The Fastest Fiber Broadband Plans Available in Singapore

What Are Your Options?

Earlier this month, MyRepublic undercut the competition by offering 1Gbps fiber broadband services with prices starting from $49.99. When queried on how the company was able to price its 1Gbps package at such an affordable price point, a spokesperson replied with the following statements:

MyRepublic - MyRepublic is not like the big three telcos, we run a streamlined line company with most of our systems in the cloud. It is because of our thin operator model, we are able to take the savings from overheads and marketing cost to invest in our network.

We focus investing in our infrastructure and we engineer/manage our network better than others. Thus ensuring that our customers' experience will not be compromised and they will enjoy full 1Gbps.

Ever since they debuted this new and competitive high speed fiber broadband plan, there has been much discussion on this topic. To facilitate the current topic of interest, we decided to compile all the current options for high speed fiber plans. So if you happen to be interested in upgrading to one of the fastest fiber broadband plans available in Singapore, this article is just what you might need. In the table below, you will find the costs involved in signing up for a package with any of the internet service providers (ISPs) and the broadband speeds you can expect.

*We reached out to the respective ISPs for information, but they declined to provide specifics.

Understanding the Technical Terms

For a clearer understanding, here's a quick explanation of some of the technical terms used in the table above:

• Theoretical speed: This refers to the maximum possible download speed available for your connection. It is unlikely that you will actually reach these speeds as actual speeds will vary depending on a wide range of factors such as network traffic.

• Typical Speed: The ISPs have different definitions of what this term means.
  
  

  • M1 - the range of download speeds that users can experience 80% of the time based on the specific test conditions and parameters which are stipulated on www.m1.com.sg/HBBspeeds (Testing time frame: Oct to Dec 2013)
    

  • SingTel - the average download speeds that customers can experience 95% of the time.
    

  • StarHub - a range of download speeds that you are likely to experience during a wired broadband Internet access.
    

  • Viewqwest - the download speeds that customers are guaranteed 99% of the time for all types of traffic.

IDA's Monthly Speedtest Results

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) publishes monthly speedtest results of a selected range of broadband plans from the ISPs. SamKnows Pte Ltd is the vendor commissioned by IDA to assess the performance of the fixed broadband networks in Singapore. The monthly speedtest results are compiled from a total of 900 test probes installed in the homes of volunteers from both the public and IDA.

Here are three screenshots of the latest monthly speedtests that IDA uploaded on its website:

Based on the December's pricing, SingTel's 500Mbps Fiber Broadband package offers $0.16 per Mbps while M1 and StarHub tied at $0.40/Mbps for their 1Gbps broadband packages. Do note that MyRepublic and Viewqwest did not have any promotional pricing for their 1Gbps packages in December.

More important however is the performance of these plans. The following graph below shows average peak download throughput. Also simply known as download speed, this is defined by IDA as the rate at which your computer will be able to fetch content (e.g. web pages, pictures, music, video etc) from the Internet.

As the testing included only up to 200Mbps packages from the three main ISPs, there are no data statistics for 1Gbps. Over a period of three months (Sep to Nov 2013), SingTel's 200Mbps fiber broadband plan delivered a consistent download speed of 213.4Mbps while StarHub's 200Mbps MaxInfinity Platinum plan is at a close second with 203.5Mbps for November 2013. M1, on the other hand, delivered a consistent download speed of 190.5Mbps in the same period.

The international download speed results are obtained through a series of tests conducted against IDA's test servers in the east and west coast of United States. SingTel once again took the lead in international download speeds.

There are other criteria that the ISPs are assessed on such as upload speed, latency and packet loss. For a more detailed look at the graphs, you can head over to the IDA website, but it's unfortunate that not all plans nor service providers are included in these results.

Do note that your surfing experience may differ from that of IDA's results due to website load, home wireless connectivity, and network conditions at the time of your usage.

Closing Thoughts

Consumers who are planning or have signed up for the highest tier broadband package from the ISPs probably form a niche market segment in Singapore who require the ultra-fast connection for work or gaming.

Generally, most consumers in Singapore would look for the best bundle deals - a combination of cable TV, home line, internet broadband and mobile line(s) - to enjoy savings and convenience. For example, StarHub believes it has a better hubbing proposition and does not compete on price alone.

Ms Lin Shu Fen, Head of Home Solutions, StarHub - "We do not compete on price alone. We believe we still have better hubbing proposition than our competitors as we offer consistent service experience and great bundled content across our fibre broadband plans. All fibre broadband plans come with a free ultra-high-speed Wireless 802.11AC gigabit router and offer free access to 16 quality StarHub TV channels. There is no hidden fee as service activation, and installation fees are waived. We will continue to monitor the market closely to ensure that we remain relevant and competitive in our broadband offering.”

StarHub highlighted its HomeHub 200 (fiber) broadband package where customers can enjoy four services - 200Mbps fibre broadband with equal bandwidth for uploading and downloading, up to 65 StarHub TV Channels, 21Mbps mobile broadband, and a home phone line. For more information on StarHub's HomeHub 200 (fiber) plan, click here.

For more information on the individual package from the service providers, click on the links below: