Event Coverage

Sitex 2013 - Telco, Tablets, & Mobile Accessories Buying Guide

By Sidney Wong - 28 Nov 2013

Broadband Plans

Sitex 2013 Buying Guide

Sitex 2013 is currently taking place at Singapore Expo Hall 4B, 5 and 6. The show is on from 28th November to 1st December, and is open from 11am to 9pm. One of Singapore's longest running tech shows, Sitex 2013 will feature more than 800 exhibitors and cover over 350,000 square-feet of exhibitions space with products ranging from notebooks and tablets to televisions, automotive accessories and more. As usual, admission is free!

There will be a ton of products at the show, so in this handy buying guide we'll be giving you tips and tricks on what to look for in a great product. Whether you're buying a new broadband plan or a tablet device, here's what you need to know before you buy your next gadget. But before that, check out a video roundup of top 10 new gadgets you might want to check out at Sitex and who knows, you might get some of them!

 

Buying Guide Index

 

 

HardwareZone Sitex 2013 Portal

For more on Sitex 2013, including maps, brochures and Twitter updates, click on through to our Sitex portal.

 

 

Broadband Plan Deals at the Show

Here are some highlighted broadband plan deals at Sitex this year.

 
M1 Fibre Broadband 

200Mbps fibre home broadband for just $39/month and get 6 months of subscription free
OR
300Mbps fibre broadband for just $49/month and get 3 months of subscription free

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $39/month for 200Mbps and $49/month for 300Mbps
  • Promotion: Free mobile broadband (1GB), Home Fixed Voice Service, Dual-band wireless router, three months' Internet security subscription and optical network terminal activation worth $58.85.
  • Brochure

Location

M1 - Hall 5, 5D10 and 5D20



 MyRepublic PURE HD 150Mbps Fibre Broadband

Up to 150Mbps download and 75Mbps upload speeds with more bandwidth for more users streaming HD video.
 

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $48.88/month
  • Promotion: Free ASUS N15U router, Norton Internet Security, Home Voice subscription, Teleport subscription
  • Brochure

 

Location

MyRepublic - Hall 5, Booth 5E40

StarHub 200Mbps Fibre Home Broadband

Sign up for StarHub 200Mbps Fibre Home Broadband with a two-year contract and get the Acer Aspire C720 Chromebook free.

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $49.90/month
  • Promotion: Free 3 month subscription, Wireless AC dual-band router (worth $299), Fibre Termination Point Installation worth $481.50, 21Mbps mobile broadband 1GB, Home Phone Line, Activation and Installation worth $85.60 and AnyTime TV.
  • Brochure

Location

StarHub - Hall 6, Booth 6A20

 

 
ViewQwest 100Mbps Starter Plan

Jumping on the fibre broadband bandwagon? Give ViewQwest Starter Plan a try!

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $65/month
  • Promotion: NIL
  • Brochure

 

Location

ViewQwest - Hall 6, Booth 6D40

SingTel Home Fibre Broadband

SingTel is offering several months of free subscription depending on the fibre home bundle you sign up. The monthly subscription packages are also very competitive.

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $34.95/month (100Mbps), $39.50/month (200Mbps), $42.45/month (300Mbps)
  • Promotion: Free dual-band wireless modem worth $299, Modem installation worth $90, Home Digital Line with unlimited local calls, Mobile Broadband 7.2 Plan (1GB) and 10% discount on mobile subscription
  • Brochure

Location

SingTel - Hall 5, Booth 5B01

Sitex 2013 Broadband Plans Portal

 

 

Broadband Plan Buying Guide

Consumers now have more choice than ever for their internet needs, with a host of new companies like MyRepublic joining the big three Telcos. If you're thinking about signing up for a new plan, tech shows are often the best place to do it as the freebies and extras tend to be better than at other times of the year.

 

BROADBAND TODAY

Broadband plans in Singapore fall into three categories: Cable broadband, ADSL broadband, and Fiber broadband.

Cable broadband delivers high-speed Internet access via coaxial cables and a cable termination point. Plans are available from StarHub, M1, Pacnet, and NTT Communications offering speeds of between 3Mbps to 15Mbps. An advantage of cable broadband is that the quality of your connection is not dependent on your proximity to your ISP (whereas ADSL is). However, unlike ADSL, which runs on a dedicated line, cable connections are shared with others in your HDB or condo block, which can affect your download speeds.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) broadband delivers high-speed Internet access via your existing telephone line. Plans are available from SingTel, M1, and Pacnet offering speeds of between 1.5Mbps to 15Mbps. One disadvantage of ADSL broadband is that your connection is linked to a fixed telephone line, so switching residence can be troublesome and will result in loss of service for a few days. On the other hand, unlike cable broadband, your ADSL connection is not affected by other users in your area.

 

Fiber broadband uses fiber optic cables to deliver Internet speeds far higher than both Cable and ADSL broadband. Plans are available from SingTel, StarHub, M1, MyRepublic, and ViewQwest ranging from 50mbps up to a mind-boggling 1Gbps. Fiber optic broadband requires a fiber optic termination point to be installed by network infrastructure provider, OpenNet.

 

 

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Can I get Fiber broadband? Starting in 2010, network infrastructure providers OpenNet offered a one-time free installation of the fibre network termination point to all residences in Singapore. If you missed this offer, you'll need to book an appointment to have the TP installed, which will cost between $220-$450, although some ISPs offer to pay the installation charge for you if you sign up with them. As of 2013, over 95% of Singapore is fiber-ready. To check if your area is eligible for installation click here

What router do I need for ADSL/Cable/Fiber? Any network router (wired or wireless) should be compatible with the modem your service provider gives you. However, it's a lot more tricky if you want to replace the modem that your service provider gives you. Not sure how to choose a router? Check out our networking buying guide.

What is International bandwidth/download speed? Some plans advertise different speeds for local and international downloads. Your local download speed will be applicable for sites hosted in Singapore (e.g. SingTel, locally hosted gaming servers), whereas international sites such a server in the US will subject to the international download speeds. 

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