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Tag: Singtel

  • Singtel adds virtual Visa account to Dash app

    Singtel adds virtual Visa account to Dash app

    Singtel has introduced a new virtual Visa account on its all-in-one mobile payments app Dash.

    New and existing Dash customers now receive a Dash Visa Virtual Account that can be used for mobile payments at over 50,000 merchant points across the island.

    To start paying on their mobile, customers can sign in on the Dash app and top-up their Dash Visa accounts and start using them at Dash merchants and on local e-commerce sites such as Qoo10, Zalora and HungryGoWhere.

    Customers with compatible NFC-enabled Android smartphones will also be able to pay using their Dash Visa accounts wherever Visa payWave is accepted.

    Singtel also announced future plans for Dash to be included in global wallets such as Apple Pay, and enable QR code payments to expand into hawker centres. In addition to Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic, Dash is also working towards adding more educational institutions to its merchant list to widen its reach in the youth segment.

    But Forrester predicts that the future of mobile wallets will go far beyond mobile payments. Chinese digital juggernauts Alipay and WeChat have morphed their mobile wallets into rich customer engagement platforms. But even then, these functionalities will by no means guarantee their success in markets outside China.

    In a new report, Forrester senior analyst Xiaofeng Wang said market-entry obstacles like different business cultures, consumer behaviors, and regulations make it unlikely that Alipay and WeChat will operate directly in other markets beyond targeting Chinese travelers.

    However, the successful marketing use cases developed on Alipay and WeChat Wallet will inspire third-party players like Apple and PayPal to morph their mobile wallets into more powerful customer engagement platforms.

    Wang lists three trends that will shape the mobile wallet market in the future. Emerging mobile wallets will develop features similar to Alipay and WeChat. “We expect mobile wallet innovations to happen more quickly in emerging markets with less legacy and competition. Paytm in India is a good example,” she elaborated.

    Mainstream mobile wallets will add customer engagement features. For example, to help its mobile wallet attract more traffic to offline stores, PayPal added features like “stores nearby” and “order ahead.”

    Space will open up for third-party providers. The West’s different ecosystem creates added competition for its mobile wallet players, and gives third-party providers opportunities to add customer engagement features and offerings to Western mobile wallets and uncover the potential of marketing.

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  • Singtel launches $1.89b IPO for NetLink Trust

    Singtel launches $1.89b IPO for NetLink Trust

    Singtel has launched an up to S$2.63 billion ($1.89 billion) IPO for its fiber broadband subsidiary NetLink NBN Trust.

    NetLink NBN Trust is the holding company for NetLink Trust, the company operating the passive infrastructure for the next generation nationwide broadband network (NG-NBN).

    NetLink NBN Trust has filed a preliminary prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore ahead of the planned IPO and listing of the company on the Singapore stock exchange.

    In its role as the NetCo for the NG-NBN, NetLink Trust designs, builds, owns and operates the ducts, manholes, fiber cables and central offices and other passive infrastructure for the network. Its assets include around 76,000km of fiber cable.

    The company sells wholesale dark fiber services to licensees including Singtel itself, StartHub, M1 and MyRepublic. It recorded revenue of S$299 million and net profit of NZ$79.4 million in the most recent financial year ending in March.

    The IPO is expected to give NetLink Trust an initial market capitalization of between S$3.09 billion and S$3.59 billion.

    It will also fulfill Singtel’s regulator-mandated requirement of divesting at least 75% of the trust before next April, as part of the structural separation requirements for the state-led NG-NBN project.

    The IPO is on track to become Singapore’s largest public float since the S$7.6 billion listing of Hutchinson Port Holdings Trust in 2011.

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  • Singtel quad-play subs offered free Stingray Music access

    Singtel quad-play subs offered free Stingray Music access

    Singtel has launched a promotion granting its Singtel Circle quad-play customers free access to 50 live music stations operated by Canada-based music service Stingray Music.

    Subscribers to Singtel’s postpaid mobile, fier broadband and Singtel TV plans will be granted complementary 24/7 access to music genres in English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and other languages.

    The service will be available on Singtel TV, mobile devices and computers and will be added to the list of benefits available to quad-play customers.

    Singtel Circle also offers perks including free local data on Sundays, mobile plan discounts and an annual handset upgrade discount worth S$350 ($250).

    “We are always keen to explore new ways to add value to our customers’ lifestyle experiences,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon commented.

    “Singtel is pleased to be the first in the Asia Pacific region to introduce Stingray Music and provide countless hours of music entertainment for our Singtel Circle customers’ listening pleasure. We’re not stopping here and will continue enhancing Singtel Circle’s suite of benefits.”

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  • Singtel, SingPost launch e-waste recycling program

    Singtel, SingPost launch e-waste recycling program

    Singtel has teamed up with SingPost to launch a nationwide e-waste recycling program in conjunction with World Environment Day.

    As part of the ReCYCLE initiative, Singtel will deploy e-waste recycling bins at selected Singtel shops and Singtel exclusive retailers for consumers to dispose of their obsolete mobile or internet-related devices. SingPost will also deploy the bins at post offices across Singapore.

    Singtel will also be providing special envelopes at all its eight shops and 58 Singtel exclusive retailers to allow residents to mail their recycleables.

    “E-waste is one of the fastest growing categories of waste as consumers dispose of electronic equipment even faster these days. According to the National Environment Agency, Singapore generates more than 60,000 tons of e-waste every year,” Singtel VP for group sustainability Andrew Buay said.

    “Most e-waste is still finding its way into landfills which pollutes the environment. With our partnership with SingPost, we’ve gone a step further to bring greater convenience to everyone by doubling our reach and touchpoints. We hope this will encourage more people to recycle and think twice before disposing their electronic devices down the rubbish chutes.”

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  • Singtel named a “master of digital experience”

    Singtel named a “master of digital experience”

    Singtel ranks among five operators named “masters of digital experience” in Analysys Mason’s latest Digital Experience Index (DXi).

    Singtel and subsidiary Optus, along with Telefonica, AT&T, Etisalat and Swisscom were the only operators to be classed as entering the “digitalized” stage of digital maturity, with only Swisscom considered to have fully entered this stage.

    The report ranked 50 operators worldwide on their ability to provide a digitalized user experience, graded by criteria including automation in customer support, the presence of unified omni-channel support and the option of new digital channels for customers such as in-app chat, web-to-chat or chat-to-voice.

    Operators’ capacity to provide personalized offers, basic or advanced customer self-service and social media support were also taken into consideration.

    The report also shows that nearly all operators believe that providing their customers with a modern digital experience is critical to their future.

    “Providing a modern digital experience is considered by all operators as critical to their competitive position in the future – especially among young and increasingly tech-savvy consumers whose expectations are being shaped by the newer players such as Alibaba, Amazon and Facebook,”  Analysys Mason partner and head of telecoms software and networks Larry Goldman said.

    He said the digital experience index model represents a way for operators to assess their potential new customer experience improvement projects in all aspects of the customer lifecycle, comprising investigation, buying, onboarding and support of goods and services.

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  • Singtel gets conditional nod for NetLink Trust IPO

    Singtel gets conditional nod for NetLink Trust IPO

    Singtel has secured conditional approval to list its wholly-owned subsidiary NetLink Trust on the SGX as part of its obligations to the government under the state-owned Next Generation National Broadband Network (NG-NBN) project.

    NetLink trust builds and operates the passive infrastructure for the NG-NBN. As a condition of Singtel winning the NG-NBN tender, Singtel agreed not to have effective control in NetLink Trust. In February, the company announced it has committed to regulator IMDA to divest its ownership to less than 25% by April next year.

    The structural separation arrangements formed part of the IMDA’s open access requirements for the NG-NBN project.

    Singtel said Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) has issued a conditional eligibility-to-list letter for NetLink Trust.

    The listing will be contingent on market conditions, obtaining the required regulatory and other approvals as well as other prerequisites, Singtel said.

    Once up and running, market watchers expect the IPO to raise at least S$2 billion, making it one of the largest offerings in Singapore in years. Singtel has appointed DBS Bank, Morgan Stanley and UBS to advise on the IPO, which could be complete as early as July, according to recent reports.

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  • Singtel partners with DocuSign for digital signatures

    Singtel partners with DocuSign for digital signatures

    Singtel and DocuSign have partnered to launch a cloud solution that allows for faster document authorization and more effective tracking through the use of electronic signatures.

    The solution is aimed at businesses undergoing digital transformation that need to upgrade their workflows and approval processes and keep digital records of them.

    The DocuSign solution will be available via Singtel’s SaaS portal. It aims to offer organizations the convenience of approving documents within minutes. Electronic documents and signatures can be electronically tracked from signatory to signatory, and protected against tampering.

    The solution also attaches to each document an electronic Certification of Completion seal that is admissible in court as it captures the audit trail of the signatories’ Internet Protocol addresses, time stamps and sequence of ownership.

    The passing of the Electronics Transaction Act 2010 in Singapore supports the adoption of e-documents and e-signatures.

    As the exclusive retailer reseller of DocuSign in Singapore, Singtel provides a single, dedicated local point of support to help organizations deploy the solution, with no software or hardware solution required.

    Small and medium-sized enterprises that deploy the DocuSign solution are eligible to receive tax deductions under the Government’s Productivity and Innovation Credit scheme.

    The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA), an international school in Singapore, has started using DocuSign to improve its staff hiring and student admission processes.

    Ben Morgan, UWCSEA’s IT Director, said, “UWCSEA is constantly exploring ways to deliver better value to families, and attracting the very best teachers from around the world. Shifting from paper-based to digital documents will reduce the time taken to complete some tasks by weeks, reduce the costs and environmental impact, as well as significantly reduce administrative workloads.”

    Industry analyst Statista estimated that the global digital transaction management market is expected to grow from $13.93 billion in 2017 to $30.66 billion in 2020.

  • Singtel to help heritage SMEs adopt digital tech

    Singtel to help heritage SMEs adopt digital tech

    Singtel is working with the Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic universities to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with heritage brands adopt digital technology.

    The collaborations are part of the 99%SME initiative to help SMEs use digital tools to get online, reach out to a wider customer base, and develop e-commerce capabilities.

    An SME is considered to have a heritage brand if it has a compelling success story to share from a cultural or social perspective; the business should have been established for more than 30 years and passed down from the founding generation to the next.

    Singtel and Ngee Ann Polytechnic will focus on helping multi-generational family-owned SMEs, including those managed by the polytechnic’s alumni members, to digitalize their operations using business analytics solutions and improve their efficiency and competitiveness.

    In addition, Singtel and Temasek Polytechnic will engage SMEs in traditional businesses such as provision shops, watch shops, tailors and tea-leaf merchants to provide ideas to keep their heritage brands alive.

    By leveraging digital technology, students from the polytechnic’s School of Business will guide SMEs on using the 99%SME website (www.99sme.sg) to market themselves online without cost.

    “Many SMEs with a long and rich heritage do not have the resources to market themselves effectively online or connect with younger, digitally savvy customers,” Singtel managing director Group Enterprise Andrew Lim said.

    “Through this partnership between the private and educational sectors, we also provide digitally-savvy students the opportunity to gain business insights and entrepreneurship experience while they help in the digitalisation journey of the SMEs,” he added.

    Clarence Ti, Principal of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said, “Ngee Ann Polytechnic is excited to collaborate with Singtel in helping second-generation family-owned SMEs digitalise their processes to gain competitive advantage and business efficiency. Leveraging our expertise, we hope to help the SMEs use business analytics to enhance their e-commerce capabilities and drive results.”

    Peter Lam, Temasek Polytechnic’s Principal and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Over the years, many SMEs have created brands of enduring success and significance. This initiative provides our students with valuable real-life learning experiences that allow them to deepen their knowledge and apply their skills.”

    As part of the 99%SME movement, Singtel’s partnerships with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic complement the partnerships forged with Nanyang Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic in March this year, to help SMEs in the retail and F&B sectors digitalise their business.

    Singtel, together with DBS and other partners, launched the nationwide 99%SME movement in 2015, to rally all in Singapore to use products and services offered by SMEs. The highlight of the SME campaign is the annual SME Week in October, where participating SMEs offer special promotions to walk-in and online customers.

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  • Singtel, AXA launch safe driving smart car service

    Singtel, AXA launch safe driving smart car service

    Singtel has collaborated with AXA Insurance to launch a joint smart car solution aimed at promoting better and safer driving habits.

    The joint solution comprises a Modus smart car device synchronized with a cloud-based smart car application over Singtel’s mobile networks. It analyzes driving patterns through a vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) port.

    Features include driver analysis covering areas such as breaking, acceleration and speed, real-time location monitoring to make it easier for users to find their car and trip history, and provide driving scores based on analysis of this data.

    The solution can also monitor engine health information and provide scheduled maintenance reminders, and provide alerts for speed and mileage limits and geo-fence boundaries.

    To promote the new solution, Singtel and AXA are offering a year worth of free AXA car insurance to the safest driver in Singapore using the solution. Drivers will need to travel at least 3,000km during the contest period.

    “The smart car solution is yet another innovative service that we are bringing to our customers, following the successful launch of Singtel SmartHome,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “Now, our customers can enjoy an integrated connected lifestyle both in and out of the home. The solution will allow car lovers to track their driving habits and empower them to have a smarter drive.”

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  • Singtel lines up $2.94b in credit facilities

    Singtel lines up $2.94b in credit facilities

    Singtel has lined up a total of S$4.1 billion ($2.94 billion) in credit facilities for debt refinancing and general corporate purposes.

    In Singapore, the operator’s subsidiary Singtel Group Treasury has entered into a three-year S$2.5 billion revolving credit facility with 12 banks.

    These include Australia’s ANZ, Bank of America Singapore, BNP Paribas, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Citibank Singapore, DBS Bank, HSBC Singapore, Mizhou Bank, OCBC, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Singapore and United Overseas Bank.

    Singtel’s Australian subsidiary Optus has meanwhile signed a three-year A$1.5 billion ($1.13 billion) credit facility with 15 banks, including local branches many of the above banks as well as Australia’s Westpac and Commonwealth Bank.

    Both credit facilities are guaranteed by the respective operators and certain subsidiaries, Singtel said.

    “The Singtel Group is very pleased with the level of support demonstrated by our bankers in Singapore and Australia, which reflects their confidence in the Singtel Group’s credit quality and business fundamentals.” Singtel group CFO Lim Cheng Cheng said.

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  • Singtel’s Amobee completes acquisition of Turn

    Singtel’s Amobee completes acquisition of Turn

    Singtel has enhanced its digital marketing capabilities with the acquisition of marketing technology platform provider Turn.

    Singtel’s Amobee digital marketing arm has acquired Turn to provide the ability to offer an end-to-end advertising and data management platform for marketing companies worldwide.

    The platform will cover all channels, formats and devices and also provide access to Amobee Brand Intelligence analytics and insights.

    “The acquisition of Turn underscores Singtel’s commitment to grow and scale Amobee to become a global digital marketing leader,” Singtel Group Digital Life CEO Samba Natarajan said.

    “The powerful combination of Amobee and Turn addresses the rapidly changing digital marketing landscape. Together, we will bring marketers the most innovative, efficient, and data-driven approach to better understand and reach their customers, and enhance the way they engage them on a global scale,” added Amobee CEO Kim Perrel.

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  • Singtel launches global optimized internet service

    Singtel launches global optimized internet service

    Singtel has launched an optimized internet service promising to provide enterprises with up to ten times faster access to cloud applications.

    The operator’s new ConnectPlus Optimized Internet Service provides assured internet connectivity between enterprise’s offices worldwide by taking advantage of the ConnectPlus IP VPN network comprising around 430 PoPs worldwide.

    Enterprises can take advantage of the network by connecting their offices worldwide using a hybrid WAN configuration capable of delivering assured, high-performance connectivity, which will also allow enterprises to expose less critical data to attack over the public internet.

    The second component of the service is the ConnectPlus Optimised Internet Cloud Access service, which Singtel said can overcome latency problems to boost cloud connection speeds tenfold.

    “Many enterprises use the internet to access their applications on public clouds as it is convenient and widely available. However, internet access can be affected by unstable connectivity or latency issues,” Singtel CEO Bill Chang said.

    “With the Singtel ConnectPlus Optimized Internet service, enterprises are not only assured of reliable and secure internet connectivity, they can also raise their productivity by accessing their data and business solutions in the cloud much faster.”

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  • Singtel, Telkomsel to Launch Mobile Remittance Service in Indonesia

    Singtel, Telkomsel to Launch Mobile Remittance Service in Indonesia

    Singapore Telecommunications, known as Singtel, is partnering with Indonesian operator Telkomsel to launch a real-time mobile remittance service in Indonesia, to boost its mobile money initiatives and tap into the relatively unbanked market in that country.

    The service is the first collaboration for Singtel and Telkomsel “on mobile money initiatives to drive innovation in both markets,” according to a press release on Sunday.

    The new service allows customers in Singapore to send money to about 4,500 cash withdrawal points across Indonesia via the Singtel Dash app, a mobile payments solution. The locations are post office branches managed by PT Pos Indonesia, a state-owned company responsible for providing the country’s postal services.

    Both telcos have also announced future plans to offer a mobile remittance service to Telkomsel’s TCash, an app which offers a digital mobile money service in Indonesia.The remittance service will involve SingCash, a subsidiary formed by Singtel in 2011 to provide mobile remittance and payment services.

    “Indonesia is one of our main remittance corridors,” said Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive of Consumer Singapore at Singtel. There are 200,000 Indonesians living and working in Singapore, with outward remittances from Singapore to Indonesia worth over $409 million annually.

    Currently, remittance money services in Singapore remain limited and many workers resort to taking days off to go to remittance outlets in order to send money home.

    Singtel is making a push into digital technologies as competition in Singapore’s telcos industry continues to intensify. It announced earlier in March that it is working with e-commerce player Lazada Singapore to create an online marketing portal for small and midsize enterprises.

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  • Singtel, Telkomsel enter mobile money alliance

    Singtel, Telkomsel enter mobile money alliance

    Singapore’s Singtel and Indonesia’s Telkomsel have teamed up to launch a real-time mobile remittance service to Indonesia.

    The new service is being offered by SingCash under the Singtel Dash brand. It will allow customers in Singapore to send money to the state-owned PT Pos Indonesia’s 4,500 cash-out points across the nation.

    The initiative marks the first collaboration between Singtel and Telkomsel on a mobile money initiative.

    The agreement is expected to be expanded in the future to cover more cash pick-up points, and to support mobile remittance directly to Telkomsel’s TCash mobile wallet from Singtel mobile wallets.

    According to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore, there are 200,000 Indonesians living and working in Singapore, and outward remittance from Singapore to Indonesia totals more than $409 million per year.

    “Telkomsel’s partnership in Singtel’s remittance service is one effort to support our government in promoting financial inclusion for Indonesian people, especially the unbanked segment,” Telkomsel CEO Ririek Adriansyah said.

    “Foreign remittance enables them to improve their quality of life as well as provide an opportunity to begin saving for the future. We believe every little effort to promote financial inclusion will also accelerate the growth of Indonesia’s economy.”

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  • Singtel teams up with Microsoft on Office 365

    Singtel teams up with Microsoft on Office 365

    Singtel and Microsoft have announced a new partnership for the Singaporean incumbent to offer Microsoft’s cloud-based Office 365 suite to its customers.

    With this new offering, customers who subscribe to Singtel’s fiber broadband and postpaid mobile services can sign up for either Office 365 Home or Office 365 Personal plans through Singtel.

    Singtel also said customer can enjoy savings of at least S$46.80 ($34) per year or over 30% off regular online price. In addition, customers can enjoy the added convenience of paying for their Office 365 subscriptions together with their monthly Singtel bills.

    “With this new offering, customers will also enjoy ease of payment and enhanced productivity. We will continue to engage different partners to offer solutions that are suitable for our customers’ digital lifestyles, whether for work or play,” said Yuen Kuan Moon, CEO consumer Singapore at Singtel.

    Singtel customers can select the plans that best suit their needs, the company said.