Are You Missing Out on a Faster Internet Connection?

Singapore has the fastest and cheapest internet connection in Asia. Yours shouldn't be too slow to stream movies or play games.

When you’re extremely frustrated with the speed of your internet, you’d think Singapore’s infrastructure could do with some improvement. But surprise, surprise, Singapore has the fastest average broadband speed in Asia according to Ookla’s Net Index. And the cheapest one too.

Take a look at our infographic below to see how we compare to developed countries like South Korea and Japan, and developing countries like Myanmar and Philippines.

In the past 2 years, the average broadband speed in Singapore has doubled, especially now that we have services offering 2Gbps fiber broadband.

Singapore Households Still Not Taking Advantage of Faster Internet

Funny enough, Singaporeans still use lower broadband speeds than what’s currently available. A large number of people we’ve spoken with are paying S$50 to S$70 for 25Mbps to 50 Mbps broadband.

Lissa, 29, didn’t know how which broadband plan her family was on until recently. She called StarHub and found that they were subscribed to a 50Mbps broadband plan and their contract is going to be up for renewal soon.

“We’re paying about S$50 monthly, the same price as a 1Gbps fibre broadband plan with StarHub. That’s like 20 times faster, but costs the same. I’m pushing to upgrade the moment I can renew my contract,” she said.

Jane, 26, grew extremely frustrated when she couldn’t stream her favourite movies at home. She called up her service provider, found that her 25Mbps broadband plan was ending, and researched on better plans to get. She found one that offered 500Mbps fibre for cheaper than what she was paying.

How to Choose a Better Broadband Plan

Like Lissa and Jane, many Singaporeans are still paying for slower broadband speeds. But why should you settle for intermittent bursts of speed when service providers have faster broadband for the same rates?

Here’s a snapshot of some products they’re offering:

12-month contract plans are not uncommon, but they usually cost more month-on-month compared to 24-month contract plans.

Most service providers have bundle promotions where you pay a cheaper price when you subscribe to their other products. For example, with many Singtel bundle offers, you’ll get 10% off your mobile subscription and 6 channels from Singtel TV Select.

Like credit cards, they also offer welcome gifts to entice you into choosing their service over their competitors. And like credit cards, you’ll have to read the fine print of extra fees you might have to pay for installation or other services.

However, unlike credit cards, you’re committed to your contract. Do your research so you don’t get stuck with a broadband plan that crawls at a snail’s pace.

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