Tune Talk caused quite a stir for BlackBerry service the moment they launched BIS services with incredibly low rates. As a result, most operators were pressured to offer more competitive rates which benefit consumers in the long run.

To stay on as the low rate champion, they have further slashed their monthly BIS service from RM28/month to RM18/month. This makes Tune Talk the most affordable BIS rates, which is RM1 less than U Mobile’s RM19/month BIS subscription.

For more information, head over to Tune Talk’s BlackBerry page.

Tune Talk now offers a new way to stay connected for long without the hassle of monthly top ups. Tune Talk customers can get 365 days of credit validity for a small fee of RM38/year. This is good for those looking for a prepaid service with minimal monthly top up commitments.

To activate this, send SET to 1212. It costs RM38 but Tune Talk requires a minimum balance of RM48 before activation. Do note that the RM38 will be deducted as a fee and you won’t be getting any free talktime or SMS. With this 365 days validity activated, it will last exactly 1 year from the date of activation which will be confirmed by SMS. You can check for validity period by calling *133#.

There are other things to look out as well. Any top ups made within the 365 days period will not extend the existing validity period. If you are a heavy user and have been topping up regularly, this isn’t a solution for you. However those that just requiring a line for receiving calls or simply isn’t spending as much as a usual prepaid user, this 365 days validity is worth a try.

For more information, head over to TuneTalk.

As an immediate response towards the 6% prepaid tax, Tune Talk now offers free call minutes to all networks for top ups of RM10 and above. This gives more value to each top up despite the recent increase. While usual free calls are limited to the same network, Tune Talk’s offer is applicable to all networks.

The extra free calls are rewarded according top up amount and comes with a validity period as well.

RM10 top up – 10 min free calls with 1 day validity
RM20 top up – 20 min free calls with 2 days validity
RM30 top up – 30 min free calls with 3 days validity
RM50 and above – 50 min free calls with 5 days validity

Based on the rate of 16sen/min, that’s RM1.60 worth of calls free for every RM10, which comes out to 16% extra value. So looks like Tune Talk subscribers are getting more as a result of the recent announcement. Will other telcos follow? As mentioned before, the effects of 6% surcharge are expected to be compensated by extra freebies.

For more information, head over to Tune Talk.

Tony Fernandes says Tune Talk is Malaysia’s largest MVNO. Having launched its BlackBerry service recently, the prepaid telco has 3000 BlackBerry subscribers at the moment, but being a prepaid provider, subscriber numbers tend to be fluid as the attrition rate is typically higher than a post-paid telco.

Having said that however, Tune Talk is doing very well for itself. In the prepaid market, Tune Talk has probably toppled DiGi as the prepaid king with unbeatable value and an appealing marketing approach. Having a rock star front man with and even bigger rock star boss helps with the brand appeal as well.

So it’s safe to say that the Tune Talk brand is making a mark, but that’s not stopping the dynamic duo of Fernandes and Lo from achieving greater success. Via Twitter Fernandes has indicated that Tune Talk will be offering Android devices. It’s a fleeting statement yes, and it could mean anything at this point but its definitely something Tune Talk fans will definitely be looking forward to.

How would a prepaid operator offer devices if it can’t tie its subscribers down with a contract? In Tune Talk’s case, there are three possible approaches — 1) Offer a bulk buy credit purchase for a subsidized device price (meaning buy a boatload of reloads upfront and get a discount on devices), 2) Simply offer discount deals with a device partner, in this case Samsung (meaning if you sign-up for Tune Talk or purchase reloads you get a discount voucher for Samsung devices or you can redeem Tune Talk points for discounts on devices) or 3) Shift the business model from prepaid to post-paid.

We’re more inclined to think that Tune Talk will adopt approach number one or number two but it’s too early to say. So we’ll just see if Tony or Jason has any more interesting tidbits to share.

Our Malaysia Broadband Cost Comparison post is in dire need of an update since most broadband providers had revised/introduced new broadband plans. As demanded by you, we’ve updated the broadband comparison table as below:

Further breakdown with speed & excess charge by categories after the jump.

Fixed Broadband

Mobile Broadband

Mobile Internet

Which plan to pick?
There’s no clear cut choice when it comes to broadband plans as it varies depending on usability, quota, excess fees and speed. The cost comparison here serves as a guide based on cost per GB which caters to your monthly broadband demand.

For the heavy user, fixed broadband of the FTTH variety offers the best of speed together with generous quota. For those on the move, most plans below 5GB are offered under RM100. For the demanding users, most plans of 10GB and above are well between RM100-RM200 range. Generally, most users won’t use as much data while on the go as compared to home. Also you would need to take note of excess charges if you have the tendency to exceed your monthly quota. Some plans might reduce your speed without additional charges while others charge a rather expensive pay as you go rate.

Another point when considering a plan is a network quality. While most networks boast high up to speeds, the realistic achievable speed is normally lower than the paper claims. Checking among your friends or peers would be a good reference point to find out if the service provider is good.

Apart from speed, coverage is another issue as well. If you travel a lot outstations, you would need to check with the provider’s coverage map. You can check out last year’s comparison here.

Do let us know in the comments if you spot any errors.

Update: Tan Sri Tony Fernandes says Tune Talk’s new BlackBerry rates are the cheapest in the country. So far, he is correct. Now everyone can BBM?

Last month Tune Talk had introduced its BlackBerry service with daily and monthly subscription service, giving a cheaper alternative for BIS subscription.

Now they have revised their BIS rates lower at RM0.98 per day or RM28 for monthly subscription. This is a big slash from its previous RM1.50/day and RM40/month rate. If you’re looking for no frills BBM usage only, it costs an affordable RM0.38 a day or RM11 per month.

The service runs on daily activation and you just need to activate once to get out started. If you wish to stop, just deactivate by sms. All activation and deactivation costs 10sen. According to the T&Cs, the maximum download speed is 400kbps which is sufficient for normal usage but heavy users would be left wanting more.

Visit Tune Talk’s BlackBerry page and FAQ for more info.

Frost & Sullivan’s “Most Promising Service Provider of the Year 2011″, Tune Talk today soft-launched its prepaid BlackBerry Internet Service for RM1.50 daily or RM40 per month.

Tune Talk’s Chief Talker, Jason Lo said in a statement that the operator is “currently working on delivering a more exciting” BlackBerry offering in the “coming weeks”.

In conjunction with the soft launch Tune Talk is running a top-up and win contest offering one BlackBerry Curve 9300 daily beginning May 9 till May 20.

Details on the contest here.

Tune Talk, Malaysia’s aggressive MVNO prepaid has given its website a whole new revamp. On first glance, it looks pretty refreshing with heaps of red and it runs heavily on flash. While today’s trend where most portals or websites are beginning to switch to non-flash design with javascript implementation, Tune Talk had defied the odds with having a port folio designer style website which navigates both horizontal and vertically.

It looks cool and fun at first but after flicking through the site, it tends to feel a little cluttered. You can use both mouse or keyboard directionary keys to navigate but we were surprised that the mouse scroll wheel doesn’t work with their pages. As Tune Talk subscribers ourselves, we are also having problems locating the self care to check our account details and usage. Anyone managed to find it?

Website aside, Tune Talk is probably the country’s simplest mobile prepaid SIM plan with its fixed rate of 16sen/minute for calls, 5 sen per SMS and the first to offer 5sen per MB for prepaid mobile data.

Now they are giving free sim card with delivery if you purchase one with a minimum top up of RM30.

For more details, visit their newly revamped website here.

Tune Talk has got this massive promo campaign around bringing Justin Bieber to Malaysia. Bieber is a big star and Malaysia is a small country. For him to come here is a big deal to a lot of people and probably a matter of life and death large number of local Bieber fans who affectionately refer to themselves as Justin’s Beivers.

But it looks like DiGi subscribers will be the first to be able to catch the pop sensation live in concert.

In a cheeky move DiGi launched a contest that offers 10 pairs of tickets to catch Justin Beiber live in Singapore on April 19, two full days ahead of his scheduled appearance here in KL on April 21.

The page promoting the contest on DiGi’s website proudly announces:

Be the FIRST to catch Justin Bieber live in Asia

For more details on the DiGi Justin Bieber contest click here.

It’s no secret that the rock band Deftones is coming to KL this Valentine’s day. It’s no secret either that the offbeat prepaid telco Tune Talk is the one that’s behind the concert.

What is a bit of an unknown is this funny promo video promoting the upcoming concert. It’s a pity that the video is getting very little attention because in all fairness, it’s really funny. We thought we’d help Tune Talk out and share it with you guys.

Head on to after the jump and get ready to laugh.