YTL assures its smartphones safe, reminds use of original cable

 

YTL Communications (YTLC) has reassured the Yes smartphones distributed to students in need are in compliance with international standards and are safe to use.

This came after two purported incidents of the phones catching fire.

“Since the reported incident, our manufacturing partner China Mobile and battery manufacturer Utime Limited have completed an audit of the production and quality control data from the production run of the Yes Altitude smartphones.

“They have confirmed that Yes Altitude smartphones are fully in compliance with all pertinent international health and safety certifications… and are safe for use,” YTLC said in a statement today.

The company also reminded phone recipients to only use the original chargers supplied with the phones or Sirim-certified charging cables that are in good conditions.

YTLC said preliminary investigations from the two incidents show that the screens of both smartphones were undamaged, indicating that they did not explode as previously claimed.

The phone from the first incident, which occurred in Gombak, is actually still fully functional with a new battery, as the damage appeared to be confined to the battery.

The second incident, reported in Temerloh, Pahang involved Mohd Najif Ahmad, who received the phone in August 2020 under the YTL Foundation’s Learn From Home initiative, YTLC said.

Five of his children had been using the phone extensively for online learning.

The incident took place after two hours of online classes, as the phone was being charged using a “third-party rapid charger with an older third-party charging cable”, YTLC said.

“It was observed that sections of the charging cable in use at the time of the incident suffered considerable burns, with wiring exposed.

“The heat concentrated on the charging cable and on the top part of the phone around the charging port, suggesting a strong power surge that came in through the charging port.

“The screen of the phone remained in good condition, indicating the phone did not explode,” it added.

Despite the incident, Mohd Najif said the phone had helped his children continue learning online, according to the company.

The Yes Altitude phones were jointly developed by Yes and China Mobile, the world’s largest network operator for educational use.

The government partnered with telecommunications companies to roll out the RM3.5 billion Jaringan Prihatin programme which aims to help low-income households obtain devices and Internet access for home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).

YTLC is one of the participating telecommunications companies under this programme. YTL Foundation also undertakes a Learn from Home programme targeting B40 families in need of devices.

Under Jaringan Prihatin, eligible recipients can opt for a mobile device, which will be subsidised by the government for RM300, or opt for a data plan with an RM180 rebate over 12 months.

Recipients can also top-up money if they want a device valued above RM300. The purchase is done through their respective telecommunication service. - Mkini