I am returning to Singapore soon, and my little adventure trying to get Internet connection once I am back made me realise that Singapore is not the IT city that we claim to be.
A small comparison:
Japan's telcos offer wireless broadband with speeds up to 76 Mbps, at around 4000 yen. That's like S$70-S$80. Bring the small little wireless router with you and you can use Internet anywhere as long as it is within mobile phone coverage.
In Singapore, ADSL broadband for 10 Mbps would cost you S$40-S$50... and you can only use it at home (where the ADSL modem is located).
For a flat rate of around 1000 yen (S$13?) in Japan, you get unlimited calls and SMSs with other mobile phones under the same telco. (US telcos offer similar plans.)
In Singapore, although the plans cover free usage (up to certain number of minutes and SMSs) regardless of telcos, the plans are still expensive (minimum plan around S$20, with very little free minutes/SMSs).
So Singapore's IT is neither fast nor cheap. IT is so much a part of people's life nowadays, yet we are paying more money for less service. Why? We pride ourselves on being an IT-savvy country... but maybe that's only within Southeast Asia, and even then, that's probably temporary since other Southeast Asian countries are catching up. Compared to other developed countries, we are still lagging behind. Have our telcos grown complacent because of lack of competition? Or are we just an empty shell, looking good on the outside but nothing inside?
A small comparison:
Japan's telcos offer wireless broadband with speeds up to 76 Mbps, at around 4000 yen. That's like S$70-S$80. Bring the small little wireless router with you and you can use Internet anywhere as long as it is within mobile phone coverage.
In Singapore, ADSL broadband for 10 Mbps would cost you S$40-S$50... and you can only use it at home (where the ADSL modem is located).
For a flat rate of around 1000 yen (S$13?) in Japan, you get unlimited calls and SMSs with other mobile phones under the same telco. (US telcos offer similar plans.)
In Singapore, although the plans cover free usage (up to certain number of minutes and SMSs) regardless of telcos, the plans are still expensive (minimum plan around S$20, with very little free minutes/SMSs).
So Singapore's IT is neither fast nor cheap. IT is so much a part of people's life nowadays, yet we are paying more money for less service. Why? We pride ourselves on being an IT-savvy country... but maybe that's only within Southeast Asia, and even then, that's probably temporary since other Southeast Asian countries are catching up. Compared to other developed countries, we are still lagging behind. Have our telcos grown complacent because of lack of competition? Or are we just an empty shell, looking good on the outside but nothing inside?
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