Maxis gets headstart on Blackberry bold

Malaysia – In what is shaping up to be a heated year in the handset category (consider the global iPhone hysteria) Maxis has scored a win with first dibs on marketing the anticipated Blackberry Bold smartphone.

Maxis claims to be the first operator in the country to deliver the first units of the smartphone which supports tri-band HSDPA networks around the world, GPS and Wi-Fi, a new interface and display as well as a newly designed QWERTY keyboard.

Hundreds of Maxis’ postpaid and enterprise customers have been queuing up online to make their bookings since mid-August,  the telecommunication operator says.

“The BlackBerry Bold has many fans among our loyal customers, and we felt that we owed it to them to ensure that they are the first Malaysians to own one,” says Matthew Willsher, Maxis’ Chief Marketing Officer.

Maxis also delivered BlackBerry Bold units to corporate customers a few days earlier.

“The BlackBerry® Bold has amazing crossover appeal for the non-corporate user, and so, Maxis is confident that this will be one of our most successful units in our already impressive BlackBerry® catalogue.

“The global excitement about this model will help fuel even more demand among our 3.7 million customers, who make up the biggest group of mobile data and advanced data service users in Malaysia,” he adds.

M. Fitri Abdullah, Head of Enterprise Business says Maxis has continuously maintained the lead of mobile communications and technology when it first introduced the BlackBerry to Malaysia in 2004.

“We have continued to lead the way with the introduction of new models to the business market,” he said, adding that Maxis hopes to extend the BlackBerry® lifestyle and excitement to its non-business subscribers.