Eight Telecom discussion thread

[mr168]

thanks noted.

 

[Aladdin Beast]

With mvnos trying outwit each other,difficult if keep jumping also

 

[CPTMiller]

600GB Malaysia first.

The catch about ST MVNOs: no free roaming voices.

I think those frequently Travellers that need uses lots of sms receiving sending or calls incoming outgoing .
Then best option still Simba
What do you think?
Eight secondary because on the sms sending part

 

[Jurong640]

i think i gonna change back m1 maxx, nowadays 8mbps download 55mbps upload. hehehe

good choice, if eight doesn't work for you. Eight also doesn't work for me, i get better experience with maxx.

 

[xiaofan]

I think those frequently Travellers that need uses lots of sms receiving sending or calls incoming outgoing .
Then best option still Simba
What do you think?
Eight secondary because on the sms sending part

1) SIMBA and eight are similar, free incoming roaming SMS only, not possible to send outgoing SMS. This should not be an issue for most of the users through.

SIMBA FAQ
https://support.simba.sg/hc/en-us/articles/4487047558681-Does-roaming-cover-calls-and-SMS

SMS
Incoming SMSs are free. Outgoing SMSs are not supported while roaming.

2) Whether you choose SIMBA or eight for roaming will depend on the place you go.

 

[xiaofan]

good choice, if eight doesn't work for you. Eight also doesn't work for me, i get better experience with maxx.

Haha, I also got better experiences with Maxx 5G (S$10 at that time, now S$12 for new sign-up) compared to eight S$8 4G plan for local usage.

But not so sure about Maxx 5G versus eight 5G.

On the other hand, I terminated Maxx 5G but keep eight 4G plan, because of free voice roaming feature and lower cost. eight 4G S$8 plan is at S$4 per month effective pricing because of the S$88 one for one top-up offer.

 

[xiaofan]

Nowadays it may be good to have two lines from different networks to have better reliable connections. The extra S$10 (or less) per month may well be accepted.

Example combinations:
1) eight 4G plus ST MVNO 4G S$10ish plan (with 180 days or half year free 5G trial).

2) eight 5G plus ST MVNOs' S$7ish 4G plan is also a good combination.

My wife and I use SingTel S$15.28 plan as main line, then eight S$8 plan or StarHub S$3 Prepaid S plan (special Happy Prepaid Card migration offer) as the backup plan.

I have no plans to change the above combinations any time soon, unless SingTel removes the S$15.28 per month special recontract offer.

On the other hand, I had signed up different plans for testing purposes (M1 Maxx, SIMBA, SingTel hi! 4G, CUniq 4G, CL free 5G trial: all terminated).

Now my testing line is a new Zym S$10.1 4G line with free 5G trial. I may want to try other MVNOs like CMLink and MyRepublic in the future.

 

[HMAN]

Recently upgraded my wife eight 4G to 5G, the 5G at home/ woodlands is getting full signal with very healthy speed 850Mbps/ 70 Mbps.(DL/UL).


Will monitor for a while, the 5G plan better worth the extra $7.

 

[OnePunch!!]

Haha, I also got better experiences with Maxx 5G (S$10 at that time, now S$12 for new sign-up) compared to eight S$8 4G plan for local usage.
But not so sure about Maxx 5G versus eight 5G.
On the other hand, I terminated Maxx 5G but keep eight 4G plan, because of free voice roaming feature and lower cost. eight 4G S$8 plan is at S$4 per month effective pricing because of the S$88 one for one top-up offer.

maxx no free idd roaming call back SG ?

 

[xiaofan]

maxx no free idd roaming call back SG ?

NO.

Actually Maxx has zero roaming voice support. Even if you want to pay you do not have the option. Same for Singtel Gomo.

The good thing -- you will not get charged either (like Singtel and Zym/Zero1/VIVIFI/CMLink).

 

[OnePunch!!]

NO.
Actually Maxx has zero roaming voice support. Even if you want to pay you do not have the option. Same for Singtel Gomo.
The good thing -- you will not get charged either (like Singtel and Zym/Zero1/VIVIFI/CMLink).

ya pro & cons
im happy with eight for roaming just not as fast as Singtel but only good for roaming

 

[xiaofan]

Recently upgraded my wife eight 4G to 5G, the 5G at home/ woodlands is getting full signal with very healthy speed 850Mbps/ 70 Mbps.(DL/UL).

Will monitor for a while, the 5G plan better worth the extra $7.

Hopefully eight 5G is good for you.

I mentioned one colleague moving from giga 5G to eight 5G after I showed him the roaming benefits, and he had no issues with eight 5G.

He has just downgraded to eight 4G. He mentions to me not as good as eight 5G but so far he can tahan. Let's see if he will be back to eight 5G later.

 

[BBCWatcher]

just found out that the $8 plan comes with many data roaming restriction, China and Japan are not inside the apac group.

1. How often do you travel to China and Japan?
2. How much mobile data do you really need to use there?
3. Would you be financially better off buying a separate eSIM if you need more roaming data than Eight provides — compared to raising your monthly mobile phone bill every month?

1) SIMBA and eight are similar, free incoming roaming SMS only, not possible to send outgoing SMS. This should not be an issue for most of the users through.

You can still send outgoing SMS text messages using VoWiFi (a.k.a. "Wi-Fi Calling") even when outside Singapore — for Singapore mobile carriers that support VoWiFi with offshore access. In principle any Wi-Fi network with Internet access back to the Singapore carrier is viable. It could for example be an airplane Wi-Fi network, a public coffee shop Wi-Fi network, or a Wi-Fi network created by another mobile phone (a mobile hotspot).

 

[natas]

just found out that the $8 plan comes with many data roaming restriction, China and Japan are not inside the apac group.

probably going to port out to another carrier, any suggestion?

If I am not wrong, China and Japan are included in International roaming of 2GB.
Any eight user can confirm?

 

[xiaofan]

One less advantage for eight 5G plan.

Basically no more 18% bundle offer for eight Home Internet already (only the first month).

i've just signed up Eight broadband. 2 things to note

1. As per their official website, 18% off (if u sign up/switch to Eight 5G mobile plan) is actually already ended. But i emailed their CS, and their CS said once i sign up, send them order ID, they'll help to manually change the 88days free promo to 18% off.

2. Above is further confirmed by their sales rep person who whatsapp me (I click sign up all the way to payment page on Sunday and closed browser). The person ask if anything can help, and upon request gave a further discount $10 off 1st bill promo code to key in at the online sign up page, before payment page. (I jokingly ask if got further promo code or referral link cos there's a box to key in before payment page)

18% for the 1st month only leh...

"We’d like to share a quick clarification regarding the promotion. The offer of 18% off the first month, followed by 88 days free (covering the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th month), was valid until 11 March 2026.

Thank you!

Best regards,
Team eight - SC

 

[xiaofan]

If I am not wrong, China and Japan will be included in International roaming of 2GB.
Any eight user can confirm?

Yes it is included.

I was using it for my Dec 2025 short trip to China, using eight S$8 plan.

Whether 2GB is good enough or not is another story. ST MVNOs' S$10ish plans have 12 GB.

 

[natas]

Yes it is included.

I was using it for my Dec 2025 short trip to China.

@mr168 if u r in China and Japan n dun want to miss your drama, eight will not be good but if u r using data for map, payment, searches then 2GB is good enough.

 

[xiaofan]

You can still send outgoing SMS text messages using VoWiFi (a.k.a. "Wi-Fi Calling") even when outside Singapore — for Singapore mobile carriers that support VoWiFi with offshore access. In principle any Wi-Fi network with Internet access back to the Singapore carrier is viable. It could for example be an airplane Wi-Fi network, a public coffee shop Wi-Fi network, or a Wi-Fi network created by another mobile phone (a mobile hotspot).

Interesting. I did not try this myself with eight when I was visiting China in Dec 2025.

Dare not to try with SingTel SIM Only as it supports pay as you go outgoing roaming SMS which is very expensive.

But take note SingTel MVNOs like Zym/Zero1/VIVIFI/CMLink do not support VoWiFi at all, even in Singapore. They support pay as you go outgoing roaming SMS which is very expensive.

Circles.Life also does not support VoWiFi.

More about ST MVNO's support of VoWiFi -- no, they do not support VoWiFi.

A bit more details :
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/singtel-wifi-calling.7121039/page-8#post-157873472

 

[BBCWatcher]

Interesting. I did not try this myself with eight when I was visiting China in Dec 2025.
Dare not to try with SingTel SIM Only as it supports pay as you go outgoing roaming SMS which is very expensive.

Next time you could throw the phone into airplane mode, enable VoWiFi (if not already enabled), then try sending an SMS text message (an ordinary one, not iMessage, RCS, or some other data-based messaging service). Singtel might ding you for that one message when you’re overseas, even if you’re only on Wi-Fi. But it’d be a fun experiment.

If your wireless router can hop back to Singapore via a VPN (back to your home?), Singtel’s charge could be different (waived). Of course this distinction would be silly, but sometimes mobile carrier rate cards can be silly.

But take note SingTel MVNOs like Zym/Zero1/VIVIFI/CMLink do not support VoWiFi at all, even in Singapore. They support pay as you go outgoing roaming SMS which is very expensive.
Circles.Life also does not support VoWiFi.

Yes, and I suppose it’s possible for a mobile carrier to block VoWiFi from certain places (and absent a viable VPN workaround). The Internet itself could be blocked from the country you’re visiting. But generally speaking if your mobile carrier supports VoWiFi and doesn’t attempt to charge anything extra from “foreign” inbound IP addresses, you should be good to go.

As an aside, there are some global multinational companies with offices in Singapore that connect their offices via a VPN to some other country (such as their headquarters country), then exit onto the public Internet from there. If you’re connected to that network, use VoWiFi, and have a carrier that charges different rates depending on where you seem to be located, you could have a bill shock. Unless the carrier is smart enough to realize your phone is connected to one of their cellular towers, which assumes your phone is not in airplane mode.

 

[Panerex]

When you roam using Eight in JB, do you set your Network Selection as “Automatic” or manual.
In my last few visits, I could no longer rely on Automatic. Instead I needed to manually select to Eight’s roaming partners.

using IPhone 13 btw