they are 1 year late as compared to Maxis. Unfortunately, the plans offered are pretty much the same and i really do not see much savings in the plans.

For someone that makes more calls, the Maxis plans seems more attractive. For those who uses more internet on the iPhone, the Digi plans may be the plan to go for. So, i guess both telcos will have their own target group of customers.

Hopefully, we will see more competitive pricing coming in the future with 2 telcos vying for the same iPhone pie now in Malaysia!

For my existing profile of use, i must say that the Maxis plan is still the better choice for me.

With Celcom’s introduction of the iPhone 4, please refer to the link below to go to my latest comparison of the iPhone packages from Celcom, Digi and Maxis.

http://www.iphonemalaysiablog.com/comparison/celcom-iphone-4-packages-vs-digi-and-maxis

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