News
News Categories

2G cell service in Singapore to cease from April 2017 (Updated)

By Koh Wanzi - on 17 Jun 2015, 11:29pm

2G cell service in Singapore to cease from April 2017

Singtel will be offering the Alcatel Onetouch Pop D3 (amongst others) to help existing 2G customers migrate to newer 3G and 4G  networks. (Image Source: Alcatel Onetouch)

Updated on June 17, 2015: Added more details on M1's handset offers.

Updated on June 16, 2015: Added details on some StarHub low-cost 4G and 3G handset offers.

Originally published on June 15, 2015:

M1, Singtel and Starhub will stop all 2G services in Singapore with effect from 1 April 2017. This includes all 2G voice, messaging and data services.

First launched in 1994, 2G services have since given way to 3G and 4G mobile networks that offer faster speeds and are better suited to the capabilities of modern smartphones. However, as smartphone ownership has rocketed, telcos have needed to find ways to handle the increased demand for bandwidth, which was probably part of the reason why all three local telcos abandoned their 12GB data plans.

By halting 2G services, the telcos will be able use the existing 2G spectrum for faster, more advanced 3G and 4G services and better meet the growing demand for mobile data and faster access speeds.

To help ease the transition, the telcos have been conducting outreach programs over the past few years to encourage customers to migrate to newer networks. The majority of mobile customers today are on 3G and 4G networks and only a very small percentage of customers are still using 2G-only mobile devices. As a result, most consumers will remain unaffected by the cessation of 2G services come 2017.

However, to help the few customers still on 2G networks, the telcos will be offering a wide range of 3G and 4G handsets at different price points to help these customers move to the newer networks.

For instance, Singtel is offering the Alcatel Onetouch 2052x (S$48) and Onetouch Pop D3 (S$95) 3G handsets to entice 2G customers to upgrade. Both phones will come with either a pre-paid bonus of S$70 of free talktime, 350MB of data, and an extra S$30 worth of talktime if they trade in their 2G phone, or a post-paid bonus of 20% off their monthly subscription of Silver Plan Combo 1 and 2. Singtel’s Silver Plans are new data plans that offer up to 2GB of data at discounted rates. Existing 2G customers can enjoy 3G or 4G service by simply placing their SIM card into a compatible device.

Image Source: Singtel

For StarHub, the telco has a few lost-cost 3G and 4G plans and handsets at both its StarHub Shops and authorized dealers. For example, the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Sony Xperia E4G, LG Leon LTE, and ASUS Zenfone 2 (ZE500CL) can be had at no cost if you sign up for a 2-year 4G 300M plan. This plan costs S$27.90 per month, and comes with 100 minutes of outgoing calls, 500 SMS messages, and 300MB of data. Alternatively, there are some pre-paid offers, such as the ZTE V797 at $0 (for S$50 and above pre-paid top-up within a month; available only at Cheers), Huawei U5130 at S$58 (available at M-Station), and Alcatel OneTouch Pop D1 at S$88 (available at M-Station).

M1 will also be having several low-cost handsets to help its 2G customers with the transition at its M1 Shops. The following handsets will be available to existing 2G customers without contract: Alcatel Onetouch Pixi7 (S$99), Huawei Ascend Y520 (S$99) and the Lenovo A606 (S$98). Customers who want to sign up for postpaid plans will be able to get the Sony Xperia E4G, Lenovo A606, LG Leon LTE or Xiaomi Redmi 2 for free when they recontract on M1's Lite plan which has a monthly subscription fee of S$28.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.