In the past, a new telco service provider will have a challenging start, trying to carve out a niche in Singapore's competitive mobile space, including having to cope with subscribers not paying on time. However, times have changed, and millennials are increasingly supportive and willing to try new and more disruptive telco service providers that are trying to compete in this space.
The three big telcos have long dominated the telco space and have been a source of angst for Singaporeans, who complain about the slow internet and exorbitant excess data usage charges. Then came Circles.Life and MyRepublic that offer alternative mobile plans and gave consumers more control over their data plans. These new telcos not only introduced new mobile data plans; they also allow consumers to sign up for their plans without the need to commit two years and be obligated to wait for re-contract discounts on a new handset. Since then, consumers have been rushing to switch to the new telcos in a bid to enjoy better and cheaper mobile data plans with more attractive add-ons.
This year, TPG also joined the big three – Singtel, Starhub & M1 – as Singapore's fourth telco. There's also a rise in mobile virtual network operators (MNVOs) like Circles Life, MyRepublic, etc.
With this shift in consumers' mindset and behavior, the major Singapore telcos have started offering SIM-only plans too. This change comes with the intent to provide consumers with more data at a lower price and to meet changing customer needs and expectations.
Here's a simple comparison of the more popular SIM-only plans from the respective telcos.
| Plan | Circles.Life | GOMO (Singtel) | One Plan (M1) | Giga! (Starhub) |
| Price | S$28 | S$20 | S$25 | S$25 |
| Data | 20 GB | 20 GB | 30 GB | 25 GB |
| Talktime | 100 mins | 200 mins | 1,000 mins | 1,000 mins |
| SMS | 25 SMS | 200 SMS | 1,000 SMS | 1,000 SMS |
| Caller ID | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Other Add-Ons | • Data: S$6 /GB • Talktime: S$4 /100 min • SMS: S$1 /25 SMS • Unlimited data for S$20/mo • Unlimited Outgoing calls for S$16.00/mo • Unlimited Incoming calls for S$2.00/mo | • Free Incoming calls | • Free-flow weekend data • Unlimited free calls to 3 M1 numbers • Unlimited music streaming on Spotify | • Data: S$2 /GB • WhatsApp: S$1 /GB • Insta ‘n' FB: S$1 /GB • Travel roaming: S$5 for 1 GB • Free data rollover up to 2 months • Free incoming calls and SMS |
| Promotion | 1 friend referral = free 1-month unlimited data | Free travel SIM worth S$20 for GOMO signups by 6 June 2019 | Online exclusive: Free 1-month subscription | Free 1-month subscription for Giga! signups by 18 June 2019 |
| Link | Find out more | Find out more | Find out more | Find out more |
| Remarks | Best unlimited add-ons and referral deal! | Best overall deal! |
Circles.Life
Circles.Life has disrupted the telco space as Singapore's first digital telco, which prides itself on fighting local data deprivation with its signature “20GB for S$20” offering. Focusing on consumers who are heavy data users, Circles.Life taps into this segment and provides what they need most: unlimited data.
The super popular Circles.Life Base Plan is S$28 monthly and gives you 20 GB of data, 100 minutes talktime (in- and outgoing calls) and 25 free SMSes.
GOMO by Singtel
The Singtel‘s GOMO plan is S$20 for 20 GB, which completely puts Circles.Life's S$28 for 20GB plan in shame. As Singtel's first digital-only product, GOMO aims to create a streamlined user experience (UX) to reach the hearts and minds of the millennials. It will mean going back to the drawing board to build something from the ground up.
In addition to 20 GB of data, the GOMO plan offers 200 minutes of outgoing calls and 200 SMSes for free which are sufficient for most millennials.
One Plan by M1
M1 plans to replace its existing 19 mobile plans with one base plan each for SIM-only and handset bundles. The SIM-only contract-free mobile plan starts at S$25 for 30 GB of data, 1,000 mins of talktime and 1,000 SMSes.
The M1's new plans allow customers to build and customize their plan by adding data, voice minutes, SMS, roaming pack, and other services depending on their requirements and needs.
Giga! by Starhub
StarHub has also jumped on the bandwagon and launched a new no-contract SIM-only plan that rivals Singtel's GOMO, called Giga!. The plan offers 25 GB data, 1,000 minutes of talktime, 1,000 SMSes, free incoming calls and caller ID for S$25.
If you love to travel, Giga! is also offering roaming pass at S$5 for 1 GB, valid for 5 days across any network in 14 selected countries including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
