No need for travel e-SIM or roaming: Singapore telcos offer generous cross-border data bundles
[SINGAPORE] More local telcos are offering 'borderless' mobile plans at record low prices to woo an increasing number of globetrotting consumers.
Such plans allow consumers to use a generous bundle of mobile data across borders without paying more, or activating a travel e-SIM or roaming feature.
The latest to jump on this trend is M1, whose Maxx plan offers 290GB of data for use in Singapore and Malaysia for a record low of S$7.90 a month. The plan also includes 10GB of mobile data for use in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
This follows the January launch of Simba Telecom's S$10 monthly SuperRoam 10 plan that provides 300GB of 5G data that can be used in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. A separate 12GB of roaming mobile data for seven other Asian destinations is included in the same plan.
Singapore's virtual telco Circles.Life started the borderless trend here in September 2023, when it let customers use 100GB across eight Asian destinations (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). The monthly plan costs S$30 for the first three months, and S$37 after that.
Fabian Sossa, vice-president of corporate and global marketing at Circles.Life, said: 'The plan is designed for mobile professionals, digital nomads, students, tourists and families with cross-border ties... essentially anyone who needs connectivity across multiple countries without friction.'
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Since then, other telcos have followed suit. While most of these plans today cover connectivity in Malaysia, others also include popular Asian destinations such as Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
A rise in cross-border travel after the Covid-19 pandemic provided the initial impetus.
For instance, the number of daily travellers at the Woodlands Checkpoint stood at 327,000 on average in 2024. This is up 22 per cent from the 269,000 in 2023, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
Likewise, in 2024, Indonesia received 1.4 million visitors from Singapore, while Singapore received 2.49 million visitors from Indonesia. Singapore is one of the top five source countries for visitors to Indonesia, while Indonesia is the second-largest source country for visitors to Singapore.
Experts said the setting up of special trade zones in the region and the upcoming launch of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link will further boost demand for such mobile data plans.
These special economic zones, which include the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, are meant to boost the flow of goods, services and people across borders, and reduce barriers to trade and investment.
The RTS Link will connect Malaysia's second-largest city, Johor Bahru, and Woodlands in Singapore over the Strait of Johor. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Peter Liu, an analyst at Gartner specialising in telecoms, said the upcoming special economic zones will significantly increase business travel and create a new category of 'super commuters' comprising skilled professionals working across borders daily or weekly.
'The seamless border, competitive tax incentives and infrastructure investments will normalise cross-border work arrangements, making borderless connectivity services essential rather than optional for this emerging professional class,' he said.
Even prior to the setting up of the economic zones, the number of Malaysians and Singaporeans crossing each other's borders already provides a captive market for telcos, said Simba Telecom chief technology officer Benjamin Tan.
'The days of rationing roaming data are behind us. Consumers today want to use their mobile devices as freely outside as they do at home,' he said.
Shilpa Aggarwal, vice-president of mobile customer solutions at Singtel, also cited the large number of mobile workers between Singapore and Malaysia as a reason for the telco's generous Malaysia roaming data allowance.
Gomo, a sub-brand of Singtel, offers a basic 300GB of local data as well as 6GB of roaming data for use in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and Australia for S$15 a month.
Soh Wei Sheng, 30, who recently completed his master's degree, subscribes to Simba's 300GB plan as he frequently travels to Malaysia and Indonesia for leisure with his family.
'It is affordable and hassle-free when I travel,' he said.
Cinthia Poh, a 41-year-old civil servant, uses Singtel Gomo so she does not have to purchase travel SIM cards any more when she travels to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. She usually buys add-ons when the overseas roaming data is insufficient.
Analysts said it is unlikely that the regions covered by these borderless mobile plans will expand, as telcos still need to make money, particularly from roaming fees.
Kiranjeet Kaur, associate research director at IDC, said: 'Roaming still forms a significant part of a telco's revenue. Incumbent telcos will still try to retain their consumer base with premium offerings rather than joining the race to the bottom in prices.' THE STRAITS TIMES
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