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Just to find out which is the best service provider, and which will be the worst?

Can't wait to get away from Starhub You think there will be some major telco price war come Friday the 13th? Or maybe heavier phone price subsidies?

Dear all, Finally .... Full number portability. Hopefully this time is for real .... Full mobile number portability from June 13 Wed, Apr 16, 2008 The Straits Times IT'S official. From June 13, Singapore's 5.8 million mobile subscribers will be able to to switch operators without giving up their existing numbers. The eagerly-awaited announcement by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) on Wednesday will give mobile phone users greater flexibility and choice of subscription plans, and boost competition among the telcos, which will have to offer better deals in future. The Full Mobile Number Portability will replace the current solution where a mobile subscriber needs two numbers, so that calls to his old number are forwarded to a new one. IDA said from June 13, anyone who wishes to keep their current number when they switch mobile operator, can do so by the next working day. This spares them the hassle of updating their family, friends, and business contacts about a new number. The new scheme allows a mobile subscriber who has switched operator to: -- Retain full use of his mobile number, which will continue to appear on his contact's Caller-ID when he makes a call or uses the Short Message Service (SMS) or Multi-Media Message Service (MMS). -- Continue receiving MMSes on his number from his previous mobile operator. Pre-paid mobile subscribers can also enjoy the same benefits of retaining their numbers when they switch mobile operator. IDA Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms) Leong Keng Thai said on Wednesday: 'Full Mobile Number Portability is expected to bring about a sea-change in Singapore's mobile market. 'Consumers will be empowered with greater flexibility to choose from the offerings from mobile operators. This in turn intensifies competition and pushes the operators to work harder to attract and retain their customers. 'As we can expect to see more competitive pricing or better value-for-money mobile service deals, even those who choose to remain with their current mobile operator should benefit.' The move is also expected to open the doors to new business opportunities for non-traditional telecommunication service providers like wireless broadband providers and Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. IDA said there are about 130,000 mobile subscribers who have ported their numbers under the current Call-Forwarding solution. This group of subscribers will migrated in an exercise from April 22. As part of the migration exercise, these subscribers will be contacted by their current mobile operators, who will advise them on the migration procedures. These subscribers will need to: -- Decide by May 14 which number to keep - either the old number from the previous mobile operator or the new number issued by the current mobile operator, otherwise the new number will be assigned to them by default. -- Consider informing their contacts about their choice of number ahead of June 13, which is the deadline for migrating mobile subscribers on the current scheme to the new solution. Consumers can also refer to the Frequently-Asked-Questions on Full Mobile Number Portability on IDA and the respective operators' websites, to find out more about this new solution and its benefits.

Mobile and Fixed Line Markets Set for Greater Competition The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) will enhance the Number Portability regime here so that consumers can benefit from greater choice and flexibility in mobile and fixed line services. From the fourth quarter of 2007, consumers can switch between telecoms service providers easily and yet have full use of their existing number, rather than having to update family members, friends and business contacts about a new one. Beyond that, the new solution will spell greater competition among the telecoms service providers and business opportunities in Singapore's telecoms market. http://www.ida.gov.sg/News%20and%20Events/...?getPagetype=20 Any person looking into the effect of this change has on individual or corporate users? Now that the worry about number portability is no longer an issue, will telecom carriers be more aggressive in providing more competitive packages (especially on mobile lines) to their corporate customers? In the past, corporations are reluctant to switch telecom carrier because they cannot afford to lose customer contacts (although call forwarding was an option, however, it did not cover the send SMS or caller-ID display). Any company start looking into switching carrier to reduce costs?

BT 16/6 MOBILE phone users fed up with their operator will have to be patient for at least another six months as true number portability has been postponed to next year. But at least the appointment of Syniverse Technologies as the centralised database administrator was made yesterday, which is necessary for implementing true number portability - when you will be able to switch to another telco and hang on to your number. An Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) statement yesterday said it has appointed Syniverse Technologies as the administrator. Six companies had bid for the job. 'The true number portability solution, which is expected to be ready by the second quarter of 2008, will allow consumers to retain full use of their existing phone numbers, rather than having to update their contacts about a new one,' the IDA said. From 1 January 2008, consumers who wish to port their fixed line numbers will also no longer need to pay monthly recurring porting fees, just like how it has been for the porting of mobile numbers since 2003, the IDA said. Last year, the IDA said implementation of true number portability would be in the fourth quarter of this year. An IDA spokeswoman said the delay was to give operators more time to get their networks ready. The mobile and fixed line operators had provided feedback that they would need a reasonable amount of time to conduct and complete the extensive works and tests, she said. 'The operators have also raised their concerns on the need to minimise network changes and system testings during the end-year and beginning-year festive periods, as these periods usually experience heavy voice and data traffic.' In this way, consumers will have fewer concerns when deciding their most suitable telecoms service providers, and thus enjoy greater service choices as mobile and fixed line operators are spurred to offer more attractive packages to retain and gain new customers, it said. IDA deputy chief exeutive and director-general (Telecoms) Leong Keng Thai said that once true number portability kicks off, 'Singapore's telecoms market should expect to see even greater competition among the mobile and the fixed line operators'. New York-listed Syniverse Technologies will operate the centralised database system for seven years starting with the launch of true number portability. On its website, Syniverse Technologies said its solutions are used in more than 350 communications companies in over 50 countries to provide seamless mobile services by making it possible for disparate technologies and standards to inter-operate.

Anyone work or has connection in the telco industry to know when is true number portability for mobile phone is going to be a reality in Singapore? The last time i checked IDA website, it says by the end of 2007, so far, still hear nothing. Thanks