Optus Makes 5G Data Call Over 2300 MHz Spectrum, With Ericsson

Australian operator Optus has announced it has established a 5G data call over its 2300 MHz spectrum. Optus completed the test call in Sydney, in partnership with Ericsson. Optus currently uses 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz spectrum, and plans to build a dual-band 5G network to provide customers with increased capacity and coverage. The operator is rolling out its 5G deployment plan using the 3500 MHz spectrum band and has more than 300 sites already installed. At this stage, the operator says, it is working toward deploying its 2300 MHz spectrum during 2020, to complement its existing 3500 MHz spectrum. Currently it has 300 5G sites live across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and other locations in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In February 2019, Ericsson, Singtel, Optus and Oppo enabled a 5G video call using augmented reality. The real-time AR video call took place between Singapore and Australia over Ericsson’s 5G networks. Engineers from Singtel and Optus demonstrated the use of AR on a real-time 5G video call using Ericsson’s 5G networks, making instant on-screen annotations to exchange views on their respective live 5G sites. Whenever voice calling, the most old-fashioned and traditional of mobile services, seems most left-behind and irrelevant, a new technology arrives on the scene to enhance it and make it relevant again. One might even say that voice demonstrates over and over its evergreen nature as a perennially useful and in-demand functionality, even as data in its various deployments gets the most attention. As 5G is rolled out in diverse markets worldwide, the bandwidth of these high-speed networks is brought to bear in ways that enhance existing services, as well as making new services possible. In the case of voice telephony, the technology being deployed by Optus in partnership with Ericsson is noteworthy because by transmitting voice over IP with video using 5G speed, it transforms and heightens the experience by adding an augmented-reality component. This AR feature allows users to write on the screen and annotate a conversation in order to exchange different sorts of input on a real-time interactive basis, in a way beyond what oral communication can accomplish on its own. Presumably these calls could be recorded with the annotations for further review later. By consecrating a particular piece of spectrum for 5G calling (including but not limited to this AR-enhanced version), Optus is carving out for itself a market sector in Australia and internationally. The original trial in February was done over Ericsson’s proprietary spectrum, but now Optus has made a move so that its own 5G spectrum—enhanced by developments created by Ericsson—can handle this special voice calling application. Bringing this new technology in house is an excellent example of the ways in which technology partnerships can help mobile operators be not only relevant but cutting-edge.

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SingTel Offers Postpaid No-Contract Plans

SingTel, Singapore’s largest MNO, launched the country’s first no-contract postpaid data SIM plan on 14 February. The monthly subscription of SGD 19.90 (US $15.92) for this plan includes 2 GB of data.  Unlimited data via SingTel Wi-Fi is available until 31 July of this year, after which it will be capped at 2 GB. Customers must prepay the subscription fee for the first month; subsequent monthly invoices will be sent to the customer’s billing address. This deal is only being offered to citizens and permanent residents of Singapore. The launch is a collaboration with Challenger Technologies Limited, a Singapore-based IT products retailer with over 40 stores across Singapore and Malaysia. Customers can now buy a tablet and get a data SIM card at a Challenger store.

With this plan, SingTel is taking the lead in Singapore to offer consumers the flexibility that U.S. operators, as well as many of the European operators, have begun to offer to the more sophisticated consumer. Singapore has the highest smartphone penetration in the world, at 85 percent, and mobile phone penetration has passed the 150 percent milestone. Customers in technologically mature markets no longer want to be locked into contracts that prevent them from taking advantage of the latest technologies, apps and offers. We think this no-contract plan is a good move on the part of SingTel to retain and grow its customer base, and we expect that the other MNOs in Singapore will follow suit.

 

“Mobile operators that provide services in mature markets with relatively high competition levels have to search for new ways to keep their position on the market and bring in revenue. Very often they develop strategies to enrich their existing offers. Sunrise Switzerland, for example, added a variety of prepaid mobile data plans, making its prepaid portfolio as attractive as its postpaid. SingTel, a key player in the Singapore market, recently launched a postpaid data SIM plan that does not require a contract subscription, a first in its market.”

Beth Teitel, Research Analyst at Tarifica

The above item appeared in a recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. To access all of the latest articles and issues or to speak with the research team: http://www.tarifica.com/contactus.aspx

SingTel Scores the Worst at Providing Consumer Value

Singapore’s largest mobile operator SingTel, consistently provides less consumer value compared with rivals StarHub and M1, according to the latest all-inclusive Tarifica Score™ study of the country's postpaid mobile plans. The Tarifica Score™ involves a comprehensive algorithm that weighs every feature of a mobile plan including usage allotments, geographic coverage, data speeds, value added features and promotional elements against its total costs and then determines its precise consumer value relative to all other offers in the country. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

Singapore's plans were divided into two categories, “With Phone” and “SIM Only”, and then divided into four price segments, creating a total of eight groupings. M1’s plans led the field, winning best consumer value in four groups. StarHub followed close behind, winning best consumer value in three, while SingTel was able to capture just one win. SingTel plans ranked last in six of the eight groups.

“SingTel’s plans consistently come with fewer minutes, SMS and MBs of data than comparably priced plans from StarHub and M1,” stated Susan Cray, Tarifica’s Singapore Analyst. “Moreover, SingTel’s plans did not include some of the additional value features like international calling or roaming that the other operators provided at no additional charge. In short, regardless of their budget or needs, we would advise mobile consumers to avoid SingTel’s plans, as there is almost always a better option available.”

A unique feature of Singapore’s mobile market is the degree and specificity of plan segmentation. A large number of plans from each operator are targeted to particular groups such as individuals with disabilities, military personnel, students/youths and senior citizens. “The Tarifica Score™ demonstrates clearly that these tailored plans almost always offer substantially more value than the general plans available to the public, regardless of the operator, with scores often running 30 to 40 percent higher” stated Cray.

“In today’s mobile marketplace, consumers are flooded with hundreds of plan variations, constantly shifting promotions and deals—the majority of which come with different costs, services and access networks of differing strengths. When making a decision that will likely impact consumers for up to two years, the Tarifica Score™ can be used to cut through the clutter and identify those plans in every market segment that offer the best value for the money,” Tarifica Program Manager, Will Watts.

To Contact Tarifica's Research Team:   http://www.tarifica.com/contactus.aspx