Price war in Singapore over mobile data

A price war has erupted in Singapore for the first time in four years, as operators seek to stay competitive by lifting their data allowances.

SingTel recently introduced a new add-on plan giving customers the option of doubling their mobile data allowance for an extra S$5.90 per month, the Straits Times reported.

Both M1 and StarHub quickly followed suit, with M1 introducing a similar option to SingTel and StarHub offering an extra 3GB of mobile data for a promotional rate of S$3 per month, rising to S$6 from April.

The offers mean the operators have effectively halved their mobile plan charges in some cases. The biggest discounts are for more high-end plans.

The cuts follow the announcement by MyRepublic,  the ISP seeking to become Singapore's fourth mobile operator, that it plans to charge as little as S$8 for a mobile plan with 2GB of data, with value added services charged at market rates.

MyRepublic also plans to offer an unlimited data plan for S$80 per month. The incumbent operators currently do not offer unlimited data options.