SingTel launches commercial LTE mobile broadband service

Singapore, 20 December 2011 – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today announced the commercial launch of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband service. Named Broadband on Mobile Prestige 75, it is the first LTE service in Singapore to be available to both consumer and business customers.

The service offers theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps and typical download speeds between 3.4Mbps and 12Mbps. It provides mobile Internet access that is more than three times faster than existing 3G-based services, with one-fifth of the network latency.

Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, SingTel’s Executive Vice President of Digital Consumer, said: “With the commercial launch of LTE, we usher in a new era of mobile services. Our LTE service will deliver consistent speeds and performance to allow customers to go beyond web surfing and enjoy a wider range of bandwidth-intensive multimedia content on the move like never before. In addition, SingTel is more than just a provider of high-speed connectivity. We offer a range of applications such as cloud storage, video conferencing, music and e-books that maximises the potential of LTE.”

At launch, the service provides outdoor coverage in the central financial district and other areas that experience high data usage such as: Shenton Way, Orchard, City Hall, Marina Bay, River Valley, Tanglin, Newton, Novena, Kallang, Rochor, Outram, Tanjong Pagar, Jurong West, Boon Lay, Bukit Panjang, Bedok and Changi. (Please refer to Annex 1 for a map.) In-building coverage is available in major shopping malls such as Ngee Ann City, Plaza Singapura, Ang Mo Kio Hub, Tampines Mall, West Mall, Parkway Parade and Jurong IMM. Office buildings such as Republic Plaza and Temasek Tower are also covered. The service falls back to SingTel’s 3G-based Premium 21 service when users roam outside the LTE coverage area.

Mr Yuen said that SingTel is progressively expanding its network, which is expected to be able to provide LTE coverage for 80 per cent of mobile data users by the end of 2012.

“The way we dimension the network is crucial in ensuring a high-quality and consistent experience for our customers. This is a premium network service at an affordable price. In addition to offering tremendous value for money, our price plans and data bundles play an important role in encouraging fair usage of network capacity and resources,” he said.

In June, SingTel broke new ground by being the first in Singapore to publish the actual speeds of its 3G services.

“Similarly with LTE, we want our customers to know exactly what speeds they are getting so that they can make better informed choices,” Mr Yuen said.

Broadband on Mobile Prestige 75 will initially be available for USB dongle modems only. It will be enhanced to support LTE-enabled smartphones and tablets when they become more readily available in the market. Existing 21Mbps 3G Broadband on Mobile Premium 21 customers can upgrade to LTE with a top-up of $10 per month.

Singapore, 25 November 2011 – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today unveiled the host of TGIS (Thank Goodness It’s SingTel), an exciting new weekly lifestyle series on YouTube that will showcase the latest in consumer technologies, as well as local news and events.

With her bubbly personality and on-screen charisma, 27-year old blogger, Joanne-Marie Sim edged-out more than 350 other hopefuls in SingTel’s Casting Call contest to clinch a $10,000 cash prize and a $10,000 contract.

The month-long contest was conducted via SingTel’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/singtel) and attracted keen interest from the online community, with almost 1 million hits from over 50 countries worldwide. Contestants were required to submit a creative video and photos of themselves. The entries were assessed by SingTel executives and well-known bloggers. In the final round, Joanne and the top 14 contestants appeared before a panel of local celebrities: Nadya Hutagalung, Hossan Leong and Tracy Phillips.

“With the exposure she’ll receive through TGIS, we believe Joanne-Marie is set to be Singapore’s next social media star,” said Miguel Bernas, SingTel’s Director of Digital Marketing. “TGIS aims to give a fresh perspective on the latest technologies and gadgets, and how they can enhance our everyday lives. We seek to offer our Facebook fans with content that is engaging, useful, and highly entertaining.”

Joanne–Marie said: “TGIS is going to be one of the biggest adventures of my life. I’m here to entertain, inspire, and hopefully get everyone hooked to the programme. I’m going to bring loads of fun and good humour to the show so that Singaporeans will get excited about the latest technologies and the local entertainment scene.”

TGIS will make its debut on 6 December 2011 via SingTel’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/singtel) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/singtel).

Singapore, 15 November 2011 – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today announced the launch of skoob, Singapore’s first e-book service. Skoob breaks new ground by being the first e-book service to offer the works of Singapore writers, as well as study guides and educational books for local primary and secondary school students.

At launch, skoob offers more than 39,000 local and international bestsellers for smartphones, tablets and PCs. It is the first e-book service to accept payments in Singapore dollars and offers tremendous savings versus the cost of traditional paper books. For example, fans of John Grisham can enjoy his novel, The Confession, at S$9.00 instead of S$17.07 at a bookshop. Neil Humphreys’ acclaimed Complete Notes from Singapore is available at S$13.90 instead of S$29.90. Skoob also offers a range of classics for free download, such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Mr Goh Seow Eng, SingTel’s Chief of Digital Home, said: “The Singapore market has long been overlooked by e-book services from abroad. With the launch of skoob, Singapore readers finally have a service that offers local books and caters specifically to their tastes and needs. It also provides local publishers and writers with a powerful digital platform that allows them to reach a wider audience.”

“We are continuously working with publishers to expand our catalogue. We believe skoob’s range of local study guides and educational books will be well received by school students, and we are looking to include assessment papers soon,” he said.

Skoob is available on Apple and Android tablets and smartphones via a free app. It can also be enjoyed on PCs and Macs using standard browsers. Customers have the flexibility to download books on up to five devices. Payments can be made via Singapore credit cards. SingTel customers can choose to have purchases conveniently charged to their monthly bills.

Mr Goh said that skoob is an important addition to SingTel’s growing suite of multimedia offerings, which includes the award-winning AMPed music service, deF!ND digital concierge, ESC games service, De!ite e-magazine service, exCite web video app and mio TV.

“SingTel is transforming from a provider of traditional telecommunications services to a multimedia solutions provider. We are constantly developing new apps and services that make the most of our networks and smartphone technology to enhance the lives of our customers,” he said.

Skoob offers titles from leading publishers, including the world’s six major publishing houses: Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan. The service carries local titles, study guides and educational books from: Popular, Marshall Cavendish, Cengage Learning, Asiapac, Flame of the Forest, McGraw Hill, Sunbear, Monsoon, Singapore Asia Publishers (SAP) and Janus Education. For more information on skoob, and to download the app, please visit skoob.com.sg.