Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Learn more
 

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    S’pore telcos may revise pricing of 3G packages

    By Xavier Lur | Fit to Post Technology – Tue, Jan 10, 2012

    Telcos are considering cutting generous data caps, says a report. (AFP File Photo)Telcos are considering cutting generous data caps, says a report. (AFP File Photo)

    Some smartphone users in Singapore may see themselves paying more for data usage, as all mobile phone service providers here intend to review their existing 3G packages and may revise charges to deter massive usage by users, according to a report by investment firm Kim Eng.

    The report, released on Monday, cited plans by local telcos to reduce generous data caps, scrap the current unlimited data option in 3G packages, and roll out more usage-based plans in the future.

    The review comes after the ever-increasing adoption of instant messaging platforms and Voice over IP (VoIP) applications such as WhatsApp and Viber. Such tools allow mobile users to send text messages and make phone calls for free, thus eroding the need to pay for costly voice calls or SMS, the report noted.

    A spokesperson for StarHub confirmed with Yahoo! Singapore that the company is indeed working on reviewing the price scheme for its data packages and may consider rolling out usage-based data pricing.

    "We are reviewing current pricing plans and consider introducing usage-based data pricing to ensure optimal network quality for our customers," said Chan Kin Hung, StarHub's head of products and solutions.

    "In addition, we will not offer unlimited mobile broadband plan on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) platform when we launch our LTE service, which is likely to take place in the second half of 2012," he added.

    The revised charges, if skewed towards a pay-per-usage basis, will hit hard on customers who use a lot of data on a frequent basis. However, customers may see an improvement in network quality with the usage-based data pricing, as a lower data usage will be spread across the same amount of bandwidth.

    StarHub is the only telco here that offers the unlimited data option to its customers, while packages by SingTel and M1 have a data cap of up to 50GB.

    In 2009, M1 increased the data credit on its iPhone plans from 10GB to 12GB a month. At that time, both StarHub and SingTel were offering customers data packages with low data caps -- 1GB and 500MB respectively, according to iMerlion.

     
    • Shawn
      Shawn  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Hi all, just look at the profit generate from those 3 telco. Are they making lossess? Anyway, consumer are on the lossing end this time
      • ManDom
        ManDom 4 months ago
        Let's revert to the old days, use pager and public phones..
    • Ben
      Ben  •  4 months ago
      Jailbreak for unlimited data coming soon... for iphone user only LOL
      • Hua Xiang
        Hua Xiang 4 months ago
        wah tell us more leh... or where did u see the article?
      • jawwad
        jawwad 4 months ago
        Lolz, Jailbreak has nothing to do with data usage!! Don't try to con people !!
    • elyo
      elyo  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      The PAP monopolised all our basis needs. they are only after our $$$ and blood. This Govt is definitly not doing their job to keep prices down. Just take a look at the companies in other countries which has survived for hundreds of years. Every 5 to 10 years their prices are falling ( and they still survived healtly) but here in singapore it's just the opposite. WHO IS THE PERSON THATS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS !!!!!! You have manipulated us for many years and till today you are still doing this crap. CASE is CRAP for sure... STOP all the price increases!!!! What are you trying to do to this island!
      • LimJ
        LimJ 4 months ago
        PTE company has the right to prices if the "PROFIT" is not enough. Example : SMRT limited, Singtel limited are PTE company. CASE only can go to small company just like coffee shop, sugar and small business. May be I did not heard of. I didn't heard that they go after petrol company, SMRT, Singtel, NTUC... Pls don't depend on CASE, they may not be right channel for this case.
      • Singapore First
        Singapore First 4 months ago
        The weather was terrible last week, it must be because of the PAP. Hey My TOTO numbers didnt come out recently, it must be because of the PAP!
    • StYloMoNk
      StYloMoNk  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      everything also increase... next time also charge us for the air we take in la!
    • alexa
      alexa  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      This is PAP governments style one thing goes up others follow suits. How many times things have goes up every year especially after the elections. So whats the use of pay rise if all things goes up too and all the moneys goes to the governments. All they do is sucks us dry...we die of pay and pay.THIS IS PAP.
      • PureSG
        PureSG 4 months ago
        If you have pay rise then that's good.....what happen to old folks who don't have pay rise and see food items always rising.....
      • 团结就是力量
        团结就是力量 4 months ago
        And the funny thing is that not too long ago they have all warned that the economy is going to be very bad and they still die die must increase price.

        That really proof that they do not have the welfare / heart for the citizen.

        Come 2016, please unite & be heard.
      • ROY
        ROY 3 months ago
        That's what Comfort Taxi are doing!
    • John
      John  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      why is it so COINCIDENTAL that ALL telcos are reviewing the same thing??

      my bet is that ALL 3 telcos will announce the revised plans within 2 days of each other, and that the revised plans are rather similar too.

      really coincidence???
      • steffeng
        steffeng 4 months ago
        it's oligopoly my friend.
      • Better than WWF
        Better than WWF 4 months ago
        Sorry, it is monopoly because eventually linked to one company - TEMASEK
      • Derrick
        Derrick 4 months ago
        They eat, drink and golf together, loser to come out with the new plans, winner will be last.
    • T
      T  •  4 months ago
      PAP is out 2016, no more thinking about it. HAMMER
    • lostsouls
      lostsouls  •  4 months ago
      CCB.....................................
    • Tan
      Tan  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      I cannot help but have this observation. When the telco screw up, the transport companies will raise their price. When the transport companies screw up, the telco will raise their price. It look as though there are some implicit agreement such that when one have a major issue and the other will act and raise the price as the general public are still busy criticising all the lapses of the other one. Eventually, the prices are all happily moving in tandem which is up, up and up.
    • KM
      KM  •  4 months ago
      3G will be history soon.... We are moving to 4G...
    • The Bukit Man
      The Bukit Man  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      This is no difference from a cartel. Telcos collaborating to fix prices and you think the Government cares? After all they are all in the same boat. We have no say and have to live with it. Expect more bull shit from SMRT, NTUC, Singtel and coming to think of it, they will drag in the private companies as well. It's a free for all gold digging taking a dig at us. Say too much and they will silence us more.
    • sTv
      sTv  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Monoploy! Seriously living in SG sucks, that's why people are moving away.
      101 reasons to move away, now with this Telco increase, its 102 reasons and counting~
    • Dato' Foo Kee Mak
      Dato' Foo Kee Mak  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Most of us don't need the 12GB. It's a lot. They've already overcharging us.
    • HellOoOoO
      HellOoOoO  •  Hong Kong, Hong Kong  •  4 months ago
      Better go and buy these telco shares..before they announced it...better than parking your money in the bank...!!! That is precisely how you get back your yearly subscription fees through their good yield dividend payout!!! My bet is on SINGTEL!!!! Mai tan Liao!!!
    • A Yahoo! User  •  4 months ago
      HAHAHAHAHAHAHA ..... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      WHATS NEW MANNNNNNNN ....... WHATS NEW ... ??????????????

      PAY & PAY LA ........ WHAT ELSE ..... THEY HAVE LOADS OF WAYS
      TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF THEIR SHORTFALLS. MORE TO COME,
      PEOPLE. BE PREPARED.

      See ? salary cuts, thats where they will get their extra income with all
      the directors fees, chairman fees, etc etc.
      1 petrol company do, all MUST follow or else .......
      1 taxi do, all MUST follow or else .......
      1 telco do, all MUST follow or else .......
      They all have "members" from the same ...... ahh ... you know where la ..

      LOLOLOLOL ....... LPPL ..... so much for "competitions" ????

      FORWARDS WITH "THE SINGAPORE SPRING CLEANING" ....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • linus
      linus  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      i thk since it come to this point we have to face it.. Now i hope they reali come out a real 3G package. maybe in a mode of 3GB, 7GB and 10GB. Den the price can be more variety. As i believe there is pple use less then 3GB a month and required to pay the full service. So in another side, it could be a saving to pple and can push everyone into 3G service rather still keeping the package that without 3G.
    • Singaporean
      Singaporean  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      " However, customers will see an improvement in network quality." Bah!!..talk no need money mah.. so can say anything u like! Improvement???!!!
    • Adrian D
      Adrian D  •  4 months ago
      I don't get this Telcos they give 12GB ofcourse as a subscriber you try to maximise your usage after all your paying for it. Its like saying ok we give you 12GB coz thats what you pay for but don't use it all coz thats too much. Why dont you just say "We want to squeeze out more money from you!" dont be beating around the bush with this stupid explanations
    • J.on
      J.on  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Are we really that powerless? We should really do something about all this.. getting ridiculous!!!
      Our house is lease from gov't,, soon our car wil be as well.. and now the few things that we actually own n need, the price keeps going up even when economy can't justify it..
    • Naomi
      Naomi  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      LKY really marks his word "REPENT!!!"
      Damn those 60%.
     Post a comment

    Featured Blog Posts

    Show More

    Blog Authors / Profiles

    Blogs

    More from Yahoo! Singapore