The country's second biggest cell phone operator Maxis today began trials of its high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile services ahead of the commercial launch slated for the end of the year.

In a statement, the company said some 300 selected Maxis staff and customers would participate in the trial which would be carried out for eight months.

Maxis chief executive Jamaludin Ibrahim said the trial was important to assess customer acceptance and willingness to embrace new content and applications such as data and interoperability between the present 2G platform and 3G.

"This (trial) will help us identify the types of products, services and content that appeal to the Malaysian market especially the early adopters, and to ensure that the 3G products offered are exciting, attractive and relevant to the lifestyles of Maxis customers," he said.

The trial will be conducted in the Kuala Lumpur central business district, the Sunway suburb on the outskirts of the capital, and the government's capital Putrajaya and neighbouring Cyberjaya.

A total of 300 sites, costing RM200 million, are expected to be set up in the Klang valley when the 3G network is commercially launched, Jamaludin said.

Growing market

Maxis has some four million subscribers but has been overtaken by rival Celcom as the two giants battle for Malaysia's growing cellular market, with the third licence-holder, DiGi, trailing behind.

Maxis and Telekom are the only two companies that have been awarded licences for 3G mobile phone networks in Malaysia. The two are expected to spend RM7.5 billion over the next decade to roll out 3G services.

Malaysia's mobile phone penetration rate is more than 30 percent and the government hopes to speed up the official target of 38 percent by 2005 with the 3G networks which allow speedy access to data and video through the Internet. - AFP