Eight Telecom discussion thread

[JAYSCS]

If starhub decide to sell eight to its competitors, the eight credits inside how ah?

This scenario is very unlikely, as unlikely as Starhub is selling itself to its competitor.

 

[lenseview]

for eight, i dun see a point, since every month bill is always at $8 fixed as there is no way to incur additional charges.

Well. Like i said, personal preference. Incase of any error.

 

[JAYSCS]

Well. Like i said, personal preference. Incase of any error.

I think the Recharge History may need time to show records? Out of curiosity, I went to my Recharge History, it did show 18/12/25 $88 promo top up( do take note the subsequent free $88 was not reflected), then as i was given free 3mths plan for porting in, the next recharge of $8 was shown for Apr26 and May26. However my 24/05/26 3x$28 top up were not shown, though the Wallet did reflect the correct amount.

Not particular abt the discrepancy, just sharing the info for my case.

 

[lenseview]

I think the Recharge History may need time to show records? Out of curiosity, I went to my Recharge History, it did show 18/12/25 $88 promo top up( do take note the subsequent free $88 was not reflected), then as i was given free 3mths plan for porting in, the next recharge of $8 was shown for Apr26 and May26. However my 24/05/26 3x$28 top up were not shown, though the Wallet did reflect the correct amount.

Not particular abt the discrepancy, just sharing the info for my case.

Did not show for me as well. And i dont remember the last time i top up during promo did show or not and i cant view it anymore since its slightly more than a year back. Just wait and see then.

 

[JAYSCS]

Did not show for me as well. And i dont remember the last time i top up during promo did show or not and i cant view it anymore since its slightly more than a year back. Just wait and see then.

My bad, i think 18/12/25 $88 is actually the free $88, as I recall the promo event was on 14/12/25 so the free credit must have come in later on 18/12/25. I tried to click next and previous page but no response so I cant see the transactions prior to 18/12/25.

P.S. Disregard my above statement, i recalled 18/12/25 was the actual $88 top up after successfully ported in. Sorry for the confusion as it was sometimes ago.

 

[Jitter]

Does imda wants to have more or less telco? Need to consolidate further?

 

[sibeiTrolled]

My bad, i think 18/12/25 $88 is actually the free $88, as I recall the promo event was on 14/12/25 so the free credit must have come in later on 18/12/25. I tried to click next and previous page but no response so I cant see the transactions prior to 18/12/25.

Ya. Promotion is the free credits.

 

[sibeiTrolled]

Does imda wants to have more or less telco? Need to consolidate further?

Does it matter?

Monopoly or duopoly... As long prices low can liao

 

[JAYSCS]

Ya. Promotion is the free credits.

No, this is the actual top up amount, my poor memory. I now know why i cant view previous page cos this is the first transaction.

 

[JAYSCS]

Does it matter?

Monopoly or duopoly... As long prices low can liao

It matters as price will never be low, be it monopoly or duopoly actually, even oligopoly will not improve situation. So 4 players are still the best scenario...

 

[Jitter]

Does it matter?

Monopoly or duopoly... As long prices low can liao

EIght no chance to get makan?

 

[BBCWatcher]

Too near as in new month is 1 june. If before june, i could just change. So if promo not extended, got to change plan before 31 may also.

I'll try again. It's really quite simple!

1. Turn off Auto-Recharge now.
2. Wait until the morning of May 31. (Or May 30 if you're really anxious.)
3. On the morning of May 30 or 31, figure out whether the $10.80 promotion has been extended.
4A. If not extended, manually recharge with the $10.80 plan. (That's instant.)
4B. If extended, go back to sleep. Recharge with the $10.80 plan later, at least before your grace period ends or before the extended promotion ends (whichever comes first).
5. (Optional.) You can reenable Auto-Recharge, and your next automatic recharge can be to whatever plan you want. You can even change your mind about the next plan as long as you change that setting before Eight recharges your plan.

Clear now?

 

[JAYSCS]

Does imda wants to have more or less telco? Need to consolidate further?

We dunno what IMDA wants, they themselves may also dunno, to let consumers enjoy low price or let telcos makes better profits, so they are still studying on merger scenario. It is the financial analysts and telcos themselves want consolidation to stop the price war.

 

[JAYSCS]

EIght no chance to get makan?

Eight is not MVNO in the sense that it belongs to Starhub directly.

 

[Jitter]

I scare back to last time mobile price i mean i scare eight no more. For price to go up must remove alot and alike in the past?

 

[lenseview]

I'll try again. It's really quite simple!

1. Turn off Auto-Recharge now.
2. Wait until the morning of May 31. (Or May 30 if you're really anxious.)
3. On the morning of May 30 or 31, figure out whether the $10.80 promotion has been extended.
4A. If not extended, manually recharge with the $10.80 plan. (That's instant.)
4B. If extended, go back to sleep. Recharge with the $10.80 plan later, at least before your grace period ends or before the extended promotion ends (whichever comes first).
5. (Optional.) You can reenable Auto-Recharge, and your next automatic recharge can be to whatever plan you want. You can even change your mind about the next plan as long as you change that setting before Eight recharges your plan.

Clear now?

Know what you are trying to say. To avoid discrepancy, iam upgrading maybe on friday or Saturday. Since plan recharge on the night before plan recharge at around 2345.

 

[kun1he2]

too bad now shopee got no more "discount" when top up with them.

But now can top up yourself on Shopee.
Great especially for those who actively collect Shopee coins.
Best if you're on $8 plan, can use 760 coins to recharge each month - no need to spend any real money.

 

[JAYSCS]

I scare back to last time mobile price i mean i scare eight no more. For price to go up must remove alot and alike in the past?

No one will know for sure what will happen if there is merger, there are 2 sides of argument in fact. But as for Eight, as long as Starhub is around, it is definitely going to stay, this is its star product right now.

 

[hereiam7788]

I scare back to last time mobile price i mean i scare eight no more. For price to go up must remove alot and alike in the past?

indeed not sustainable for sure.

4G cost more than 3G, 5G cost more than 4G (infra).

but each user only pays sgd10 or less per month comparing to year 2000 the cheapest sinktel classic plan is at sgd28 per month and one likely to exceed the bundled talktime and SMS and incur additional charges.

it just does not make sense according to inflation.

 

[hereiam7788]

I scare back to last time mobile price i mean i scare eight no more. For price to go up must remove alot and alike in the past?

Here is the English summary of the video interview between Gerald from Beansprout and Nikhil Eapen, CEO of StarHub:

The core theme of the video is StarHub’s ongoing transformation from a traditional telco, and why the CEO believes Singapore's hyper-competitive "<$10/month" mobile market is completely unsustainable and ripe for a massive financial turnaround.

Here are the four key takeaways from the discussion:

1. The "Four Anomalies" of Singapore's Mobile Sector​

The CEO noted that Singapore’s mobile market has been operating under an unhealthy environment with four major anomalies compared to the rest of the world:

• Rock-bottom Prices vs. High Costs: Singapore has one of the highest per capita incomes globally, yet its mobile data prices have been driven down to some of the lowest in the world (e.g., promotional plans under $10/month).
• Too Many Players: There are four network operators (MNOs) and numerous virtual operators (MVNOs) competing in a very tiny geographic market.
• Unfair Cost Arbitrage: The price war was aggressively triggered by a fourth operator (referring to Simba/TPG), which initially wasn't subjected to the same heavy regulatory impositions, cyber security spends, and critical infrastructure obligations as the top incumbents.
• Severe Cybersecurity Threats: Singapore is a prime target for highly sophisticated, state-sponsored cyber threat actors. Protecting national infrastructure costs massive amounts of money, which directly contradicts a heavily depressed, low-revenue market.

2. The Impending Market Turnaround (Reversion to the Mean)​

Nikhil believes that these anomalies are finally beginning to reverse, creating a strong inflection point for the sector:

• Price Stabilization: Low-end pricing has finally hit a floor because it is structurally unsustainable. Prices are starting to stabilize and will eventually lift.
• End of the Free Ride: The regulatory loopholes have been closed. The fourth operator must now adopt the same stringent safeguards, erasing their previous unit-cost arbitrage.
• Market Consolidation: With industry consolidation on the horizon, reducing the number of players will accelerate market healing. Because telecom is a high-fixed-cost industry with high operating leverage, even a small single-digit percentage increase in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) will flow straight to the bottom line, magnifying profitability.

3. StarHub's Growth and Defense Strategy​

StarHub is actively refusing to participate in a race to the bottom, focusing on Revenue Market Share over raw subscriber numbers.

• Mobile (5G Unlimited Plus): Instead of cutting prices, they are upselling customers to higher-value plans that bundle unlimited data, voice, large roaming inclusions, and device protection. Customers are happy to pay $1–$2 more for peace of mind, which successfully protects and grows StarHub's revenue.
• Broadband Leadership: StarHub is the revenue market leader in broadband, operating a three-brand strategy: StarHub (Premium), My Republic (the "holy grail" for digitally savvy geeks and gamers), and 8 Broadband (no-frills, value-focused).
• Enterprise & Cyber Security: This segment has completely evolved and now represents roughly 50% of StarHub's total revenue, effectively shifting the company away from being just a consumer mobile provider.

4. Is the Dividend Sustainable? (Investor Focus)​

In response to analyst concerns regarding StarHub's recent negative free cash flow, rising net debt, and a payout ratio exceeding 100%, the CEO provided a very confident outlook:

• The Dividend is "Highly Sustainable": The board remains fully committed to maintaining its dividend of 6 cents or higher for the short, mid, and long term.
• Temporary Cash Dips: The recent cash squeeze was a temporary anomaly caused by large upfront capital expenditures, specifically paying for the 700MHz spectrum and frontloading heavy cybersecurity investments.
• Imminent Cash Injection (Ensign Monetization): StarHub maintains a substantial cash cushion of around $600 million. Furthermore, they are in advanced stages to monetize a portion of their holdings in Ensign (their cyber security joint venture), which will realize material cash proceeds and accounting gains very imminently.
• The "Steady Plus" Investment Case: Nikhil summarizes StarHub as a "Steady Plus" stock. Investors get a highly secure, attractive dividend yield right now (Steady), while waiting for the mid-to-long-term upside as market consolidation kicks in and operating leverage drives massive profit growth (Plus).

Two Key Metrics for Investors to Watch:​

1. ARPU Stabilization: Watch for ARPUs across all Singaporean operators to hold steady and start crawling upwards toward the back end of the year.
2. Enterprise Order Book: Keep an eye on StarHub’s order book growth (signed contracts that haven't flowed into revenue yet), which serves as a vital leading indicator for their enterprise business.