Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim, Information, Communications, and Culture Minister of Malaysia tweeted earlier today that the Cabinet has agreed for the RM500 price cap for smartphones to been lifted, allowing eligible youths aged from 21 to 30 with an income of RM3,000 and below to purchase any smartphones they so wish through the Youth Communication Package program.
This could be due to the many criticisms voiced these few days that we’re not left with many device choice at the RM500 price point. However as Amanz who first reported this pointed out, it is still subject to the carrier’s contract as they are bundled with preselected devices.
Eligible folks could register over at the Youth Communication Package site here, though as of these few days, the site is very difficult to access and keeps timing out. Registration online is accepted daily from 7am to 11pm. Not too sure why there is a time frame in place, since it is done online. Inquiries can also be made via phone calls to the hotline at 1800884040 from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
According to Digital News Asia, more than 5,000 youths had registered for the program, and at this rate, the allocated 1.5 million should be filled within nine months.