By ZAM KARIM

KUALA LUMPUR: Maxis Hotlink subscribers can now sign up for BlackBerry services, which the company claimed is the first of its kind in Malaysia.

For RM98 a month, Maxis prepaid account users will be able to get the full BlackBerry data service, which was previously offered only to the company’s postpaid customers.

Subscribers can visit the company’s website or go to the nearest Maxis Centre or Maxis Exclusive Partner outlets nationwide to add the service on top of their current prepaid voice plan.

Additionally, in conjunction with the release of the BlackBerry Curve 8520, the company will introduce three more BlackBerry service prepaid packages from Oct 20 onwards.

These plans can also be used with other BlackBerry devices as well such as Bold 9000 and Storm.

For a RM28 monthly top up, users can choose either the BlackBerry Internet Social plan which offers unlimited social networking and Instant Messaging (IM) services; or the Internet Service Messaging package that provides unlimited e-mail and IM services.

The third plan, Internet Service Premium, offers unlimited access to all BlackBerry data services. It costs RM28 via weekly top up.

Maxis chief marketing officer Matthew Willsher also announced that those who prebook the 8520 with any of the three new BlackBerry prepaid packages will get the smartphone at RM899 (it has a retail price of RM1,199).

Maxis expects the first shipment to arrive by the middle of the month.

Willsher made the announcements after unveiling Hotlink’s new logo, which is part of the prepaid service’s re-branding exercise.

According to him, the Maxis brand has traditionally been associated with postpaid activities while Hotlink has been linked to prepaid.

“Over the years, the relationship between the two started to blur so this re-branding exercise is necessary to achieve a consistent brand image across both our postpaid and prepaid services,” he said.

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