Singaporean mobile operators MobileOne (M1) and StarHub will start selling Apple’s iPhone on Dec. 9, but users won’t see big drops in price for monthly plans.
Until now, Singapore Telecom (SingTel) was the only operator with rights to sell the iPhone in Singapore. That changed in October, when M1 announced a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone. StarHub followed suit in November with an identical announcement.
Hopes that increased availability of the iPhone might lead to lower prices appear unfounded. However, M1 and StarHub are being more generous with the amount of data that subscribers can download before paying excess data charges.
The lowest subscription prices on offer come from M1, which will offer four plans, ranging from S$36 to S$198 (US$25 to $142) per month. With the cheapest monthly plan and a two-year contract, subscribers pay S$518 for a 16GB iPhone 3GS and S$658 for a 32GB iPhone 3GS. The handsets are free for users who sign up for the most expensive plan.
StarHub’s four plans are slightly more expensive than M1, but and just below those offered by SingTel. StarHub cheapest plan costs S$38 per month and the most expensive is $205. Subscribers of the cheapest plan will pay S$538 for a 16GB iPhone 3GS and S$668 for the 32GB version. Both prices require users to sign a two-year contract.
M1 and StarHub are relatively generous with the amount of data they offer subscribers. M1 is offering 10GB of monthly data downloads with its two cheapest plans and unlimited data access for its two most expensive plans. StarHub offers 12GB of data downloads for three of its plans, with unlimited data offered for subscribers of its most expensive plan.
SingTel’s four plans range from S$39 to S$205, with users paying S$548 and S$678 for the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 3GS, respectively, under the cheapest monthly plan. Subscribers of SingTel’s two cheapest monthly plans get just 500MB and 1GB of data downloads, with the two most expensive monthly plans offering 2GB and 3GB, respectively.