Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) is stepping up its game in a bid to reach more fiber-optic broadband customers with the launch of a new service that allows consumers to play the latest Playstation and Xbox titles without ever buying these gaming consoles.
The operator's new offering is delivered to subscribers via the Next-Generation NBN (National Broadband Network), an ultrahigh-speed Internet highway that is set to reach all households by the end of next year.
SingTel has partnered with Israel-and UK-based Playcast Media Systems to introduce the new Internet-based offering, which ranks among the first batch of services to take advantage of the massive bandwidth boost that comes with fiber-optic broadband access.
By paying a monthly fee of $9.99 or a single-day charge of $1.99, subscribers can access a library of console games from major publishers such as Capcom, Disney, and THQ. Among the 24 flag bearers are games such as Street Fighter 4 and Toy Story 3. Up to three new titles will be added each month, SingTel said. Consumers can try the company's new "ESC" service for free until the end of the month. From May, customers can also choose to have it bundled with SingTel's basic 50Mbps (megabits per second) fiber-optic package for $66.90.
According to SingTel Singapore CEO Allen Lew, the new offering requires broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. This means consumers who are on older ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) and cable broadband packages will also be able to subscribe to the service. However, the gaming experience will be better for those on higher-speed fiber-optic plans, he said.
Subscribers will be able to play the games on their television sets through SingTel's set-top box. By downloading a small piece of software, they can also be accessed through laptops and desktop computers.
SingTel's executive vice-president of its consumer group Yuen Kuan Moon claimed an early lead in the nascent fiber-optic broadband market. He said SingTel's market share in this emerging segment is estimated to be around 50 percent.
Rival M1 recentky revealed that it has nearly one-third of the 16,000 customer base for fiber-optic Internet packages in Singapore.
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