Communication in Singapore

Communication in Singapore

By phone
The international telephone country code for Singapore is 65. There are three main telecommunication providers in Singapore: SingTel , StarHub and MobileOne (M1)

Public phones can be found all across the island. They are either coin-operated pay phones (10 cents for a three-minute local call), card phones operated by phone cards in denominations of $3, $5, $10, $20 and $50, or credit card phones. Phone cards are available at all post offices and from phonecard agents. Most coin-operated pay phones are for local calls only, there are some which accept coins of larger denominations and can be used for overseas calls. Credit card phones are usually found at the airport or in some major hotels.

To make an international call from Singapore, dial the access code 001 (for SingTel), 002 (for M1), and 008 (for StarHub), followed by the country code, area code and party's number. Recently the providers have started offering cheaper rates for calls using Internet telephony routes. The access codes for this cheaper service are 019 and 013 for Singtel and 018 for Starhub. For calls to Malaysia, dial 02 followed by the area code with the 0 in front and then the telephone number.

Calling cards are also available for specific international destinations and are usually cheaper. Hello Card from Singtel offers a very cheap rate to 8 countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand).

Mobile phones are carried by almost everyone in Singapore (including many young children!). Prepaid SIM cards are available from the three main telecommunication providers and are sold in 7-Eleven convenience stores and phone shops, just bring your own GSM 900/1800 (or buy a cheap used phone in Singapore). You will need to show ID. A local phone call costs between 5-25 cents per minute, whereas each local text message (SMS) costs about 5 cents (international SMS cost about 15-25 cents). You may also be charged for incoming calls. All 3 service providers have both GSM 900/1800 and 3G (W-CDMA) networks and roaming onto these may be possible, subject to agreements between operators.

By net
Internet cafes are scattered about the island, but not particularly common since almost all locals have at least dial-up access, and most have high-speed access at home, work, and/or school. Public libraries offer cheap Internet access, but you'll need to pick up a CashCard (sold in banks and convenience stores) to pay for it.

The first phase of the nationwide free Wireless@SG system is now operating and visitors are free to use the system, although they must register and receive a password via e-mail or a mobile phone first. See the Infocomm Development Authority website [100] for a current list of hotspots. Commercial alternatives include McDonalds, which offers free wifi at most outlets; Starhub, a member of the Wireless Broadband Alliance with hotspots at Coffee Bean cafes; and Singtel, which has hotspots at most Starbucks cafes. Roaming or prepaid rates are on the order of $0.10/minute.

By mail
SingPost [101] has offices throughout the island, generally open 8:30AM-5PM weekdays, 8:30AM-1PM Saturdays, closed Sundays. The Changi Airport T2 (transit side) office is open 6 AM-midnight daily, while the 1 Killeney Rd branch is open until 9 PM weekdays and 10AM-4PM Sundays. Service is fast and reliable. A postcard to anywhere in the world costs 50 cents, and postage labels can also be purchased from the self-service SAM machines found in many MRT stations.

Packages cost 35 cents per 10 grams — large packages overseas can get very expensive. As an alternative, DHL has a current student promotion: 10-20 % off published rates to anywhere around the world. The proviso is that either the sender or receiver must have a valid student ID.