SINGAPORE-Singapore Telecom is looking to roll out extensive mobile phone services in the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) region as it leverages its investments in Thailand and the Philippines.
SingTel, which holds a 20-percent stake in Thailand’s Advanced Info Systems (AIS), and a 40-percent stake in the Philippines’ Globe Telecom, hopes to introduce cellular services that will reach out to 142 million people, or about a third of the total population of the region.
For example, a possible new service would allow a cellular user to have multiple numbers on a single SIM (subscriber identification module) card. This means a SingTel customer who travels to Thailand could be contacted on a local Thai AIS number instead of a SingTel number, thus saving on roaming and international charges.
In its domestic market, SingTel introduced three new services that will benefit mobile-phone, fixed-line and Internet users. The services-OneM@il, Internet Call Waiting and Single Number Service-were launched at the recent CommunicAsia show in Singapore.
SingTel said trials for the convergent services would begin in July, with commercial launch slated for the later part of the year. It said that offering such services would “bring mobility and convenience to customers who will be able to enjoy the benefits of integrated telecommunications, information technology and Internet capabilities.”
