Maxis Communications Berhad (MYX: 6012), DBA Maxis, is a Malaysian mobile network operator headquartered at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was started in the year 1993. It uses the dialing pref ix identifier of "012", "017" and “0142”. Their mobile services are provided over the 900 & 1800 MHz GSM band and as July 2005, the 2100 MHz UMTS band. Majority of the company's stake is owned by billionaire Ananda Krishnan. The company has total subscribers at 13.95 million^[1] as of December 2010. The company primarily operates across Asia-pacific.

Products and services[link]

Maxis provides a variety of mobile communication products and services. They offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, International Roaming, MMS, WAP (over both GSM and GPRS), Residential Fixed Line services, Broadband Internet plans, and as of early 2005, 3G services to both prepaid and postpaid subscription customers.

For business customers, Maxis offer VSAT services (satellite based communications) and BlackBerry based mobile services besides regular services. Maxis also provides an online Music store for its customers to download multimedia content.

Maxis most popular service is its prepaid brand Hotlink, which currently serves over 8 million customers in Malaysia. They are currently heavily promoting a new IDD 132 service, which offers cheaper calling rates mobile & landlines in selected countries, at a rate of 20 sen (roughly 6 US cents) per minute which is, at certain times for many subscribers, even cheaper than a local call.

Maxis was involved in a price war with its competitors (particularly DiGi) in the prepaid SIM market which was driven its Hotlink starter pack prices down to RM6 (about US$1.2).

Maxis was the first mobile communications company in Malaysia to be authorized to sell the Apple iPhone, later the offered was also given to its competitor DiGi. Although the pricing of the phone is slightly cheaper than DiGi, but the plans for data and services are slightly higher than DiGi (Furthermore, for iPhone plan, no extra charge after monthly quota will be charged even if DiGi's customers exceed the data quota but not for Maxis)

There are several high profile celebrities who have signed on as spokespersons for Maxis, including big names such as Siti Nurhaliza, all the Akademi Fantasia's stars, along with many other local celebrities including yen

Recent corporate history[link]

In 2002, Maxis purchased Timecel, a rival mobile service provider, from TimedotCom Berhad. Prior to the purchase, Maxis offered phone numbers beginning with 012, and TimeCell 017. Now, subscribers can choose between the two. In 1999, Maxis introduced the popular pre-paid brand "Hotlink", which currently has 10 Million customers.

On April 27, 2007, an offer was made to buy out Maxis and privatise the company in preparation for expansions into the Indonesian and Indian markets. The deal was offered by Ananda Krishnan, who pledged Maxis RM17.46 billion (US$5.1 billion) in exchange for all remaining shares of the company. The offer is to be formally made by Usaha Tegas, a company owned by Krishnan, on May 3, 2007, while the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange suspends trading of the company's shares until May 3.^[2][3][4][5]

Under the urging of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Maxis announce that it will re-list the company in Bursa Malaysia on November 11, 2009. The initial public offering, which constitute 30% of the company and involve its Malaysian operations, will raise at least MYR 11.7 billion. The IPO is expected to be the biggest in Asia to date.^[6]

Majority shareholders[link]

Maxis Communications is part of Ananda Krishnan's business empire. In 1996, the company launched Malaysia's first three satellites; MEASAT 1, 2 and 3. And the fourth satellite, MEASAT 1R, was damaged during transport to the launch site and is under reconstruction.

Saudi Telecom Company bought 25% of Maxis.

Maxis 3G[link]

Maxis officially launched its 3G services on July 1, 2005 (the 3G datacard service was soft-launched earlier in February 2005). The 3G service is available in selected regions of the country since nationwide coverage does not make economic sense (due to the high CAPEX involved). The main coverage areas include:

• The Klang Valley (including large part of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor) - the initial launch in July 2005
• Penang - Dec 2005
• Johor Bahru - Jan 2006
• Kuantan - Sept 2006

Maxis appears to be adopting a "thick coverage" strategy for 3G. This means 3G service will be rolled out only in areas where data traffic is heavy, or with strategic importance (for example, Putrajaya which is the government's administrative centre). The rest of the country will be served by 2.5G (GPRS; nationwide coverage) which is progressively being upgraded to 2.75G (EDGE or E-GPRS).

The key "shouting points" for Maxis 3G appear to be:

• Video call
• packet-switched video streaming services (including live channels, video-on-demand & video clip downloads)
• Traffic Check (Maxis claims to have 50 video cameras installed around Klang Valley, Penang & Johor Bahru)
• Full-track music download
• 3G datacard

In Sept 2006, Maxis launched 3.5G (HSDPA) as part of the "wireless broadband modem" service which is targeted at "mass market consumer/home" users (instead of business or corporate). Maxis is progressively upgrading its entire 3G network to 3.5G capability. Maxis claimed it has widest 3G/3.5G/HSPA coverage that covers 80% of populated areas.

Maxis FastTap[link]

Maxis is also the pioneer of Malaysia's first NFC (Near Field Communication) service called FastTap. It integrates Touch 'n Go and Visa Wave from Maybank.^[7]

Maxis eBooks[link]

Maxis introduce its Malaysia's first e-book service called Maxis ebooks (or Maxis ebuuk in official website and app)^[8]. It was launched on April 16, 2012 and during the launch, more than 300000 books are available in e-book store and available through web, iPad app or through Android tablet running 3x and above.^[9][10]

See also[link]

• Maxis Tower
• Aircel

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

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Sandip Das (born 11 January 1958) is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Maxis Communications Berhad, the largest telecommunications company in Malaysia with overseas operations in India and Indonesia.

A well-known figure in the telecoms space ^[1] Sandip Das joined Maxis in January 2007 after an impressive track record with Hutchison Essar Limited (now known as Vodafone Essar Limited), one of India’s largest mobile operators in India, where he started its operations from scratch in 1994 and left the company as its Deputy Managing Director.

Early life[link]

Sandip Das was born in 1958 in Cuttack, a city in Orissa, an east coast state in India. His father, an aeronautical engineer placed high importance on education and as such, Sandip and his two younger brothers were educated in the finest schools.^[1]

He holds a First Class Mechanical Engineering degree from the Regional Engineering College (now known as National Institute of Technology), Rourkela in India and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi.^[2]

Career[link]

Sandip began his career with the Indian consumer durable giant Usha International, Shriram Group, where he started as a Management Trainee and left as Joint Divisional Manager after 10 years of service.^[2] He then spent 5 years as the Franchise Head of Toyota cars and Hino trucks with the Al Futtaim Motors of the Al Futtaim Group in Dubai, UAE.^[3]

Subsequently, after returning to India, Sandip joined Hutchison Essar, then known as Hutchison Max Telecom where he started the company’s operations in 1994 and was its first employee.^[4] He spent 13 years in the company, including his time as CEO of Hutchison Max Telecom’s paging division,subsequently made COO of Hutchison Max Telecom in June 1998 where HMTL was an established market leader in Mobile Services and later as the Deputy Managing Director and Director on the Board of Hutchison Essar Limited.^[2] During his time with Hutchison, Sandip was a well-known and respected figure in India for his impressive track record in building the company. In an interview in May 2009, Sandip said, “I started with Hutchison in 1994. When I left, it had 25 million subscribers. Two months later, the company was sold for US$22 billion to Vodafone. I feel very proud of this achievement as I started the company’s operations from scratch”.^[5]

In 2007, following the likes of Vodafone’s Arun Sarin and Orange’s Sanjiv Ahuja, India boasted another helmsman in the International Telecoms Space when Sandip Das was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Maxis Communications Berhad, the largest telecommunications operator in Malaysia.^[2][5]

Besides being the Executive Director and CEO of Maxis Communications Berhad, Sandip also serves as Director on the Board of Aircel in India. In addition, Sandip also serves the Boards of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC and Mobitel (Sri Lanka) and is also a board member of Bridge Mobile Pte Ltd (Bridge Alliance), a strategic alliance of regional telecommunications provider.^[2] He also served for 2 years on the Board of the Global GSM Development Fund and was the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Service Industry Panel.^[3]

In November 2009, Sandip led the company’s re-listing on the Malaysian Stock Exchange (Bursa Malaysia) in what was Southeast Asia’s biggest IPO worth over US$3 billion.^[6] Recently, Sandip also led Maxis controlled subsidiary, Aircel in India in the successful third generation (3G) and broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum auctions where Aircel bagged 3G spectrum in 13 of the 22 telecom circles in India ^[7] and BWA spectrum in 8 circles.^[8]

Awards & recognitions[link]

During his tenure with Hutchison India, Sandip was voted the “CEO of the Year” by Mid Day Publications and under his leadership, Aircel Limited in India twice won “The Most Respected Telecom Company” awarded by the Business World.^[2] In 2010 and 2011, Sandip was listed in the Global Telecoms Business GTB Power100 list as one of the 100 most powerful people in the telecoms industry worldwide for two consecutive years ^[9] and in addition was recognised as one of the "Spartans of Telecom" by MyMobile (telecom business editorial), credited for bringing global experience to the Indian telecom field^[10]. In 2011, Sandip was also voted the Top 3 Best CEOs in Malaysia by Finance Asia Best Managed Companies Awards 2011 ^[11].

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maxis Senior Management: Sandip Das

Hassan Sani (born March 12, 1958) was a former Malaysian football player. He played for Sabah FA in the semi-pro league and Malaysia Cup in the late 1970s and in the 1980s.

Hassan start representing Malaysia in youth competition from 1977–1978. He brought into the senior team in 1978 by Karl Heinz Weigang.

He is remembered as a member of the potent strike force comprising the likes of Mokhtar Dahari and James Wong (another player from Sabah). He was called lipas kudung because of his agility.

He was a member of the Malaysia squad that qualified for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Unfortunately, Malaysia did not go as it joined the US-led boycott against Soviet Union for the invasion of Afghanistan.

In 1996, Hassan join Malaysia national beach soccer team. He played in the Beach Soccer World Cup 1999 as well.

References[link]

• Berita Harian (7 May 2005)

This biographical article related to Malaysian association football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2007)

Santokh Singh was a Malaysian national football player from Perak. He played alongside the late Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun and R. Arumugam. He participated in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and one of qualifying team to the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. His partnership with Soh Chin Aun was the most solid defence in the much-feared Malaysian team back then. Santokh currently resides in Ipoh area in Perak. Singh appeared for Malaysia in eight qualifiers for various. His children names are Amardeep Singh,Amreet Kaur,Amarjeet Singh and Amarpal Singh. His wife name is Manvender Kaur. They are all happily living with him.

References[link]

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Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan
Born	(1938-04-01) April 1, 1938 (age 74) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation	Sole Proprietor Of TAK Corporate Holdings Sdn Bhd Chairman & CEO Of Usaha Tegas Group Holdings Bhd
Net worth	$9.5 billion (2011)[1]
Religion	Buddhism [2][3]
Children	3

Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan (Tamil: த. ஆனந்தகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1938) is a Malaysian businessman and philanthropist of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. Nicknamed A-K, he is currently^[update] estimated to have a net worth of US$9.6 billion^[1] according to Forbes' latest annual list of wealthiest people, making him the second wealthiest in Southeast Asia behind Robert Kuok, and number 89 in the world.

Ananda Krishnan shuns public exposure ^[4] and is known to maintain a low profile for a person of his stature.

Biography[link]

Ananda Krishnan was born in 1938 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur's "Little India" to Tamil parents, who were Sri Lankan immigrants. He studied at Vivekananda Tamil School in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur and furthered his studies at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur. Later, as a Colombo Plan scholar, he attended the University of Melbourne, Australia for his B.A. (Honours) degree majoring in political science. During that time he boarded in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn. Following that, Krishnan obtained a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard University, graduating in 1964.^[5]

Krishnan has 2 daughters and 1 son. His son, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo, is a Buddhist monk.^[6]

Entrepreneurship[link]

Krishnan’s first entrepreneurial venture was a Malaysian consultancy Usaha Tegas. He set up Exoil Trading, which went on to purchase oil drilling concessions in various countries. Later, he moved into gambling (in Malaysia). In the early part of the 1990s, he started diversifying into the multimedia arena.

Currently, he has business interests in media (Astro), satellite (MEASAT), oil and gas (Bumi Armada, Pexco), telecommunications (Maxis, Aircel). He owns stakes in Tanjong Public Limited Company, an investment holding company with subsidiaries involved in power generation (Powertek), gaming (Pan Malaysian Pools), leisure (Tropical Islands, TGV Cinemas) and property.

Multimedia[link]

He first came to prominence by helping to organize the Live Aid concert with Bob Geldof in the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he began building a multimedia empire that now includes two telecommunication companies - Maxis Communications and MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems - and has three communication satellites circumnavigating the earth.

He also effected the purchase of 46% of Maxis Communications, the country's largest cellular phone company, from British Telecom and AT&T for $680 million - raising his stake to 70%. Maxis has more than Ten million subscribers, with around 40% market share in Malaysia. Recently, Maxis has acquired Aircel, Tamil Nadu's largest cellular phone company and has spread to rest of India. Maxis is also under negotiation to buy over and expand an Indonesian cellular phone company.^[7]

In an agreement between Astro and India's Sun Network, Ananda plans to produce TV channels which cater to the Indian market, especially Tamil diaspora in countries such as US and Europe. Ananda also plans to offer TV services featuring Web-based interactivity. Ananda Krishnan owns stakes in TVB.com and the Shaw Brothers movie archives.

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Usaha Tegas Group: Impacting lives"
• Forbes List of Billionaires
• Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan bails out Johnston Press
• Malaysia and Singapore: Asian Nations of Economic Success by Globalization
• Malaysian Tycoon Ananda Krishnan reaps £120m from sale of Excel
• WHEN TWO MEDIA TITANS CLASH
• Ananda Krishnan
• T. Ananda Krishnan
• What is it about billionaire T Ananda Krishnan that India has so much interest, An article on India's The Economic Times