M1 refreshes 10 Gbps fibre broadband plan

Singapore's M1 is announcing a refreshed fibre broadband plan designed to deliver greater flexibility and choice. 

The new M1 10 Gbps fibre broadband plan is priced at S$34.90 per month for a 24-month contract and includes:

- Complimentary, 24-month mobile broadband (Bespoke SurfValue)

- A home fixed voice line 

- Free registration (worth S$61.04) 

- Free optical network terminal (ONT) activation (worth up to S$123.41)

Router bundles now operate on a “choose what you need” basis, allowing customers to select from top-tier WiFi 7 routers:

- ASUS RT-BE92U (usual price or UP, S$399) at an additional S$9/month

- TP-Link Archer BE805 (UP S$799) at an additional S$10/month 

- ASUS ZenWiFi BT10 (pack of two, UP S$1,299) at an additional S$21/month

This flexibility ensures households enjoy tailored options that match their connectivity needs and budget. This refreshed offer provides direct savings for those already equipped with high-end routers and direct customisation for new buyers seeking to pair broadband with WiFi 7 devices.

Unlike traditional networks, M1’s fibre broadband plans run on a 10 gigabit symmetrical passive optical network (XGSPON), which enables symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Apart from low-latency content sharing and high-definition video streaming on multiple devices, this boost in speed and performance will supercharge experiences for households with high bandwidth demands.

 

Details 

 

This 10 Gbps fibre broadband promotion is only open to eligible new or re-contracting customers without a current service contract. Full terms and conditions are available at www.m1.com.sg/home-broadband

 

11 August 2018

StarHub, with the fastest 3G and 4G network in Singapore, presents World's Fastest Band

StarHub has presented the World’s Fastest Band in commemoration of StarHub’s OpenSignal Speed Awards 2018 win. OpenSignal specialises in wireless coverage mapping.

“StarHub clocked Singapore’s fastest 4G and 3G speeds according to OpenSignal! Network quality is essential to us and our customers, and we want to celebrate our achievement with a musical masterpiece created by a sextet of the world’s fastest,” said Donovan Kik, VP, Segment & Marketing, StarHub. “Notwithstanding this achievement, we will continue working hard to fulfil our customers’ needs and expectations.”

In the OpenSignal report*, it was noted that StarHub achieved an average 4G speed score that was three times the global average.

The maiden music video, available on StarHub's Facebook and Instagram channels, introduces the six band members making tunes with unconventional instruments before performing together. 

In order of appearance; the performers are: 

- Russell Horning or The Backpack Kid, world’s fastest floss dancer. Horning shot to fame in 2015 for his signature dance move – flossing, which involves rapidly swinging his arms around his body while moving his hips and maintaining an expressionless glare.

- António Domingos, the world’s fastest pianist. Domingos holds the Guinness World Record for the Most Piano Key Hits in One Minute - 824 hits, in 2017.

- Satoyuki Fujimura, the world’s fastest finger snapper, who completed 296 snaps in one minute to enter the record books. Fujimura picked up finger snapping from his mother a year before his record-breaking performance.

Feature	Offer
Monthly price	S$34.90
Router	Optional add-on, from S$9/month
Mobile broadband (Bespoke SurfValue)	Complimentary 24 months
Registration fee (worth S$61.04)	Waived
ONT registration (worth up to S$123.41)	Waived
Home fixed voice line	Complimentary 24 months
Contract period	24 months

Source: StarHub. Poster advertising the
World's Fastest Band.

- Sadatoshi Watanabe, the world’s fastest bum skipper. In bum skipping the skipper sits on the floor with legs outstretched in an 'L' shape and passes the rope over the head, under the legs and then over the head again to complete a single skip. Watch him break records.

- Muhammad Rashid, the world’s fastest head smasher. In head smashing, the head is used to crush an object.

- Tony Valente, the world’s fastest nunchaku master.

The World’s Fastest Band will also be touring on StarHub TV and YouTube channels as well as Golden Village cinema screens in coming weeks, StarHub said.

Explore:

Watch the debut video 

Hashtags: #worldsfastestband, #fastestunlimitednetwork 

*Based on OpenSignal’s independent analysis of 185,297,150 on-device measurements recorded by 11,742 users from February 1 to May 1, 2018. Read the report

TomTom unveils help for speed cameras, jams

Source: Android Play website.

TomTom is introducing TomTom Jam Ahead Warnings¹ which are now available on the free² TomTom Speed Cameras app for Android.

TomTom Jam Ahead Warnings visually and audibly alert drivers to rapidly slowing, or stationary, traffic on the highway ahead, giving the driver the opportunity to brake smoothly, and in time.

Corinne Vigreux, co-founder and MD, TomTom, said: “We’re constantly striving to make the driving experience safer and more relaxed. TomTom Jam Ahead Warnings is a powerful example of this approach.”

The TomTom Speed Cameras app is already available in 16 countries³, and today launches in a further 26⁴. Drivers around the world rely on the app to deliver highly accurate fixed and mobile camera alerts in real time, as well as average speed checks for average speed cameras.

The locations of fixed cameras are provided by TomTom’s database, and verified by a TomTom moderation team, while mobile speed cameras are reported and verified by a community of over 5 million drivers.

Interested?

The TomTom Speed Camera app for Android is available as a free download on the Google Play store. The full list of countries supported is listed in the app description.

1 The TomTom Jam Ahead Warnings feature is not available in selected European countries.

2 A mobile data connection is required

3 Existing countries in Asia Pacific available include Australia.

4 New countries and territories include: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

posted from Bloggeroid

Singtel ups max speeds on fibre broadband for home offices

Singtel will offer a 10Gbps fibre broadband service to residential customers in Singapore starting this month. Leveraging on its Next Generation 10GPON or Gigabit Passive Optical Network, this first-of-its-kind service for residential customers follows the launch of the pilot phase last year.

Goh Seow Eng, MD, Home, Consumer Singapore, Singtel, said, “We made a commitment to our customers to bring them the best network innovations, the very latest technologies for work and play. We recognise that residential customers are using greater bandwidth and requiring faster speeds for their online activities.”

Through a dedicated, ultra-high-speed 10Gbps wired connection*, users will be able to download and stream at larger volumes of data. The service, which also features four 1Gbps ports, can serve as a home networking solution for multi-user environments such as home offices and large households. This will enable individuals working from home to conduct multiple videoconferences, file transfer sessions and even run a home business without compromising on connectivity and bandwidth.

To enhance their 10Gbps experience, customers can set up Singtel’s latest WiFi Mesh to improve wireless performance and connectivity in their homes. WiFi Mesh ensures consistent bandwidth at high speeds and increased coverage, providing robust wireless connectivity for data-demanding applications.

Interested?

Singtel’s 10Gbps Fibre Home Bundle** is priced at S$189/month and includes a 10G optical network router, a wireless Dual-Band AC router, NetLink Trust installation and Singtel weekday installation, a 4G Mobile Broadband 500MB subscription, and for a limited period, a pair of WiFi Mesh devices worth S$240.  Customers can register their interest up to 15 February.  
                                             

System Requirements***,****	End User Macintosh	PC
Processor	Core i7 minimum	Core i7-4790K minimum
System Memory	8GB RAM minimum	8GB RAM minimum
Hard disk	SSD	SSD, PCI-E interface
OS	Mac OS X	Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
Cable	Cat6/6a cable	Cat6/6a cable
Required connection port	10 Gigabit Ethernet port (10GBase-T) network card or Thunderbolt 2 to 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapter (e.g. SANLink2)	10 Gigabit Ethernet port (10GBase-T) network card

*10-GbE copper (10GBase-T) network port required to communicate over CAT6 (or 6a/7) copper LAN cable to another 10-Gb-T supported computer or network device. Actual speed experienced using the service will be dependent on various elements such as the bandwidth of the destination application, performance of your device and other extraneous factors.  

**Plan comes with 24-month contract. Terms and conditions apply. 

***Customers can connect a 10 Gigabit switch to the 10GbE optical network router (ONR) port available to share connection to more 10GbE computers or network attached storage (NAS) devices   

****Customers can utilise the ONR 4x1GbE to distribute bandwidth to multiple rooms with any existing Gigabit Ethernet enabled devices/computers/WiFi routers   

Singtel explains mobile performance

Singtel has shared key considerations of connectivity, speed and coverage to add insights to the Infocomm Development Authority's pilot MyConnection SG study.

"Based on the online feedback to this latest study, we note that many subscribers regard factors such as network coverage, call stability, customer service and data connectivity to be more significant than speed to their user experience. What is uppermost is their ability to enjoy wide mobile coverage with consistent speed. Such customer feedback and findings are important to Singtel as we identify areas where we can continue to improve our services," Singtel concluded in a backgrounder.

Source: IDA. These two charts from the MyConnection SG pilot study show how the three service providers stack up in terms of data download speeds and time-to-connect.

Connectivity

Singtel defines this as the response time to establish a connection to a server i.e. the time taken to connect back and forth with a network, also known as a ping. For most mobile users who surf the Internet, a difference of milliseconds is not noticeable, especially when connecting to local sites, Singtel explained.

"Connectivity is significant however for those playing online games usually hosted in overseas sites such as in the US. Milliseconds can and do determine if the gamer wins or loses against a competitor," the company said in the backgrounder.

In the MyConnection SG report, Singtel registered 50.9 milliseconds and 117.9 milliseconds in 4G and 3G response time respectively.

Speed

This refers to how fast material (e.g. a video) is downloaded, the telco said.

To arrive at typical speed numbers, MyConnection SG measured the lower, middle and upper limits of the download speed experienced by 80% of data sessions, averaged over six months. Singtel noted that from the median 50th percentile, Singtel registered the fastest average typical speed for 3G and 4G at 3.1Mbps and 17.4Mbps respectively.

Peak speed: MyConnection SG report measured the maximum download speed attained in at least 50% of the days covered in the pilot, averaged over six months. Singtel has the fastest peak speed of 38.1Mbps and 118.9Mbps for 3G and 4G respectively.

"It is important to note however that the average speed experienced per user can be affected by factors such as the number of concurrent users, which in turn influences speed consistency. That is why speed tests at a certain location on different times or days may result in different readings," Singtel noted, stressing that the company continuously invests in new technologies that deliver higher speed capabilities so that its subscribers have a fast mobile experience. One such implementation has resulted in 4G+ connectivity in about 150 buildings, including key shopping malls across Singapore.

Coverage

In a separate report from IDA on 4G mobile service coverage for Q1 2015, Singtel had the widest nationwide outdoor 4G service coverage of 99.77%, the company noted, citing a quarterly study by IDA which tests coverage offered by the respective telecom operators while driving through key areas such as the Central Business District, HDB estates and major expressways and roads.

"IDA has stipulated that all telecom companies must meet a minimum criteria of 99% coverage by July 2016. Singtel has already achieved that as of Q1 of 2015," Singtel stated in the backgrounder, adding that it is the only operator with its own premium high-speed Wifi network.

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post on the MyConnection SG results.

Hong Kong, Tokyo and Dubai in top 10 for hotel Wi-Fi speeds

Hotelwifitest.com has released rankings for cities by the percentage of hotels with poor Wi-Fi performance. Stockholm was rated highest on satisfaction with hotel Wi-Fi, followed by Hong Kong, and then Amsterdam.

Source: Hotelwifitest.com

The company advises travellers to check the Wi-Fi quality before booking a hotel. The Hotelwifitest website features hotels which have already been tested and also allows visitors to test their upload, download and latency speeds. 

The top three hotels in Singapore, ranked no. 12 for Wi-Fi speeds globally, are the Marina Bay Sands, which offers free Wi-Fi and expected download speeds of 61.5 Mbps, Traders Hotel, which also has free Wi-Fi but at a download speed of 25 Mbps, and V Hotel Lavender, which requires payment for Wi-Fi but offers download speeds of 24.7 Mbps.

Hong Kong, given its no. 2 spot globally, offers faster speeds overall. The top three hotels are the Ovolo with download speeds at 50.5 Mbps, the Pottinger with 34.9 Mbps downloads, and the Ovolo 2 with 30.4 Mbps downloads. All three hotels offer free Wi-Fi.

Rank City           Country              Hotels with poor WiFi (%)
    1    Stockholm      Sweden               4
    2    Hong Kong      Hong Kong            8
    3    Amsterdam      Netherlands          17
    4    Tokyo          Japan                19
    5    Rome           Italy                27
    6    Dubai          United Arab Emirates 29
    7    London         United Kingdom       30
    8    Berlin         Germany              31
    9    San Diego      United States        33
    10   Barcelona      Spain                35
    11   Washington     United States        37
    12   Singapore      Singapore            38
    13   Chicago        United States        38
    14   Vienna         United States        40
    15   Bangkok        Thailand             41
    16   New York       United States        41
    17   Orlando        United States        44
    18   San Francisco  United States        48
    19   Paris          France               53
    20   Las Vegas      United States        57

*A hotel is judged as providing adequate Wi-Fi if it provides an expected download speed of at least 2Mbps. Upload testing, latency testing, and stability feedback have been added to the testing process, and in future all hotels rated as providing adequate Wi-Fi must also feature an upload speed of 1Mbps, latency not exceeding 500ms, and an average stability rating of at least 3 out of 5. The tests did not differentiate between paid and free WiFi.

Malaysia's MCMC comments on broadband speeds, rollout plans

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has disputed the numbers in Ookla's report on broadband speeds in Malaysia, and says it is all for broadband expansion.

The organisation agrees with Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek’s statement in the media about broadband speeds in Malaysia, saying: "The Communications and Multimedia Minister’s scepticism on online data published by Ookla* on Malaysia’s broadband speeds isn’t without basis. Of late, a number of broadband speed tests have been conducted and publicised by various parties reflecting varying results. Each are measured using different methodologies which results in differing outcomes."

“It all depends on where the tests are coming from and how many cities were calculated,” explained MCMC Chairman, Dato’ Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi. “We have a robust and vibrant ISP (Internet service provider) market; some may offer higher speeds than others. Consequently, when a speed test is done, the results are averaged out,” he added.

MCMC has long recognised the need to upgrade broadband speeds and quality and since 2010 has pushed for broadband expansion through the implementation of the High Speed Broadband (HSBB) project under the National Broadband Initiative (NBI), the organisation said in a statement. MCMC has gone so far as to issue new spectrum on LTE on 2.6 GHz and also allowed the existing operators to upgrade their networks in the 1800 MHz band to LTE. 

“These networks will take time to build. HSBB phase 1 was completed in over 100 industrial areas, towns and cities and HSBB phase 2 has recently been finalised. In fact, we have already issued the tender for 400 telecommunications towers for the rural areas in Malaysia. Our broadband rollout plan focuses on the whole nation and not just cities like other countries, so that each citizen will be able to enjoy the connectivity,” said Dato’ Sharil.

Efforts to improve the speeds in Malaysia and the government’s commitment are evident. Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak in his Budget 2014 speech announced the implementation of the second phase High Speed Broadband project (HSBB 2) together with broadband to the rural areas carried out in public-private partnership to the tune of RM5.75 Billion for the next three years**.  

“In the next three years, we are expanding the rollout of high speed broadband in city areas to have a minimum speed of 100Mbps and upgrade the broadband in suburban areas to have at least a minimum speed of 4-10Mbps. These are being done through various initiatives for example, by expanding the coverage of  fibre-based technology, building 1,000 telecommunication transmission towers for wireless solutions in rural areas, connecting fibre optic cables backhaul to the base stations and building new submarine cable systems between the Peninsular with Sabah and Sarawak,” said Dato’ Sharil.

“Admittedly, we recognise that much more needs to be done. We continually engage the industry in talks to further improve broadband quality and speeds as well as expand coverage. Our own historical data indicates that there has been explosive growth of broadband consumption and it is possible the industry has under-estimated the demand that needs to be fulfilled. For example, 3G subscription since 2006 has grown 42 times***,” added Dato’ Sharil.

*Ookla vs Akamai
 

The Ookla speed test

The Akamai test

Ookla’s methodology is based on a user generated content platform. It compiles data of people in different locations who use the Ookla server to test internet speeds. Only tests results taken within 300 miles of the server are included in the index and the lowest and highest speeds are divided over the number of test points. The results will differ depending on the broadband packages, population, and country. Furthermore, the results do not distinguish between the different times of day when the tests are carried out when there may be users connecting at Gigabit speeds as well as users connecting at dial-up, satellite or DSL speeds. The more widespread the broadband coverage the more the results will reflect a lower average download speed unless all the areas covered have very high bandwidth concentration.

The Akamai test calculates the average connection speed and the average peak connection speed. The average connection speed is calculated by taking an average of all of the connection speeds while the average peak connection speed is taken from only the highest connection speed. Both are calculated during a quarter-year testing period from the unique IP addresses determined to be in a specific country. Akamai believes that the average peak connection speed is more representative of internet connection capacity.  By using the fastest measurement observed from each unique IP address, those connections that reached maximum throughput rates are reflected.  Often, though not always, these connections are associated with the download of larger files, such as desktop applications, games, or software updates.

**Excerpt from 2014 Budget Speech tabled by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Dewan Rakyat on 25 October, 2013.

Expanding Internet Access

51. In a borderless world, information can be obtained instantaneously. Therefore the requisite infrastructure will be upgraded to meet consumer demand. Hence, the Government has implemented the High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) project under the National Broadband Initiative.

52. The collaboration with the private sector has involved investment of RM11.3bil since the 9th Malaysia Plan. The HSBB project has been implemented with Internet access speed of 4 megabits per second (Mbps) and benefiting 2.3 million premises, particularly in urban areas.

53. To expand coverage in major towns, the Government will implement the second phase of HSBB project in collaboration with the private sector involving an investment of RM1.8bil. The initiative is expected to provide additional coverage and facilities mainly in urban areas, benefiting 2.8 million households nationwide. The Internet speed will be increased to 10 Mbps.

54. The HSBB network will be expanded to suburban areas with an Internet access speed increasing to between 4 and 10 Mbps, which will benefit 2 million consumers at a cost of RM1.6bil.

55. To increase Internet coverage in rural areas, 1,000 telecommunication transmission towers will be built over the next three years, with an investment of RM1.5bil. To increase Internet access in Sabah and Sarawak, new underwater cables will be laid within three years, at a cost of RM850mil. These investments will utilise the Universal Services Provision Fund, which is under the purview of the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission.
 
***Source: MCMC - 3G subscriptions grew almost 42 times since 2006