SINGAPORE: Singapore is a step closer to complete islandwide coverage for high speed 4G mobile network.

 

Telco SingTel has joined rival M1 in providing 95 per cent coverage at street-level for its 4G network.

 

Operator StarHub said complete street-level coverage on its 4G network is expected at year-end.

 

In September 2012, M1 claimed to have covered Singapore's streets with its 4G network.

 

By April this year, rival StarHub said its 4G coverage has hit 60 per cent of the nation.

 

To get ahead of the competition, SingTel spent S$150 million to expand its 4G network to nearly all corners of the island.

 

Chief executive of SingTel's consumer Singapore division, Yuen Kuan Moon said that 3G speeds for its subscribers are also doubled.

 

He added that: "3G rates and the 4G rates are exactly the same price. We have not changed, or levied different rates for 4G and 3G. In fact, you would say that all our customers are given a free upgrade to 4G at the same price as the 3G."

 

Telcos are working to get more 4G coverage indoors.

 

As new buildings are sprouting constantly, this is a work-in-progress.

 

It also means there'll be coverage gaps somewhere, Ajay Sunder, a telecoms analyst at Frost & Sullivan said.

 

"Indoor coverage has been one of the big factors, which, even if you look at the advanced countries like Japan and Korea right? During the initial roll out, indoor coverage has been poor and that's what subscribers should be expecting in Singapore as well," he said.

 

The three major telcos in Singapore are working closely with train operators to roll out a shared 4G network for commuters underground, which is expected to take two or three years.

 

- CNA/ck