Talk Focus eyes 100,000 subscribers by June

Kuala Lumpur: Talk Focus Sdn Bhd, the newest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in the country, intends to do what many MVNOs fail when it launches its mobile service this month.


Talk Focus is targeting at least 100,000 subscribers by end of June next year. If this materialises, it means that the company will have reached the 100,000 mark earlier than some of its peers.

Existing MVNOs in the market include Merchantrade,
XOX, REDtone International Bhd, Tune Talk and PLDT Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

It was reported that XOX Bhd took about 11 months to achieve the 100,000 milestone while REDtone is said to have not achieved that despite having launched its services a few years ago.

All the preparation works for its launch are almost complete, said senior Talk Focus executives.


An MVNO is a company that provides mobile phone services but does not have its own licensed frequency allocation of radio spectrum .

It also does not necessarily have all of the infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service.

In Talk Focus's case, it will provide the mobile phone services like voice calls, text messaging and other value-added services via DiGi.Com's network.

Talk Focus chief executive officer Steven Loke is confident that the company will hit the milestone ahead of some of its peers because of its unique offering.

Customers of its mobile services under the brand Tron will be able to use their phones to shop for items and obtain discounts at selected retail outlets. This is on top of the typical things most users do: making phone calls, sending text messages and surfing the Internet.

"Our services will be a first of its kind... it's going to be revolutionary. We have a telecommunication business as well as retail business. We work with merchants somewhat similar to Groupon, but it is a different experience altogether," Loke told Business Times.

For a start, customers can buy Tron starter packs from as low as RM9 each. These RM9 packs come with RM3 Tron Airtime, RM4 Tron Cash and 10 Tron points.

Customers can also buy the RM98 Tron starter packs, which comes with "goodies" like a free four-day/three-night hotel stay at Phuket or Bali worth up to RM1,680 and free insurance coverage of RM10,000.

Talk Focus is currently training dealers on its products and establishing its network of merchants.

"For now, we have formed partnerships with some 2,000 dealers and are looking to substantially increase that number over the near to medium term.

"We are also seeing strong response from our merchants, with some 300 tied up with us," said Loke.

"We give a very strong sales loyalty programme. Every time you make a call, reload or buy something, you earn points (and) the points can be exchanged for airtime," he explained.