Latest telco Yoodo targets niche online shoppers segment

PETALING JAYA: Yoodo, a new telco which made its debut in the Malaysian market today, is offering customised mobile plans via an online platform especially targeted at the digitally savvy population.
The telco allows customers to customise their plans by choosing their preferred voice, data, messaging and content offerings--all of which can be done online via its mobile application which is currently available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It offers up to 100GB of data, 2,000 mins of voice and 2000 SMSes---from which customers can customise their plans according to their needs.
A package with data, voice and sms ranges from between RM28 and RM182.
"Traditional mobile operators design plans based on what they want to sell the customers, developing various plans and features that don't fit most customer's individual needs. We've flipped that on it's head and enabled users to customise their own mobile plans, with everything done online to give our customers full control, because frankly, they would do it better," said the telco's head, Farid Yunus on Yoodo's concept.
With no brick and mortar outlets in place, customers will have to sign up, activate and authenticate their SIM cards via the mobile app, and the SIM will then be delivered to them for free in between one to three days.
Meanwhile, customers who opt for premium delivery which costs RM15, will receive their SIM cards within two hours. The premium delivery is only available within the Klang Valley, at this juncture.
As for payment options, bill payments will be auto deducted from customer’s registered credit and debit card.
For its roaming services, Yoodo offers the Roam Like Home service which enables users to use their domestic data plan while roaming. The service is currently available in 12 countries which includes Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Thailand.
Yoodo is owned and operated by Celcom Axiata Bhd and leverages on Celcom’s network.
“There is a distinction between Yoodo and Celcom. Yes, we are owned and operated by Celcom, but we really operate independently. Essentially we are like a start-up and they funded us… in a way we are a guinea pig to try something new… to try something different not just with a different technology, a different mindset, different rules, different governance even,” Farid explained on the connection between Yoodo and the country's oldest mobile telecommunications provider.
Yoodo will also be leveraging on fellow overseas telco subsidiaries of Axiata such as Dialog, Ideas and others, for its roaming services.
The telco is targeting the digital savvy segment, particularly online shoppers.
“Well we did our initial research, there are about five million Malaysians who regularly shop online and this is our target market,” explained Farid.
He said for starters, he “will be happy” if the telco could hit 200,000 subscribers by year end.