Comparison of SIM only plans - Part 2

[x3nor_S]

still find it's crap and contradictory to have contract for sim only plan..and I am definately not going into that..

1. Contract
2. Prepaid
3. Sim only (see what the name suggest ?)



dun get me wrong, I am just questioning on the earlier comment who mentioned porting out at 11th month on a 12 month contract... (see who is actually speed reading? )

Don't see any contradiction

Contract - comes with phone and 2 year plan
Prepaid - Top up and then can use.
Sim only - SIM only no phone

It's up to Telco if they want to make it no contract or with contract.

As you can see Singtel still likes to tie customer up, whereas now the trend is nobody likes to be tied to contract and can jump to any Telco they want as long as it offers best value to them. Just need to see carefully before signing up for any plans.

 

[ekardo]

ya..ultimately up to the buyer or customer..as long as you know what you want and what you are getting...

 

[zzxxzzxx]

If ST is able to offer contract with worthwhile plans, most people will just sign.

Their 20GB to 40GB promo
With 1000 mins, 500 sms, Caller-ID.
Even if it's 12 months contract, users will sign, knowing their user experience will be good most of the time.

While SH only have $25 plan.
20GB to 25GB, 100 mins, 0 sms, Caller-ID.
It's the only Main Telco that gives Caller-ID free without contract.
Along with unlimited weekends, and option to add 50GB at $10/$20.
(It also doubles as unlimited data plan, after given data.... drops to 1mbps)
If compare to ST and M1 without contract,
U are technically paying $20 for 25GB, 100 mins, 100 sms (recurring billing). When exclude Caller-ID.

M1 on the other hand gives many mixed promo, and having network deterioration these few months.
Thou the price is $15 to $25.
The Caller-ID is only free for few months.
30GB, 1000 mins, 1000 sms, might be a good catch to some. But unless you need VoLTE, there's MVNO that gives better offers.
Only reason M1 can hold to some user is the option for Datapassport, but that has dropped to 10GB maxed.

 

[standing]

If don't want contract.. Why don't just sign up for GOMO or GIGA?

 

[Byfrost]

If don't want contract.. Why don't just sign up for GOMO or GIGA?

Some people prefer having VoLTE, which only the Main 4 Telco, Singtel, StarHub, M1 and TPG have. My guess.

 

[hereiam7788]

Circles life on the phone show VoLTE on but actual call time is using 3G.

 

[standing]

VoLTE is auto on if u using the 4 main telco's line?

Is the difference in voice quality v obvious?

 

[wackykid]

still find it's crap and contradictory to have contract for sim only plan..and I am definately not going into that..

1. Contract
2. Prepaid
3. Sim only (see what the name suggest ?)



dun get me wrong, I am just questioning on the earlier comment who mentioned porting out at 11th month on a 12 month contract... (see who is actually speed reading? )

i still see no contradiction... more like you are brained washed to think that way...

it's like saying that a smart person is handsome... but what has smart/stupid got to do with handsome or not...?? but ppl are made to judge someone's intellect by the appearance... but that's not related...

so what has contract or no contract got do with with SIM-only or not...? all u have is plans that are:
- contract vs no contract
- buy with phone vs buy without phone (a.k.a SIM only)

"SIM only" plan in the end is just a marketing term started by singtel trying to compete with the upcoming no contract plans by the MNVOs (in particular circles.life who kicked started the wave of MNVOs)... you can basically call it anything... den starhub and M1 followed suit and just copy the name and call their plans "SIM only" too... in the end this name got stuck with the traffic light telcos... you don't see the MNVOs calling their plans as "SIM only" ... you don't even see telcos in other countries calling their plans "SIM only" either...


regards,
wacky

 

[Byfrost]

VoLTE is auto on if u using the 4 main telco's line?

Is the difference in voice quality v obvious?

Yes, I am quite a moderate to heavy talk time (around 300 mins to 700 mins per month depending on situation) user. Between my main StarHub's line and Giga's line, my friends can tell the huge noticeable difference in terms of voice quality.

My main StarHub line with VoLTE is way clearer, and "louder" in a sense that even when I 'whisper' or 'speak softly' that person can hear it.

For my Giga (even Circles Life $0 plan) without VoLTE, the reception is depending on luck. For every 10 minutes talk, will have the occasional one or two times the call get 'cut off', and either party will go "hello you there?" for a few seconds. Feels like playing a online game and you get 'lag spikes'. Imagine one person is speaking a long sentence with 30 words, and in between words number 15 to 20 gets 'cut off' and then when the reception is back, you are on word 21. Then you gotta ask the other party to repeat what he or she said a few words back. Can be irritating at times. Sometimes the other party will feedback to me, ask me to speak louder, even when I'm in my quiet room alone. My friends' line are on main telco, Singtel, M1, StarHub with recent phones not older than 2 years old. So yeah, they are on VoLTE.

I have never encountered such issues with VoLTE calls.

 

[Arandalo]

Yes, I am quite a moderate to heavy talk time (around 300 mins to 700 mins per month depending on situation) user. Between my main StarHub's line and Giga's line, my friends can tell the huge noticeable difference in terms of voice quality.

My main StarHub line with VoLTE is way clearer, and "louder" in a sense that even when I 'whisper' or 'speak softly' that person can hear it.

For my Giga (even Circles Life $0 plan) without VoLTE, the reception is depending on luck. For every 10 minutes talk, will have the occasional one or two times the call get 'cut off', and either party will go "hello you there?" for a few seconds. Feels like playing a online game and you get 'lag spikes'. Imagine one person is speaking a long sentence with 30 words, and in between words number 15 to 20 gets 'cut off' and then when the reception is back, you are on word 21. Then you gotta ask the other party to repeat what he or she said a few words back. Can be irritating at times. Sometimes the other party will feedback to me, ask me to speak louder, even when I'm in my quiet room alone. My friends' line are on main telco, Singtel, M1, StarHub with recent phones not older than 2 years old. So yeah, they are on VoLTE.

I have never encountered such issues with VoLTE calls.

Nice insight thanks for sharing

 

[xiaofan]

so what has contract or no contract got do with with SIM-only or not...? all u have is plans that are:
- contract vs no contract
- buy with phone vs buy without phone (a.k.a SIM only)

"SIM only" plan in the end is just a marketing term started by singtel trying to compete with the upcoming no contract plans by the MNVOs (in particular circles.life who kicked started the wave of MNVOs)... you can basically call it anything... den starhub and M1 followed suit and just copy the name and call their plans "SIM only" too... in the end this name got stuck with the traffic light telcos... you don't see the MNVOs calling their plans as "SIM only" ... you don't even see telcos in other countries calling their plans "SIM only" either...

Some carriers call this BYOD or BYOP plan.
Bring Your Own Device.
Bring Your Own Phone.

Ref: https://www.lifewire.com/cell-phone-plans-4156905

US carriers now mostly do without device subsidiary, they offer either monthly installment plan for the device (mainly MNOs), or offer BYOP plans (MNO and MVNO).

 

[xiaofan]

The article listed 4 benefits for MNO in US. Interestingly VoLTE is not one of them in US. Then the first benefit does not apply here in Singapore. No 2 does not apply to SIM only plan.

No 3 and No 4 are interesting. I myself will stick to MNO (SingTel for my case) or the MVNO offerings from MNO (Gomo by SingTel in my case, Giga is by Starhub) if MNO does not have good offer.

Ref: https://www.lifewire.com/cell-phone-plans-4156905

The Benefits of Choosing a Major National Carrier
You might be wondering what benefits there are to choosing one of the four national carriers if you can use the same network for less through an MVNO. Here are just a few:

1) The option of a post-paid account, where you pay for your service at the end of the service month instead of paying in advance. This usually requires decent credit and signing up for auto-payment deductions from a checking account.

2) Ability to purchase a cell phone using a monthly payment plan instead of paying the total cost of a phone up front. While some MVNOs have also started offering the option to purchase a phone through a monthly installment agreement, MNOs tend to have a much larger selection to choose from and more brands and models available.

3) At times when mobile traffic is high on the carrier’s network, MNOs prioritize network access for their own customers ahead of MVNO customers. In well-covered areas, this might not be an issue, however, in areas with less coverage or spotty service, customers of MNOs experience fewer dropped calls or other service disruptions.

4) Customers of MNOs are the first to benefit from advancements in technology made by that carrier. For example, Verizon is heavily invested in the development of 5G speeds and network upgrades needed to support 5G service. When Verizon begins implementing 5G, its customers will be the first to use and benefit from this technology.

 

[xiaofan]

Other than cheaper price, it also listed three benefits for MVNOs, none of them really applies in Singapore.

No 2 is kind of applicable to GOMO but apparently not applicable to Circles.Life.

https://www.lifewire.com/cell-phone-plans-4156905

The Benefits of Choosing a Mobile Service Reseller

Aside from cheap prices, there are other benefits to choosing a cell phone plan offered by a mobile service reseller or MVNO. Here are just a few:

1) No credit check. If your credit isn’t superb, no worries with MVNOs as they generally don’t require credit checks when nearly all of their plans are pre-paid plans.

2) No surprise overages or extra unexpected fees. When you pay in advance, you avoid overages and unexpected charges.

3) Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) is more common and there is no pressure to buy a new phone from that carrier. As long as your phone was developed to work on the networks that MVNO uses (GSM for T-Mobile and AT&T networks; CDMA for Verizon and Sprint networks), your phone goes where you do.

 

[terrixtur]

Yes, I am quite a moderate to heavy talk time (around 300 mins to 700 mins per month depending on situation) user. Between my main StarHub's line and Giga's line, my friends can tell the huge noticeable difference in terms of voice quality.

My main StarHub line with VoLTE is way clearer, and "louder" in a sense that even when I 'whisper' or 'speak softly' that person can hear it.

For my Giga (even Circles Life $0 plan) without VoLTE, the reception is depending on luck. For every 10 minutes talk, will have the occasional one or two times the call get 'cut off', and either party will go "hello you there?" for a few seconds. Feels like playing a online game and you get 'lag spikes'. Imagine one person is speaking a long sentence with 30 words, and in between words number 15 to 20 gets 'cut off' and then when the reception is back, you are on word 21. Then you gotta ask the other party to repeat what he or she said a few words back. Can be irritating at times. Sometimes the other party will feedback to me, ask me to speak louder, even when I'm in my quiet room alone. My friends' line are on main telco, Singtel, M1, StarHub with recent phones not older than 2 years old. So yeah, they are on VoLTE.

I have never encountered such issues with VoLTE calls.

Finally, someone who gives a detailed account of how big of a difference VoLTE makes in voice calls.

PCMag's comparison of voice quality: https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-t-mobile-hd-voice-really-sounds-like

Voice Call: Standard sounds exactly like the typical voice quality you hear when on a voice call with a user on a different telco.

https://sea.pcmag.com/samsung-galaxy-s8/20591/how-to-make-your-cell-phone-calls-sound-better

Voice call quality in ascending order:
1. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests
2. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/verizon-att-calling-test/s-3UhvO & https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-verizon-calling-test/s-lPnsm
3. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests
4. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests (VoLTE in SG sounds like this)
5. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-att-calling-test/s-s0qur, https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/verizon-verizon-calling-test/s-rn55o &
https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-att-calling-test/s-s0qur

 

[standing]

Finally, someone who gives a detailed account of how big of a difference VoLTE makes in voice calls.

PCMag's comparison of voice quality: https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-t-mobile-hd-voice-really-sounds-like

Voice Call: Standard sounds exactly like the typical voice quality you hear when on a voice call with a user on a different telco.

https://sea.pcmag.com/samsung-galaxy-s8/20591/how-to-make-your-cell-phone-calls-sound-better

Voice call quality in ascending order:
1. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests
2. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/verizon-att-calling-test/s-3UhvO & https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-verizon-calling-test/s-lPnsm
3. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests
4. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests (VoLTE in SG sounds like this)
5. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-att-calling-test/s-s0qur, https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/verizon-verizon-calling-test/s-rn55o &
https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-att-calling-test/s-s0qur

Wah.. Can really hear the diff between the first one and the last one

 

[Byfrost]

Finally, someone who gives a detailed account of how big of a difference VoLTE makes in voice calls.

PCMag's comparison of voice quality: https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-t-mobile-hd-voice-really-sounds-like

Voice Call: Standard sounds exactly like the typical voice quality you hear when on a voice call with a user on a different telco.

https://sea.pcmag.com/samsung-galaxy-s8/20591/how-to-make-your-cell-phone-calls-sound-better

Voice call quality in ascending order:
1. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests
2. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/verizon-att-calling-test/s-3UhvO & https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-verizon-calling-test/s-lPnsm
3. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests
4. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/t-mo...mag-1/sets/t-mobile-to-t-mobile-calling-tests (VoLTE in SG sounds like this)
5. https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-att-calling-test/s-s0qur, https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/verizon-verizon-calling-test/s-rn55o &
https://soundcloud.com/pcmag-1/att-att-calling-test/s-s0qur

Wah.. Can really hear the diff between the first one and the last one

Yes, very obvious. I prefer the VoLTE (or HD Voice) one but then again, many other factors applies like different phones, etc. But among these tests, the VoLTE one gets my vote, but the others are clear as well.

 

[standing]

but actually a lot of my friend dont talk so much on phone anymore..

to them main concern is data coverage and speed

 

[uncle_josh]

SIM Only means Pay Only what you Need !!!

If you don't know what is SIM ONLY , pls ready this 2016 article : 5 reasons you should consider switching to a SIM-only plan

Lastly, other countries are often offering free CallerID yet in SG you are made to pay $5.35 if you need it. Why are you accepting this kind of rubbish like a dog ?

i still see no contradiction... more like you are brained washed to think that way...

it's like saying that a smart person is handsome... but what has smart/stupid got to do with handsome or not...?? but ppl are made to judge someone's intellect by the appearance... but that's not related...

so what has contract or no contract got do with with SIM-only or not...? all u have is plans that are:
- contract vs no contract
- buy with phone vs buy without phone (a.k.a SIM only)

"SIM only" plan in the end is just a marketing term started by singtel trying to compete with the upcoming no contract plans by the MNVOs (in particular circles.life who kicked started the wave of MNVOs)... you can basically call it anything... den starhub and M1 followed suit and just copy the name and call their plans "SIM only" too... in the end this name got stuck with the traffic light telcos... you don't see the MNVOs calling their plans as "SIM only" ... you don't even see telcos in other countries calling their plans "SIM only" either...


regards,
wacky

 

[SibehHL]

SIM Only means Pay Only what you Need !!!

If you don't know what is SIM ONLY , pls ready this 2016 article : 5 reasons you should consider switching to a SIM-only plan

Lastly, other countries are often offering free CallerID yet in SG you are made to pay $5.35 if you need it. Why are you accepting this kind of rubbish like a dog ?

Why are you accepting the incorrect article like a dog?

SIM-Only is literally SIM-Only, why must relate it to blah blah blah and claim it is gospel?

 

[ElZedHaitch]

Hey guys. Stupid question. Thinking of porting out of circle to giga.

But if I decide to port back in the future, any minimum period before I get promotions etc again?