Yuhui ([info]yuhui) wrote,
@ 2007-06-26 23:21:00
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Current mood: irritated
Entry tags:apple computer, apple iphone, m1, price comparison, singtel, starhub

Comparing Apple/AT&T iPhone plans to Singapore's plans

Apple iPhone
Apple and AT&T announced three mobile plans for the iPhone today. These range from US$59.99 to US$99.99. At first glance, I thought, "Wow! That's outrageous!" I was sure that comparable plans in Singapore would be much cheaper.

Alas, how wrong I was.

Here's a table comparing the plans.
CarrierIncl. SMS300 mins400 mins450 mins680 mins700 mins900 mins1,350 mins1,500 mins2,000 mins
AT&T (US$/S$)200

59.99
(92.26)

79.99
(123.02)		99.99
(153.78)

SingTel360*



105.79

221.81
500**99.75


162.75



M1300*
42.00





105.00
50047.25


81.38



StarHub300


92.40




50047.25


81.38



90050.40







2,000







197.40
All of the local telcos offer free incoming talk time until the end of 2008 at the earliest.
* Based on non-promotional usual price
** Based on first year's subscription rate

At first glance, it seems like there are some local plans that look more affordable than AT&T's. Of course, I'm not comparing apples with apples (pardon the pun), because of variable charges like extra minute charges, registration, etc.

But wait, there's more! AT&T offers unlimited data usage. In contrast, the local telcos offer add-on data plans:
  • M1 - $313.95 maximum (for two of its data plans)
  • StarHub - $105 unlimited
M1's maximum data charges alone far exceed any of AT&T's combined talk and data plans. Meanwhile, StarHub's cheapest mobile plan doesn't look so cheap once you add the extra hundred dollars. (Unfortunately, I couldn't find any prices for SingTel's maximum data charges or unlimited plans, if any.)

So it would seem that the iPhone plans are actually cheaper than what you can get in Singapore! And here, I always thought that mobile plans in the U.S. were a rip-off.

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[info]thurisaz83
2007-06-27 01:31 pm UTC (link)
i wish you did this when i was trying to figure out a phone in madison. i still don't see where you're getting the sg prices from; as far as i can tell, singaporean plans are still cheaper.

of course, i was just looking at cellphones, not at fancy data phones. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]yuhui
2007-06-27 03:47 pm UTC (link)
The prices are listed all over the 3 telcos' websites. I just compiled them together. :)

I was in Madison when cellphones were just becoming popular, so I never bought one myself. But back then, I thought that the prices were outrageous. I'm not sure if things have improved since.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
US cellphone plans are good value for money, but I don't need so many mins!
(Anonymous)
2007-06-29 06:41 am UTC (link)
I'm not sure abt the AT&T plans, but I'm using T-mobile in the US, and the final cost of the mobile plan - once u include the assortment of random taxes and misc. fees - comes up to be a lot more than the advertised price. For eg, my family plan (which I subscribed for 3 lines) offers a total of 1000 mins anytime, unlimited calling on weekends and weeknights, and 200 SMSes for each line, is supposed to cost about USD 95, but I usually end up paying closer to USD 120. That said, if you break it down to a cost/min basis, it really is a good deal although I rarely use up the mins. And herein lies the problem with the US cellphone companies: they don't have many plans that cater for light users like we do in Singapore with the Singtel Classic 100 and etc.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: US cellphone plans are good value for money, but I don't need so many mins!
[info]yuhui
2007-06-29 06:47 am UTC (link)
Well, of course the final bill will always be more than the advertised price. Even I get that with my M1 bill.

I read somewhere that people generally underestimate their phone usage, resulting in higher bills. I'm on the other side, i.e. I tend to overestimate my usage, so I always pay more than I really need, even when I'm paying just the base subscription rate! :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]sax601
2007-06-29 06:24 pm UTC (link)
I was just reading the online news and people were camping outside the Apple store on Michigan Ave to wait for the store to open!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]yuhui
2007-06-29 07:25 pm UTC (link)
The record belongs to some guy who queued up at the San Francisco store three days before. He's apparently a media whore too.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]sax601
2007-06-29 07:32 pm UTC (link)
Aren't you supposed to be sleeping at this time???

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]yuhui
2007-06-29 07:35 pm UTC (link)
Just finished writing my review of "Transformers".

(Reply to this) (Parent)

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