It allows subscribers to refer people to use the service in order to offset their monthly bills

Singapore’s second virtual telco service is set to officially debut later this month. It will offer 6GB of data, unlimited calls and SMS, all for S$45 (US$33) per month.

Subscribers are also not tied to a long-term contract; they will just have to pay a one-time registration fee of S$18 (US$13). It will also offers referral benefits that will offset their monthly bills — allowing them to potentially use the service at no cost.

Called Zero SG Mobile, the service is provided by Australian startup Zero Mobile, who chose Singapore as its launch base after conducting market research in Australia, US and Southeast Asia.

Zero Mobile, which received its license to operate as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), began inviting applicants (up to 5,000) to sign up during its pre-sales period, which started from December 1 and will end on December 15.

Subscribers will have to download the Zero SG app to activate the service. The app also allows them to customise their service, make international calls, view their bills, as well as contact customer support.

In addition, they can connect with Zero’s partner retailers and brands and find deals and products via the app’s Shoutouts and Marketplace features. They also allow subscribers to reduce their bills. For example, by interacting with brand messages on Shoutouts, subscribers can offset part of their bills.

Zero SG also allows subscribers to make referrals to friends or family members (up to 20) if they want to reduce their bill. If any of the referral receipient activate their Zero SG service within six months, the referee will receive S$9 (US$6.60) credit per month.

Also Read: How Circles.Life aims to leapfrog Singapore telcos by appealing to internet-savvy users

The referee can receive a maximum of S$45 (US$33) of credit offset, which essentially reduces their base subscription cost to S$0 per month. And as long all parties remain Zero SG subscribers, the referee will continue to use the service for free (as long as they are just on the base subscription).

Beyond its base subscription plan, Zero SG offers data add-ons at S$10 (US$7) per 1GB, or S$20 (US$15) for 3GB and S$30 (US$22) for 6GB.

Currently, Zero SG will have to compete with Circles.Life, which launched about a year and a half ago. Unlike Zero SG, however, Circles offers a cheaper base subscription plan at S$28 (US$20) per month. It, too, offers 6GB of data, but only provides 100 minutes of talk time and no SMS. And Circles’ referral benefits come in the form of extra data, not bill credits.

Both virtual telcos also use different mobile network infrastuctures. Zero SG relies on Singtel’s, while Circles uses M1’s network. And according to some reports, M1’s network coverage is less optimal than Singtel’s, so Zero SG may have the advantage there.

In the future, Zero SG will also have to compete with broadband provider MyRepublic, which announced its intentions to launch a virtual telco, early this year.

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Image Credit: Zero Mobile

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