Singapore

Fixed Line

While fixed lines are continuously giving way to mobile services, many families choose to hook up landlines for security and cost-saving purposes. There are two available service providers for fixed line residential home phones; Singtel and Starhub, both of which are very competitive. Service and prices for both are comparable, and the only main differentiators may be special promotions at the time of hookup. The entire process from application until installation and hookup usually takes about five days. Only foreigners over the age of 21 are eligible for a landline service in Singapore and during the application procedure you will need your passport, employment pass and tenancy agreement.

SingTel:

For new hookups, visit http://www.singtel.com, call 1609, or visit any of the three customer service centers listed below:

• hello! Bugis Junction: 200 Victoria Street, #01-50/50A Parco Bugis Junction, Mon-Sun: 11am – 9pm
• hello! ComCenter: 31 Exeter Road (Business telephone transactions only), Mon-Sat: 10am – 9pm, Sun/PH: 11 am – 8 pm
• hello! Takashimaya: 391 Orchard Road, #B2-12 Ngee Ann City, Mon-Sun: 11am – 9pm

Note: There are many other Singtel shops islandwide, but for fixed line services, only the three centers above are available.

Alternatively applicants can apply at any Singpost outlet.

SingTel services are approximately SG$29.43 per quarter (you are only billed every three months), with calls costing $0.86 per 30-second block during peak hours, and $0.86 per 60-second block during off-peak. Added services such as call waiting, voicemail, caller ID are available at extra costs. SingTel charges a one-time activation charge of SG$53.50 and a minimum subscription period of three months. For the latest rates visit: http://info.singtel.com/

SingTel also offers a number of long-distance products including International Direct Dial (IDD). IDD001 is SingTel’s premium grade international direct dial service for customers who demand high-quality international calls and assurance of instant access to high-quality international network. The SingTel v019 plan offers international calls at very low rates all day long. Customers can also use the International Calling Card (ICC) offering worldwide access, the Hello!TM prepaid card for select Asian countries, or the WorldCardTM, which allows customers to make international calls with great savings and calling privileges.

Starhub:

To order installation with Starhub, visit http://www.starhub.com or call 1633.

Starhub’s fixed line service, Digital Voice Home, costs SG$10.49 monthly, with unlimited local incoming and outgoing calls all day at no charge. Furthermore, you can keep your telephone number if you move at no charge, which is not the case with SingTel. Starhub also offers International Direct Dial (IDD) rates of approximately SG$0.08 a minute to Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, the UK, and the US. For the latest rates visit: http://www.starhub.com/content/voice/plan/digitalvoicehome.html

Required Documents

When registering with either provider, you will be asked to provide the following documentation:

• Residence status documents (Employment Pass, Entrepass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependent Pass, etc)
• All permits and passes must have a photo and a minimum validity period of 6 months.
• If validity period of Work Permit is less than 6 months, a letter from the employer (manager/principal and above) indicating intent of renewal is required.
• Proof of billing address required if there is no local address present on the Work Permit/Student Pass.
• Local sponsor is required for application of IDD services for those who are below 21 years of age.
• A $200 deposit will be collected for IDD service application.

List of documents accepted as Proof of Billing Address:

• Legal tenancy agreement (valid for at least 6 months)
• Insurance policy statement (except for travel insurance)
• Bank or Credit card statement
• SingTel/M1/Pacific Internet bill statement
• Singapore Power bill statement
• Title deed
• TV/Radio License from Singapore Broadcasting Authority
• Form B/IR8A (Income Tax) sent to customer’s residential/company address
• Letter from company (signed by managerial position and above) indicating the company owned / leased / rented properties / customers residential address
• Letter from School (signed by principal) indicating the customers residential address

Mobile Phone

There are three main mobile line service providers in Singapore, SingTel, Starhub, and M1, each providing comparable service and payment plans. Some users claim that SingTel has the best reception but lower customer service standards, while M1 has the best customer service, and Starhub has the best special promotions and discounts. Each has a myriad of mobile line packages, usually bundled together with a subsidized handset. Some cheaper, older handsets can be obtained for free when signing up for certain plans with service providers. Some customers choose to go with SingTel or Starhub if they have existing services for the sake of consolidated billing.

For payment plans, visit each provider’s website to see their many different plans. In general, however, you can expect to get unlimited free incoming calls, 500 SMS messages, and 300 outgoing minutes monthly for SG$50.

SingTel: Visit any customer service center, or http://www.singtel.com, enquiries for mobile: 1626 or +65 6738 0123 overseas

Starhub: Visit any customer service center, or http://www.starhub.com, enquiries for mobile: 1633 or +65 6820 1633 overseas

M1: Visit any customer service center, or http://www.m1.com.sg, enquiries for mobile: 1627 or +65 9680 1627 overseas.

There are two ways to obtain a mobile phone line, either by using the post-paid subscription phone line or a pre-paid card. For pre-paid SIM cards, all you have to do is to go to any shop that sells a pre-paid card (many shops, including 7-Elevens and small phone shops sell them), insert it into your handset, and follow instructions on the card to activate it.

For post-paid subscriptions, you can sign a 12- or 24-month contract with a provider, and your bill will be sent to you monthly. These term contracts nearly always allow you to also purchase a subsidized phone or receive a free phone with the contract.

Note: If you are just buying a phone without a mobile subscription, you need not go to the three service providers. There are many mobile handset shops that sell phones without contracts, and these need neither eligibility nor identity proof.

When signing up for mobile contracts, you will be asked to provide the following documentation:

• Residence status documents (Employment Pass, Entrepass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependent Pass, etc.)
• All permits and passes must have a photo and a minimum validity period of 6 months.
• If validity period of Work Permit is less than 6 months, a letter from the employer (manager/principal and above) indicating intent of renewal is required.

If you are in Singapore on a dependent pass, it is useful to take a full employment pass holder with you when applying for a mobile phone. EP pass holders are not required to pay a deposit, while those who are in possession of a dependents pass will need to pay $200 as security.