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[Baphomet]

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post...-073953723.html

 

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.

 

 

It just gets better and better....

Edited January 11, 2012 by Baphomet

[Curahee]

Wow usage base pricing. I think might as well dun use smart phone anymore.

[Seaweed]

money not enough...so make more money lor... typical sillypore strategy...living expense go up..business cost go up...everything go up up up...except salary lor...

[Axela72]

Wow usage base pricing. I think might as well dun use smart phone anymore.

 

So who is at fault? Those ppls who use application like Whatsapp to save their own cost and now affected those ppls that are not using.

[Pltang]

despite heavy usage with youtube, tethered, whatsapp, social media n uploading of pix... my data usage never exceeds 5GB per month.... how big is their claims of heavy usage?

[Keavze]

despite heavy usage with youtube, tethered, whatsapp, social media n uploading of pix... my data usage never exceeds 5GB per month.... how big is their claims of heavy usage?

 

ya man!!! mine hardly over 3G...

[Vid]

So who is at fault? Those ppls who use application like Whatsapp to save their own cost and now affected those ppls that are not using.

 

How much data can whatsapp use anyway. Heavy users should be those who download movies or songs with their phone

[Happily1986]

despite heavy usage with youtube, tethered, whatsapp, social media n uploading of pix... my data usage never exceeds 5GB per month.... how big is their claims of heavy usage?

 

what i suspect is that they are acting to stem "loss of earnings" from erstwhile usage of instant messenging clients and VOIP. Without the data cap, some people might be paying through their nose for sms usage and voice calls.

[Pltang]

what i suspect is that they are acting to stem "loss of earnings" from erstwhile usage of instant messenging clients and VOIP. Without the data cap, some people might be paying through their nose for sms usage and voice calls.

 

my sms used to be massive, now down to 10%... but still 200 plus... thanks to data it did save me alot of $$

[Happily1986]

my sms used to be massive, now down to 10%... but still 200 plus... thanks to data it did save me alot of $$

 

Well i know of some students, they can easily clock 1000 or even 2000 sms a month. Just imagine the potential revenue loss when they are unable to continue the campus plans but decide to switch to whatsapp anyway. $$$$ man.

[Axela72]

what i suspect is that they are acting to stem "loss of earnings" from erstwhile usage of instant messenging clients and VOIP. Without the data cap, some people might be paying through their nose for sms usage and voice calls.

 

 

precisely. It is not whether one using lots of GB, it is due to ppls use application like Whatapp to get aways from those sms, oversea calling charges. Those users try to save money from the service provider and now get other that does not do that into the same boat.

 

Just like ones claim plenty of accident insurance, which resultant to all others insurance also go up. The service provider is transferring their losses to those innocent folk