Samart I-Mobile has been creating waves in the mobile industry with its practice of including value-added services with the phones they sell. We catch up with Khun Panthep Chatnarat, the driving force behind this innovative phone distributor.

Kashminder Singh

What’s your role at Samart?
Samart has business interests in countries across Asia so I have some regional responsibilities as well as the primary responsibility for Malaysia.

Is life in KL very different form Thailand?
Off and on, I have been here about two years and I am very happy in KL. The people are friendly and I love the food. Culturally, there are many similarities between KL and my homeland. The Malaysian government has also a first rate infrastructure and a clear long term vision. Personally I have also learnt a lot from Malaysians.

What can consumers expect from Samart?
Lots of exciting and value added services. We believe in creating value for our consumers and making sure that our products are tailored to meet specific needs and wants. Consumers can expect cutting edge technology from Samart because we want them to live the advantage.

What exactly are the products that Samart offer?
We are distributors for Nokia, Philips, Huawei Data Cards and also our in-house brand, I-Mobile. We also provide multimedia and interactive media solutions as well as mobile download services.

Tell us more about your very successful value added services.
Samart phones come pre-loaded with I-Mobile packages. For example, we preloaded for free the King Kong Java game on the Nokia N70 and the upcoming Nokia 6280.

The mobile industry moves so fast. How does Samart cope with all these changes?
We recognise that the mobile industry is evolving from 2G to 3G. This opens up tremendous possibilities because today’s handsets are highly functional and feature rich. Our aim is to take advantage of these features and provide mobile users everyday solutions in the fastest possible time.

What are the promotions that are currently being offered by Samart?
We have a promotion running to get more customers to upgrade to 3G. It’s a programme called Black Ice which rewards current subscribers with a free phone. There’s also the Nokia 3G Video Moment which is a simple MMS competition and we are offering prizes like a trip for four to Hong Kong Disneyland plus phones like the Nokia N80. You can get details at www.i-mobile.com.my.



What else is in store for consumers in the future?
I am very excited about the Nokia 6280. It’s already a great 3G phone but we will be making things more exciting with our exclusive I-Mobile package in which we will include Celcom 3G instant access, 10 MP3 songs, 36 wallpapers and also a Clark Hatch Fitness Centre membership pack worth RM500 among others.

Wow, that’s really something to look forward to.
Yes, but that’s not all. We are also bringing in some great phones under our house brand, I-Mobile. I can tell you about one of those models. The I-Mobile 901 will allow users to watch Free-To-Air TV on their phones, absolutely free! We have other exciting stuff too but we don’t want to give away all our surprises.

Where do users buy these phones?
Our Nokia 3G phones, I-Mobile phones and other phones are available from an extensive range of dealers and service centres throughout Malaysia. Just look out for the sticker that says “I-Mobile by Samart” on the back cover and battery and they will be sure of getting exclusive value added services.

I see so many phones on your desk. What phones are you using right now?
I am carrying the Nokia 6280 and the I-Mobile 901 as well as another I-Mobile phone that I think your readers will love; especially music loving readers.

What do you think is Samart I-Mobile Malaysia’s niche in the Malaysian mobile industry?
We have two excellent partners: Celcom and Nokia. I see our role as that of the conductor of an orchestra. We take the best that Nokia has to offer and add in multimedia content and services that will make these devices perform well on the Celcom network. At all times, we are looking for the best possible services and content that will enrich our customer’s lives. Every phone that comes from Samart I-Mobile will always have something extra. That’s what we are here for.