Singapore launches its first 4G service for smartphones

SingTel (Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.), one of the three mobile operators of the city state, yesterday launched the first 4G service for consumer smartphone users.

Three models of 4G phones are available for starters.

According to SingTel, island-wide rollout of this 4G network is expected to be completed early next year. In areas where 4G has not yet been deployed, users will enjoy 3G connectivity with download speeds of up to 42Mbps.

Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, SingTel’s CEO, Singapore, said: “SingTel is excited to be the first to introduce Singapore consumers to the next generation of mobile services. We are pleased to offer it at the same price as existing 3G services. Increasingly, smartphone users are seeking higher speeds and more consistent performance for their digital lifestyle needs.  4G will enable our customers to enjoy bandwidth-hungry applications, such as multimedia streaming, games, cloud storage and video conferencing, on the move like never before.”

4G, or the fourth generation of cell phone mobile communications standards, is a successor of the third generation ( 3G) standards. It can provide mobile Internet access that is up to five times faster than 3G-based smartphone services, with one- fifth of the network latency.