Telco war heats up even before TPG enters fray in Q4

M1 and Starhub stand the most vulnerable to TPG Telecom.

Singapore’s telco war is heating up as new mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are aggressively outdoing each other even before TPG rolls out its mobile services on a commercial basis, according to UOB Kay Hian.

TPG Telecom’s network deployment has progressed smoothly and is on track to launch as the city state’s fourth mobile network operator by year-end. It is trying to gain traction by charming tech-averse senior citizens through offers of 3GB data and unlimited, free local calls for a two-year period,

“New entrants in the form of mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) have been trying to outdo one another in offering the most attractive service plans to consumers,” observed analyst Jonathan Koh.

M1 and StarHub stand the most vulnerable ahead of TPG Telecom’s commercial launch, he added, due to their reliance on the Singapore market.

Also read: M1 braces for lower margins amidst new business growth areas

Zero1, for instance, is offering unlimited mobile data at $19/monthly for the first 3,000 pre-registering customers. It comes with 200 minutes of local talk time and 200 SMS. The first 3GB of data would be supplied at 4G LTe speeds.

“Zero1 plans to differentiate itself by offering free voice roaming to call and receive calls from any Singapore mobile or landline number via its Zero1 app, which is scheduled to be launched in June,” said Koh, which is achieved as the company leverages on call-forwarding technology embedded in its Qongle device.

Circles.Life has also rolled out its new Flexi Plan which provides 1GB of data and 30 minutes of local talk time, 10 SMS and caller ID for free in May 19. Customers need only pay to upgrade to $28/monthly base plan that provides 6GB of data, 100 minutes of local talk time, caller ID and unlimited WhatsApp. It also offers the option to customise plans in a granular manner.

Also read: Circles.Life's $0 plan could slowly erase telcos' wireless revenue

MyRepublic is similarly gunning for greater market share as it leases network capacity from StarHub to offer consumer mobile services. It recently scored US$60m from CLSA Capital Partners

You're the reader we write for. You're also the person our partners want to reach.

If that sentence describes you — a founder, a C-suite, someone whose attention companies pay good money for — then you already understand why SBR works. We've spent twenty years earning the trust of readers exactly like you. Which is exactly what makes this an interesting place for your company to show up, too.

The ways it can show up are broader than most people assume — thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The right fit depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If your company has something this audience should know about, we'd like to hear what you're working on.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia

Top News

30 One-Sentence Stories From People Who Have Built Better Habits

None of these stories are mine. They were sent to me by readers of Atomic Habits. My hope is that these examples will illustrate how real people are putting the book into practice. They will show you what people are actually doing to build good habits and break bad ones. And hopefully, they will spark some ideas for how you can do the same.

news conversion

SBR 5 Lorem Ipsum News 2 [8 May]

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

SBR 4 Lorem Ipsum [8 May Top Stories]