Posts tagged singtel
Singapore gets World Cup option?
Jan 29th
With SingTel and StarHub in a deadlock with Fifa over television rights to the 2010 World Cup, a new player has emerged with the ability to give Singaporeans full access to the biggest football extravaganza of the year.
British company Perform Group, a sports and entertainment specialist for digital media, has been closely monitoring the drama that has kept the telephone companies in an impasse with football’s world governing body over a reported $40 million fee.
No progress has been made yet despite the Football Association of Singapore’s approaches to Fifa.
Perform is now interested in making available all the World Cup matches from South Africa to Singapore viewers after Fifa’s sales representatives, Football Media Services, approached the company.
Mr Jason Swanson, Perform’s advertising and sponsorship sales manager in Singapore, told MediaCorp, they have the capability and technology in place, and can put it online – even at the eleventh hour.
The matches, he said, will be shown live on the Internet – which Fifa would not otherwise make available to a country that does not pay the rights for it.
Various packages, said Mr Swanson, would be made available to Singapore viewers.
“It could be a pay-per-view option or a package for all the games,” he said. “What we will do is to set up a site where people could go in and make their choices, whether they want to watch only the England games or all the matches. There are lots of ways we can do it.”
He added that Perform streams about 15,000 matches online every year and is currently delivering the Australian Open.
Last October, the company made history by broadcasting an England match for the first time exclusively on the Internet for £5 ($11) for those who booked early, and £12 for late subscribers.
The pre-World Cup qualifier with Ukraine was watched by 500,000 British viewers, which the company claimed was the largest audience for a pay-per-view sports event online.
Mr Swanson said the World Cup could be made cheaper for Singapore, relative to the England-Ukraine match, as Perform intends to rope in sponsors and advertisers.
He said the potential pool of 2 million viewers here can also expect high quality images of June’s World Cup that can be projected on television and big screens without Internet interruptions.
“When we delivered the England game, there were no issues and there should be none in Singapore because we have the servers and the broadband here is also very good,” he said.
Mr Swanson said providing the World Cup service is something Perform is keen to do.
“When I talk to people on the streets, they are pretty upset they may not get to see the World Cup. They want to watch here and not go across the Causeway,” he said.
“If none of the big players step up for the TV rights, we’ll see what Fifa wants because it would be worth doing it in Singapore.
“They know our capabilities and are familiar with how we deliver sports events online.”
Source: TODAY
Key World Cup matches may be telecast on MediaCorp’s channels
Jan 22nd
Football fans in Singapore may get to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches on television after all.
That is because national broadcaster MediaCorp confirmed on Wednesday that it has put in an offer to telecast key World Cup matches on its free—to—air channels.
Earlier reports claimed that should SingTel and StarHub fail in their joint bid to broadcast World Cup matches, Singaporeans could miss out completely on the football action.
But MediaCorp’s bid means football fans here can breathe easier now. The company is currently waiting for FIFA’s response.
MediaCorp said any matches telecast on its free—to—air channels are subject to the company’s successful bid.
The broadcaster understands that there is no specific FIFA ruling for any match to be provided free—of—charge to any broadcaster nor is there a mandate for any match to be aired on a free—to—air basis.
As Singapore’s national broadcaster, it needs to balance between catering to viewers’ needs and the returns from advertising revenues that will fund the telecast of the matches.
The latest development spelt good news for fans.
Said one man in the street: “Half a loaf is better than none, isn’t it?”
Another football fan said: “I think that will be good because if SingTel or StarHub get the bid, we need to pay.”
“Why should we suffer because of some corporate fight, that’s not fair, that’s not really fair, we should be able to watch everything,” said another man in the street.
In 2006, MediaCorp telecast four World Cup matches — the opening, two semi—finals and the final game on its free—to—air channels.
Source: CNA
Singapore iPhone 3GS Shootout
Nov 10th
It is officially a free-for all for the iPhone in Singapore. And while the public can expect charges to drop – and the telcos anticipate high take-up rates – news yesterday of StarHub’s entry to the iPhone market nonetheless drew a bittersweet response from some consumers.
The telco’s announcement that it has reached an agreement with manufacturer Apple to offer the smartphone means by next month, customers of all three telcos here will be able to get their hands on the gadget.
In its statement – a month after M1 broke SingTel’s 14-month monopoly – StarHub said it would offer the iPhone “later this year”, along with “a range of tailored service plans”. Pricing, tariffs and availability dates will be released in due course.
The news sent StarHub’s share price up 7 cents, closing at $1.95 yesterday.
Copywriter Daniel Lee, a decade-long StarHub customer until last week when he switched to another telco, felt “quite bummed”. Said the 29-year-old: “I think I’d be echoing the same sentiments as others who ‘jumped’ … (StarHub) wasn’t fast enough on the uptake.”
Mr Lee contemplated switching back to StarHub after its announcement, but decided against it due to the hefty penalty he would incur for breaking his new contract.
But another StarHub subscriber Khaled Talib, 44, will finally be getting the iPhone – the Blackberry user was put off by the long queues in August last year when the iPhone was launched here.
iPhone charges are set to drop if Australia’s experience is anything to go by, said telco analyst Aloysius Choong.
Data plans, based on Gigabytes per month, fell from above A$150 ($193) to below A$100 within a year when Hutchison and Virgin entered the fray, said the research manager at IDC’s Asia Pacific personal systems group.
“In Singapore, we should likewise see some price competition in iPhone subsidies and tariffs, although not in the same magnitude as Australia,” he said.
But consumers looking to get smartphones from Apple rivals such as Nokia, HTC or Samsung might be worse off, as StarHub and M1 now have less need to subsidise these products, he noted.
When contacted, M1 was tight-lipped about its iPhone launch date and pricing plans. SingTel spokesman Chia Boon Chong said: “To date, we have put tens of thousands of iPhone 3GS in the hands of our customers. We review our price plans regularly to ensure that they offer the best value to our customers and remain competitive in the market.”
StarHub to bring iPhone to customers in Singapore
Nov 9th
It has been bad news and bad news for Starhub, there are chances where they might be losing a substantial amount of cabletv customers due to the football broadcasting issues. Now all Starhub mobile users can rejoice. StarHub has announced that it will bring the iPhone to its customers in Singapore later this year after reaching an agreement with Apple.
The telecommunications company said on Monday it looks forward to offering the iPhone and a range of tailored service plans to its customers. It added that more information on pricing and availability dates will be released in due course.
StarHub is the last of the three phone service providers here to reach a deal with Apple in offering the iPhone. Last month, Mobile One said it would also sell the iPhone later this year.
M1 To Offer iPhones To Consumers
Oct 14th
I’m a happy man! Well, not because I’m sick, but I’ve came across a wonderful news. M1 will be bringing in iPhones later this year and it has been confirmed! Interested? Read down further!
MobileOne (M1) has broken SingTel’s monopoly of the Apple iPhone market in Singapore.
M1 on Tuesday said it has secured a deal with the US computer giant Apple to sell the iPhone in the city. But details on pricing and when the handsets will be released will come later.
If one wants to buy an Apple iPhone now, one can only choose SingTel. But that will change when M1 starts selling its own iPhone handsets.
Analysts said the iPhone could help M1 reduce its customer churn, or the rate at which it loses customers over a specific time period.
Ng Kian Teck, research associate, SIAS Research, said: “M1 is taking on the younger crowd, and the iPhone is something that the crowd is looking forward to. And this will lower its churn rate.
“At least for the last one year, quite a substantial portion of customers are being lost to SingTel because of the lack of the iPhone service.”
He added that M1’s current churn rate is about 1.5, compared to 1.2 for the other two mobile operators.
Meanwhile, some consumers have welcomed the news.
Business development engineer Jaycee Lim, an M1 subscriber, said: “Since there is no more monopoly on the iPhone, the telcos may try to compete on the prices of their mobile phones as well as data plans. I will definitely be considering getting the iPhone when it is available, providing the price is reasonable.”
The question now is how much the M1 iPhone will cost and its data plans.
Analysts said M1 has much to do to catch up to SingTel’s 14-month lead – so this might result in cheaper rates. This will sit well with its mainly youth customer base, who are likely to have limited spending power. M1 is also likely to roll out a range of plans to allow for some flexibility.
When contacted, SingTel said it will continue to collaborate with Apple to introduce the latest products to Singapore.
A SingTel spokesman said: “SingTel is pleased to have been the first operator to bring both the iPhone and iPhone 3GS to Singapore. Coupled with our unrivalled 3G mobile network coverage and our innovative services like Live TV, our customers are enjoying a superior iPhone 3GS experience.
“We will continue to collaborate with Apple in introducing the latest products to Singapore. To date, we have put tens of thousands of iPhone 3GS in the hands of our customers. We review our price plans regularly to ensure that they offer the best value to our customers and remain competitive in the market.”
Both M1 and StarHub have been vying for the rights to sell the iPhone in Singapore. Analysts said the chances of StarHub getting its own deal now appear slim.
Mr Ng said: “The likelihood is not that high – because Apple is looking for a significant proportion of sales. So it is not possible to have too many players selling iPhones together. For example, if you want to sign a contract, you may have had to sell at least 100,000 phones.”
StarHub told Channel NewsAsia that it is still interested in bringing the iPhone to its customers.
“We are interested to bring the iPhone to StarHub customers. After all, we offer the highest mobile data network speeds and the best smart phone plans in town,” said Michael Sim, senior manager, Corporate Communications, StarHub.
Student Peggy Chang, a StarHub subscriber, said: “Of course, I am not happy that StarHub is now the only one who does not sell iPhones. When my contract expires in one year’s time, I will definitely switch providers.
“But the best scenario would be for StarHub to get the rights too, so consumers can compare prices among the telcos. I assume they will each try to offer competitive deals then.”
Some market watchers see M1’s iPhone deal as a double whammy for StarHub, which earlier this month lost its broadcast rights for the English Premier League, from the 2010 season, to SingTel
Source: CNA
APCN2 cable cut cripples connections
Aug 15th
A cut in the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) undersea submarine cable crippled connection speeds for users in the Asia-Pacific region on Wednesday, particularly in Singapore and the Philippines.
Users were sending updates to local forums and Twitter, complaining of slow connection speeds to sites hosted outside of the region.
According to a notice sent by Malaysian telco, TM Net, the cable fault was traced to segment 7 of the APCN2, which stretches between Shantou, China and Tanshui, Taiwan. TM Net traced the outage to Typhoon Morakot, which hit the region over the weekend.
Additionally, segment 1 of the APCN2 is also currently under repair. Repairs on segment 7 are expected to commence after work on segment 1 is completed.
TM Net said the repairs are expected to be completed by late evening Aug. 13.
Singapore operator, SingTel, confirmed the cable fault in an e-mail to ZDNet Asia, saying the APCN2’s consortium members have started restoration works and are diverting Internet traffic to other cable systems. It said the situation is expected to return to “acceptable levels” within the next 24 hours.
A status update posted on InternetTrafficReport.com showed SingTel’s Singapore gateway registered a score of only 34 points, compared to the global average “health” of network connections, which was 86 points as at 3pm Singapore time on Wednesday.
The site first started registering slower response times and packet loss in Singapore at 8pm Tuesday evening.
Cable & Wireless sent ZDNet Asia a status update at 6pm, Singapore time, noting multiple cable breaks have been also detected along the EAC (East Asia Crossing) and SMW 3 (South-East-Asia, Middle-East, Western-Europe) subsea cable networks, in addition to the APCN2.
These breaks have been concentrated specifically near Taiwan, with network traffic “adversely affected in and out of the region as a result,” said the operator.
Back in 2006, the APCN2 was taken out by a powerful earthquake in Taiwan. Internet access was reportedly badly disrupted and halted in some parts of Asia after the quake.
Source: ZDNet Asia
Singtel iPhone 3G S Price Plan
Jul 7th
Hey guys,
For those who are slightly interested in obtaining the iPhone 3G S from Singtel, here is the price plan which I found on the Singtel website.
Singapore launches Apple iPhone 3G S
Jul 3rd
Great news for all Apple fan boys and those waiting for the latest iPhone 3G S.
Just got a sms from 73703.
From SingTel iPhone: You have a date next Friday 10 July with SingTel and your new iPhone 3G S – keep it free! We will email you early next week with launch event details and prices. Have a good weekend and see u next Friday! It’s going to be huge!
iPhone 3G Help
Aug 22nd
Well, the latest hype, I’m sure everyone knows, is the release of Apple iPhone 3G by Singtel. I believe in my previous post, I have stated the price plans and stuff of getting the iPhone.
Well, in this post, these are the various help sites that you can visit if you need help with setting up or using your iPhone 3G.
From Apple’s offical site: CLICK HERE
From Singtel’s site: CLICK HERE
Need any other help with your iPhone? Leave your questions on the chatbox/comments area and I’ll assist you at my best capacity.
I’ll add more to the list but currently these 2 are the more helpful ones available on the web.
Have fun on your iPhone 
Singtel release iPhone 3G price plans
Aug 20th
3 New Voice + Data Plans
- iFlexi Value – SGD$56
- 1 GB Data *
- 200 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 500 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: SGD$348
- iPhone 16GB Price: SGD$508
- iFlexi Plus – SGD$95
- 2 GB Data *
- 500 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 500 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: SGD$49
- iPhone 16GB Price: SGD$208
- iFlexi Premium – SGD$205
- 3 GB Data *
- 1500 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 1500 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: Free
- iPhone 16GB Price: Free
Note
- * Only for customers who connect/recontract to an iFlexi plan before 5th Sep 2008.
- These plans also come with 5 value added services free (Caller ID, AutoRoam, VoiceMail, SMS Plus and Overseas Missed Call Alert).
- Taken from: Singtel iFlexi Price Plans.
- Prices stated are including 7% GST.
Voice Only Plans
- iOne Plus – SGD$25.68
- No Data *
- 100 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 500 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: SGD$698
- iPhone 16GB Price: SGD$848
- iTwo Value – SGD$48.15
- No Data *
- 300 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 500 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: SGD$348
- iPhone 16GB Price: SGD$508
- iTwo Plus – SGD$82.93
- No Data *
- 700 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 500 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: SGD$49
- iPhone 16GB Price: SGD$208
- iThree Plus – SGD$192.60
- No Data *
- 2000 Mins Outgoing Voice
- 2000 SMS
- iPhone 8GB Price: Free
- iPhone 16GB Price: Free
Data Only Plans
- Broadband on Mobile Lite – SGD$3.21
- Download Speed: 3.6Mbps
- Upload Speed: 384kbps
- Free Local Bundled Usage: 2 MB
- Broadband on Mobile Value – SGD$10.70
- Download Speed: 3.6Mbps
- Upload Speed: 384kbps
- Free Local Bundled Usage: 10 MB
- Broadband on Mobile Plus – SGD$19.90 (New)
- Download Speed: 3.6Mbps
- Upload Speed: 384kbps
- Free Local Bundled Usage: 500 MB
- Broadband on Mobile 1000 – SGD$22.42
- Download Speed: 1Mbps
- Upload Speed: 384kbps
- Free Local Bundled Usage: 50 GB
- Broadband on Mobile 2000 – SGD$34.85
- Download Speed: 2Mbps
- Upload Speed: 384kbps
- Free Local Bundled Usage: 50 GB
- Broadband on Mobile 3600 – SGD$62.37
- Download Speed: 3.6Mbps
- Upload Speed: 384kbps
- Free Local Bundled Usage: 50 GB
Note
- * It is recommended to have Broadband on Mobile data plan to go along with the Voice Only plan.
- These plans also come with 4 value added services free (Caller ID, AutoRoam, VoiceMail and Overseas Missed Call Alert).
- Taken from: Singtel Existing Voice Only Price Plans.
- Prices stated are including 7% GST.
Links
- View Singtel Broadband on Mobile price plans
- View Singtel Postpaid Mobile price plans
- View Singtel iPhone price plans
- Credit to leinad of HWZ
- Discussion at Hardware Zone Forums
Source: lesterchan
