Eight Telecom discussion thread

[hereiam7788]

My supposition (only that) is that there are some current 4G mobile plan customers who'd be willing to pay a little more to get a small allocation of 5G data for "special occasions." Much like how some people get practically all their medical care from public medical providers, but they're willing to pay somewhat more for occasional visits to private hospitals. (Raffles Shield covers this exact segment of the insurance market, actually.) I could be wrong, but I think it makes sense for an MVNO to test whether this market segment exists. RedONE could try since they currently don't offer any 5G plans at all. Assuming they want to stay in business. Maybe at $10/month with a few gigabytes of 5G data (and a much larger allotment of 4G data) they'd have a competitive offer?

i doubt so. eight 4G plan is $8, 5G plan is $14.80. the difference is only $6.80. the difference is not significant even now. Both 4G and 5G plans give significant amount of data that one can never even utilise more than 1/5 per month.

if one really needs 5G, they would have switch to 5G now by adding $6.80. There is not even need for MVNOs to come out anything now to 'attract' 5G customers.

as anyone is still on $8 plan now, obviously they know that they do not need 5G at all, and unlikely they will need it near future so long that 4G plan contiunes to exist.

If most ppl are keen to move to 5G plans, the 4G network should be freed up instead, while remaining users can enjoy this dedicatd network, it will not have such complaint that existing 4G customers will face conjestion issue.

 

[xiaofan]

i doubt so. eight 4G plan is $8, 5G plan is $14.80. the difference is only $4.80. the difference is not significant even now. Both 4G and 5G plans give significant amount of data that one can never even utilise more than 1/5 per month.

if one really needs 5G, they would have switch to 5G now by adding $4.80. There is not even need for MVNOs to come out anything now to 'attract' 5G customers.

as anyone is still on $8 plan now, obviously they know that they do not need 5G at all, and unlikely they will need it near future so long that 4G plan contiunes to exist.

If most ppl are keen to move to 5G plans, the 4G network should be freed up instead, while remaining users can enjoy this dedicatd network, it will not have such complaint that existing 4G customers will face conjestion issue.

Now it is a bit of bad time for StarHub 4G network. Down the road it may become a bit better in 2026/2027. Then it will get worse and worse in 2028/2030 time frame since 4G spectrums will be migrated to 5G/6G. Most likely no more 4G plans in Singapore in 2032 or maybe even earlier.

Now in 2026:
eight 4G: many customers and still growing (including eight senior plan)

CUniq: temporarily disabled 5G for all plans

redONE: all 4G plans now.

Later it may get a bit better with some eight and CUniq customers go to 5G. redONE may exit the market.

 

[uncle_josh]

i doubt so. eight 4G plan is $8, 5G plan is $14.80. the difference is only $4.80. the difference is not significant even now. Both 4G and 5G plans give significant amount of data that one can never even utilise more than 1/5 per month.

if one really needs 5G, they would have switch to 5G now by adding $4.80. There is not even need for MVNOs to come out anything now to 'attract' 5G customers.

as anyone is still on $8 plan now, obviously they know that they do not need 5G at all, and unlikely they will need it near future so long that 4G plan contiunes to exist.

If most ppl are keen to move to 5G plans, the 4G network should be freed up instead, while remaining users can enjoy this dedicatd network, it will not have such complaint that existing 4G customers will face conjestion issue.

1. $14.80 - $8.0 = $6.80 not $4.80
Your maths really bad

2. 5G drains battery
with 5G, everyday need to charge, my electric bill goes up. With this Iran war my electric bill goes even higher,this is really very bad.
with 4G, my 5000mAh last 2.x day, I only need to charge on the 3rd day

3.lastly reducing 4G and giving to 5G is bad. You are putting a gun on people's head and forcing ppl to go 5G unnecessarily. Bad move.

 

[roborovsky]

Thanks for the review, think I will upgrade to 5g, seem quite worth at $128 for 1 year plan.

Iirc once you're on 1 year plan, you will not be able to upgrade or download according to your needs eg needing more roaming data when travelling.

 

[BBCWatcher]

1. $14.80 - $8.0 = $6.80 not $4.80
Your maths really bad

Yes, that's the current pricing gap at Eight between the lowest cost 4G and 5G plans. There's a larger gap for seniors since they have a $5 plan option. These gaps exclude the effects of top up promotions.

Across the whole market I think the price gap between the lowest cost "standard" plans is currently between $7.06 (Zero1 4G) and $12 (M1 Maxx 5G). I'm excluding SIMBA's $10 plan since their 5G isn't terrific, and I'm again excluding $5/$6 senior plans and zero voice minute plans. I'm wondering whether someone could offer a $10 plan (for example) that's mostly a 4G plan but that adds a few gigabytes of 5G. redONE could do this without spurring any of their customers to downgrade because they don't offer any 5G plans right now. If they were to add a few GBs of 5G to their $10.90 plan, and make their $20.90 plan full 5G, that'd be fairly compelling right now I think. "It's just an idea."

2. 5G drains battery
with 5G, everyday need to charge, my electric bill goes up. With this Iran war my electric bill goes even higher,this is really very bad.

You can disable 5G on most (all?) phones if you have a 5G plan but are unhappy with the battery drain. Then opportunistically turn on 5G only for those times when you really want it.

There's something called 5G RedCap, and at least a couple carriers in Singapore support it. The latest Apple Watch models support it too. It's a slower but also more power efficient variant of 5G. If you have a cellular Apple Watch, there's a solution.

3.lastly reducing 4G and giving to 5G is bad. You are putting a gun on people's head and forcing ppl to go 5G unnecessarily. Bad move.

The mobile carriers are always trying to figure out how to maximize profits, and that'll mean reallocating spectrum from time to time. That's just how it goes.

 

[BBCWatcher]

Iirc once you're on 1 year plan, you will not be able to upgrade or download according to your needs eg needing more roaming data when travelling.

No, but your phone is unlocked. You can buy another SIM/eSIM from anyone as a second line. If for example you need 3GB of roaming data for 30 days in Afghanistan, "shop around." You're not limited to your primary line's offers or bundle.

 

[Laguna123]

Iirc once you're on 1 year plan, you will not be able to upgrade or download according to your needs eg needing more roaming data when travelling.

If plan cannot change think we can still add on data on per need basis?

 

[roborovsky]

If plan cannot change think we can still add on data on per need basis?

Yes, can add on data, charged by per GB. Not cheap.

 

[keenklee]

IMHO.
Sooner or later have to move on. The main lines in my household, all 5G except me - prodding along 4G.
For 4G or 5G, perhaps the more apps on the mobile, the faster the battery drain. Of course not to mention newer phones have powerful processors. Also can look into connecting to wifi where possible which I read consumes lesser power.

 

[BBCWatcher]

Yes, can add on data, charged by per GB. Not cheap.

You can also add a line, on most phones anyway. You are NOT limited to your primary line's offers or bundle. You can buy roaming data on Shopee, eSIMdb.com, a local convenience store...whatever you like.

If you like Eight's promotional offer, but you're worried about having 2.6GB extra data in Malta next January (or something like that), don't be worried. Just buy an extra 3GB of roaming data in Malta if/when you need it, from anyone, and relax. Currently that particular example will cost you a whopping S$2 (price check on esimdb.com: 3GB for 30 days in Malta). All you need is an eSIM capable phone, and you're good.

Why do people get so worried about stuff that doesn't merit any worry at all?

 

[Skypower]

'You' do not need 5G, you just need reliable and reasonable speed internet connection.

 

[xiaofan]

'You' do not need 5G, you just need reliable and reasonable speed internet connection.

Which can mean to go to 5G for some eight users who really cannot tahan the congestions of eight 4G.

Same for some M1 Maxx 4G customers who may want to upgrade to 5G in order to have better coverage, because M1 4G network can be problematic at quite some locations.

In the end it all depends on the individual use cases, places frequent and expectations.

 

[Skypower]

seeing '5G' wording on your mobile signal also do not guarantee reliable and reasonable speed for internet, as per my experience...

 

[xiaofan]

seeing '5G' wording on your mobile signal also do not guarantee reliable and reasonable speed for internet, as per my experience...

That is of course correct.

Weak 5G signal can be much worse than strong 4G signal. This can happen across the providers in Singapore.

Heavily congested 5G can be much worse than a less congested 4G. But in Singapore, StarHub 4G network tends to be much more congested than StarHub 4G network.

 

[twosix]

OK, but reasonable guardrails are important, too. Eight and SIMBA (as notable examples) have a lot of seniors topping up their wallets into the stratosphere. Let's suppose a senior topped up their Eight wallet just twice in the recent $88 promotion. That senior now has nearly 6 years of prepaid mobile service on the senior plan! And if the senior unfortunately dies next year, most of the $176 they topped up is vaporized.

Is that fair and responsible business practice? I don't think so. Just let a surviving family member cash out whatever's left in the mobile wallet, disregarding promotional credits. In other words, for these purposes (payout on death) the cash portion is effectively drawn down first, then the promotional credits. Make it simple: for example, the mobile subscriber can list up to 2 other mobile numbers (belonging to 2 other people), and either line's owner can claim the remaining cash portion of the wallet upon the original subscriber's death. And set a reasonable limit on how much cash you can put into a mobile wallet. This part is important to maintain competition in the mobile market.

Mobile carriers shouldn't be playing life insurance-like actuarial games with their customers.

Yah lor... to me it's investment risks.

 

[The_Davis]

Why yearly cannot pay with main balance

 

[ZhuTou!]

4g speed is actually suffice but need to be stable. No need 5g at all. I heard some countries, think taiwan, the 4g speed is stable all the way. No interruption. Thats the thing we need.

 

[sibeiTrolled]

Why yearly cannot pay with main balance

https://www.eight.com.sg/help/mobile#1-year-plans-6

Can I use my wallet credits to purchase the 1-Year Plan?​

The 1-Year Plan is a special deal so it can’t be paid using existing wallet balance. You can use the existing wallet balance to buy monthly plan/ add-ons. Thank you for your understanding!

 

[The_Davis]

https://www.eight.com.sg/help/mobile#1-year-plans-6

Can I use my wallet credits to purchase the 1-Year Plan?​

The 1-Year Plan is a special deal so it can’t be paid using existing wallet balance. You can use the existing wallet balance to buy monthly plan/ add-ons. Thank you for your understanding!

But I got $280 in my main balance

 

[JAYSCS]

i doubt so. eight 4G plan is $8, 5G plan is $14.80. the difference is only $6.80. the difference is not significant even now. Both 4G and 5G plans give significant amount of data that one can never even utilise more than 1/5 per month.

if one really needs 5G, they would have switch to 5G now by adding $6.80. There is not even need for MVNOs to come out anything now to 'attract' 5G customers.

as anyone is still on $8 plan now, obviously they know that they do not need 5G at all, and unlikely they will need it near future so long that 4G plan contiunes to exist.

If most ppl are keen to move to 5G plans, the 4G network should be freed up instead, while remaining users can enjoy this dedicatd network, it will not have such complaint that existing 4G customers will face conjestion issue.

Not forget to mention, there is sentimental values and nostalgia vibe for older devices, the exiting of 2G, 3G and future 4G networks is really not a good news to me at all.