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On Aug 11, Keppel announced the impending acquisition of M1 telco by Australian-owned Simba. Then, one day later, Starhub revealed its successful buy-out of MyRepublic’s broadband arm. As a result of these consolidations, consumers may be anticipating changes in each telco’s offerings and pricing strategies.
To understand user sentiments, Vulcan Post reached out to existing users of the affected telcos and invited them to share their thoughts and concerns about the future of Singapore’s telecommunications landscape after the recent announcements.
Hopes for brands to retain their individual offerings and identity
Image credit: MyRepublic
Avid gamer Daniel Lim fears that Starhub’s acquisition may lead to MyRepublic losing its unique positioning as a smaller internet provider.
Despite being a Starhub mobile customer, he jumped ship to MyRepublic two years ago after reading reviews and comparing the offerings of the different telcos in Singapore. He praised MyRepublic for its “fantastic customer service,” fast internet connection, and reliable uptime. During rare internet blackouts that happen, MyRepublic always swiftly assisted him to resolve the issue.
“As a gamer who appreciated how MyRepublic catered to our needs, I really hope the brand’s identity and that stellar service don’t get lost.”
Others have also echoed similar concerns over the quality of MyRepublic dropping after Starhub’s acquisition of the brand.
Will reduced competition keep prices high?
Image credit: Matrixx Software
Another consumer, Tan Wen Chuan, fears that less competition may result in increased prices now that Starhub has bought over MyRepublic’s broadband business.
Wen Chuan, who is in his 30s, currently pays about $82 for a legacy 1Gbps Starhub HomeHub+ plan which bundles broadband, cable, and an add-on landline. He voiced concerns over how Starhub’s acquisition dashed his hopes of changing to a more economical broadband plan.
“I’m quite disappointed at this news. I’m a StarHub user, and was researching switching broadband telcos to MyRepublic because it’s cheaper. But now, I don’t have a choice anymore.”
He also bemoaned the HomeHub+ recontract plans being limited to 10Gbps speeds, as true 10Gbps speeds are hard to achieve with standard devices these days unless they are equipped with the necessary components to receive the high-speed internet signals like Wifi 7.
Larger players may push down prices instead
Image credit: Simba
Conversely, another user in her mid-20s speculates that M1’s mobile plans may become cheaper.
The current M1 user was previously subscribed to Simba’s SuperRoam plan, a godsend, as she shuttles frequently between Singapore and Malaysia. Offering 40GB of Malaysian roaming data, the plan allowed her to travel to Malaysia often to visit family conveniently.
However, she found Simba’s VoLTE to be troublesome to use, and the telco’s inability to provide a seamless cellular connection for her Apple Watch led to her jumping ship.
She speculates that the telecommunications plans would be cheaper after the merger since Simba already offers a lot of data at low costs.
There’s nothing better out there
Meanwhile, not everyone has felt the waves of the mergers affect their choice of internet provider.
For example, Singtel user Nikhita Ohri is neutral to the telco mergers. She chose Singtel after trying and rejecting both Starhub and M1 due to their terrible network and poor customer service, respectively. To her, Singtel also offers better value overall for its cellular plans and phone bundles.
Until a better plan with more value and good customer service presents itself, this user shared that she will stick with Singtel.
The effects of telco mergers on consumers are yet to be seen
At the end of the day, no one knows what will happen for now, but it’s crucial to stay informed about what’s next for Singapore’s telecommunications industry and how the everyday person can.
Currently, Singtel holds half of Singapore’s total mobile subscriber base with 4.5 million customers, while StarHub and M1 each have around two million subscribers.
For many years, Singtel, Starhub and M1 were the three biggest telcos that served Singaporeans. Apart from the three big players, a number of MVNOs also offer mobile plans, such as Circles.Life, which was said to be eyeing a dual IPO on both SGX and NASDAQ as early as May 2025.
- Read more news we’ve covered on Singapore’s current affairs here.
Featured Image Credit: TY Lim via Shutterstock.com, Weona L via Google
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