20100414 0944 Malaysia Corporate News.

DiGi has upped the ante in luring customers to use its broadband network with the introduction of the country's first all-in-one postpaid plan that encourages smartphone usage. Under the DG Smart Plan, customers play RM68/mth to enjoy unlimited internet access while voice calls and SMSes were charged on a pay-as-you-use basis. High usage customers would enoy a 25% discount and a 100% discount off their RM68/mth fee if their total usage was above RM100 or RM200 respectively. (FinancialDaily)
DiGi is focusing more on the smartphone devices (i.e. small screen) segment vs the dongle/large screen market which requires higher data downloads and greater demands on the network.

Telekom Malaysia is offering weekly and monthly prizes worth RM60,000 for customers who pay their monthly bills with Visa credit or debit cards. (TM)

All companies on Bursa Malaysia are required to provide eDividend option to shareholders by Sep-10, says Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Yusli Mohamed Yusoff. Share investors have been encouraged to take up a new service under which dividend payments from listed companies will be credited directly into their bank account, instead of through cheques as is the current practice.

• All companies on Bursa Malaysia are required to provide this eDividend option to shareholders by Sep-10 this year as part of the country's effort to boost payment efficiency. "There are currently more than 4m Central Depository System (CDS) accounts and I hope to see all these account holders come on board to use this new service," says Yusli. 
• Shareholders can start providing their bank account details to their stockbrokers from April 19 onwards through the submission of an eDividend form. They can get the form from their stockbrokers or download it from the stock exchange website. (BT)

The outlook for the rubber industry this year is set to be considerably brighter thanks largely to the recovery in the global automation sector. In line with this, Malaysia's natural rubber output for 2010 will likely increase by 16% to one million tonnes supported by higher prices compared with 900,000 tonnes last year.

• The higher production estimated this year would be due to more attractive NR prices which would encourage smallholders to tap their trees for more latex, said Dr Salmiah Ahmad, who was recently appointed Director-General of the Malaysian Rubber Board. 
• She said rubber prices were expected to be firm due to declining stocks in major consuming countries coupled with fears that the supply situation may worsen due to the political situation in Thailand. (Bernama, BT)

EPF's offer to buy the rest of MRCB at RM1.50 each has failed to meet the acceptance condition and no extension of the offer period will be made. The offer was conditional upon EPF having received in aggregate, more than 50% of the voting shares of MRCB.

• As at yesterday, EPF held acceptances of only 41.9% of the voting shares in MRCB. To recall, a general offer (GO) was triggered when EPF bought shares not taken up by existing MRCB shareholders under a renounceable rights issue to raise up to RM566m. (BMSB, BT)

MMC Corp expects its energy and utilities division to remain the group's main earnings driver, as it positions itself to take advantage of the country's improving economic outlook. CEO Datuk Hasni Harun said the economic recovery bodes well for the country's electricity demand and its 51%-owned subsidiary Malakoff Corp.

• "The company is pursuing power and water generation project opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, to grow its global power and water portfolio," Hasni explained. (Bernama, BT)

Malaysia Airports (MAHB), in a reply to Bursa Malaysia's query over a press report, said it had received "proposals from interested parties" with respect to its Eraman duty-free retail outlets. It was reported that the Atlan group of companies via its subsidiary DFZ Capital, had proposed to acquire the Eraman business from MAHB. (Starbiz)

Perodua has scored an all-time monthly sales high in March as managing director Aminar Rashid Salleh completed his first 100 days at the car company. Aminar Rashid Salleh also saw Perodua achieve 24.5% higher sales in the first three months to 47,800 units.

• Aminar Rashid is more bullish about Perodua's outlook in the second quarter, given the longer working period and more stable economic situation. Aminar Rashid, however, maintains its full-year sales forecast of 176,000 units. He also outlined Perodua's plans and targets in the short to medium terms.
• They included increasing exports and plant upgrading. The carmaker wants exports to account for 5% of its total sales volume within three years and 10% beyond five years, from 2% at present. (BT)

Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) is now in the process of changing its television transmitters throughout the country to the higher frequency band involving six transmitting stations which are expected to be fully completed by the end of the year. The first phase which was installed in February was at the Ulu Kali Transmitting Station.

• The change in the frequency band for the transmitting station involved viewers in areas such as the northern part of Selangor namely Rawang, Kuala Selangor up to southern Perak and west Pahang involving areas in Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Raub, Merapoh, Kuala Lipis, Temerloh, Maran and Bera. (Bernama)

Australia's Walker Corp is investing RM1.7bn to develop Senibong Cove, Johor's first exclusive waterfront enclave, on the eastern corridor of Iskandar Malaysia. The project will be developed in a JV with Iskandar Waterfront Sdn Bhd, through a company called Front Concept Sdn Bhd. Johor MB Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the project was the first of several initiatives to spread foreign investments in all major Iskandar Malaysia growth areas.

• The new world-class residential enclave Senibong Cove is coming up on 84ha of scenic freehold land, on the banks of the Sungei Lunchoo and the Straits of Johor. Senibong Cove will be developed in phases over 10 years with phase one featuring 244 houses, due for completion by early 2012. (Bernama)

KYM Holdings, a paper packaging producer and resort developer, is eyeing RM900m worth of jobs following a land sale in Perak to Vale SA. Brazil-based Vale was reported to be planning to invest as much as RM9bn to set up an iron ore distribution centre to cater for the Asian market.

• The project is expected to be completed within five years and construction works may start in 2011. KYM is looking to develop 40ha of land in the vicinity of the Vale project into a mixed property development, said KYM managing directtor Datuk Raymond Chong Thin Choy. (Malaysian Reserve)

Texchem Resources plans to set up a second seafood processing facility in the Asean region and expand its disposable medical devices manufacturing activities. Indonesia was a potential location for the facility which required an initial investment of RM15m to RM20m, chairman Tan Sri Fumihiko Konishi said. A second seafood manufacturing facility in the region would further reduce the dependency of the group's seafood supplies from Malaysia. (Starbiz)

Uzma has entered into a deal with China's Junlun International Holding Ltd for the latter to provide oil & gas technical services in Baiyin Chagan, Inner Mongolia dense petroleum block. (BT)