Its seem very positive to that price will drop for iPhones in Singapore after M1 and Starhub announced that they are  joining the competition of offering iPhones.

Cheaper iPhones on the way

Tue, Nov 10, 2009
my paper

WITH the last homegrown telco StarHub now on the iPhone bandwagon – it will launch the gadget by year-end – consumers will get to enjoy even more competitive prices.

Industry experts whom my paper spoke to yesterday agreed that all three home-grown telcos would be spurred on to roll out promotions to draw customers, which would probably translate into cheaper deals.

Market-research firm Gfk’s regional senior account manager, Mr Kevin Huang, said: “With the (wider) availability of the iPhone…it is inevitable that there will be a downward pressure on the final retail price of the handset.”

Each telco will not be able to “rest on its laurels and will need to concoct packages to hold consumers’ attention”, he added.

This could mean more creative options in terms of price plans and bundled packages, experts said. For example, exclusive and purpose-driven customised applications could be preloaded on the phone.

This, however, may not bode well for non-iPhone supporters shopping for other brands.

Mr Aloysius Choong, research manager at technologyanalyst firm IDC Asia-Pacific, explained: “StarHub and M1 now have a lower need to subsidise rival products to compete against the iPhone.

“Not so good news, perhaps, if you’re looking for a Nokia, HTC or Samsung smartphone.”

But joining the market this late in the game will probably not do StarHub or M1 any favours, said industry experts.

Said Mr Marc Einstein, an industry manager at market-analysis firm Frost & Sullivan: “Sing-Tel has a significant headstart in the market, so most of the early adopters would have already been locked into a contract with them.

“I don’t think StarHub and M1 will get too much of a windfall.”

Still, giving subscribers the option of owning the iPhone will save telcos from potentially losing existing ones.

Mr Foong King Yew, research director of market-research firm Gartner, said: “The strategic aim is not one of attracting a large base of new customers from their competitor.

Those who truly desire an iPhone would have got one already.”

Apple is reportedly already working on the next version of the smartphone, which will be usable anywhere in the world, to be released in the third quarter of next year.

Info-communications company and mobile service provider StarHub has announced it will be offering the iPhone to customers in Singapore.

In a press statement released on Monday, the company said it has reached an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone and a range of tailored service plans to customers in Singapore later this year.

Further information on pricing, tariffs and availability dates will be released at a later date.

It is the third and final telco here to ink an agreement with Apple.

SingTel had been the sole distributor of the iPhone in Singapore until October, when rival M1 made the announcement that it would sell the popular mobile.

M1 had also stated that it will release the iPhone later this year.
source : AsiaOne, Mon, Nov 09, 2009

SINGAPORE : MobileOne (M1) has broken SingTel’s monopoly of the Apple iPhone market in Singapore.

M1 on Tuesday said it has secured a deal with the US computer giant Apple to sell the iPhone in the city. But details on pricing and when the handsets will be released will come later.

If one wants to buy an Apple iPhone now, one can only choose SingTel. But that will change when M1 starts selling its own iPhone handsets.

Analysts said the iPhone could help M1 reduce its customer churn, or the rate at which it loses customers over a specific time period.

Ng Kian Teck, research associate, SIAS Research, said: “M1 is taking on the younger crowd, and the iPhone is something that the crowd is looking forward to. And this will lower its churn rate.

“At least for the last one year, quite a substantial portion of customers are being lost to SingTel because of the lack of the iPhone service.”

He added that M1’s current churn rate is about 1.5, compared to 1.2 for the other two mobile operators.

Meanwhile, some consumers have welcomed the news.

Business development engineer Jaycee Lim, an M1 subscriber, said: “Since there is no more monopoly on the iPhone, the telcos may try to compete on the prices of their mobile phones as well as data plans. I will definitely be considering getting the iPhone when it is available, providing the price is reasonable.”

The question now is how much the M1 iPhone will cost and its data plans.

Analysts said M1 has much to do to catch up to SingTel’s 14-month lead – so this might result in cheaper rates. This will sit well with its mainly youth customer base, who are likely to have limited spending power. M1 is also likely to roll out a range of plans to allow for some flexibility.

When contacted, SingTel said it will continue to collaborate with Apple to introduce the latest products to Singapore.

A SingTel spokesman said: “SingTel is pleased to have been the first operator to bring both the iPhone and iPhone 3GS to Singapore. Coupled with our unrivalled 3G mobile network coverage and our innovative services like Live TV, our customers are enjoying a superior iPhone 3GS experience.

“We will continue to collaborate with Apple in introducing the latest products to Singapore. To date, we have put tens of thousands of iPhone 3GS in the hands of our customers. We review our price plans regularly to ensure that they offer the best value to our customers and remain competitive in the market.”

Both M1 and StarHub have been vying for the rights to sell the iPhone in Singapore. Analysts said the chances of StarHub getting its own deal now appear slim.

Mr Ng said: “The likelihood is not that high – because Apple is looking for a significant proportion of sales. So it is not possible to have too many players selling iPhones together. For example, if you want to sign a contract, you may have had to sell at least 100,000 phones.”

StarHub told Channel NewsAsia that it is still interested in bringing the iPhone to its customers.

“We are interested to bring the iPhone to StarHub customers. After all, we offer the highest mobile data network speeds and the best smart phone plans in town,” said Michael Sim, senior manager, Corporate Communications, StarHub.

Student Peggy Chang, a StarHub subscriber, said: “Of course, I am not happy that StarHub is now the only one who does not sell iPhones. When my contract expires in one year’s time, I will definitely switch providers.

“But the best scenario would be for StarHub to get the rights too, so consumers can compare prices among the telcos. I assume they will each try to offer competitive deals then.”

Some market watchers see M1’s iPhone deal as a double whammy for StarHub, which earlier this month lost its broadcast rights for the English Premier League, from the 2010 season, to SingTel.

source : CNA

It has been some waiting for iPhone 3GS here in Singapore. Comming next Friday, SingTel will be selling this phone.

iPhone 3GS to hit stores next Friday
Sat, Jul 04, 2009
The Straits Times

THE highly anticipated iPhone 3GS will hit the shelves next Friday, announced its local distributor SingTel yesterday. The price of the new handset will also be revealed next week, it added.

While physically identical to its two predecessors, this latest model sports a more powerful engine, an auto-focus camera and video-capture capabilities.

Interest is very high, said SingTel spokesman Chia Boon Chong – on a par with that seen last year when it launched the iPhone 3G. Already, ‘tens of thousands (of consumers) have registered their interest on our website’.