Given the maturity of the telco market in Singapore, how is Singtel Singapore evolving its business strategy to drive growth and maintain market leadership?
Singtel Singapore continues to unlock synergies, improve efficiencies and drive innovation through our three-year transformation plan, which involves blending our best-in-class networks with innovation, developing new partnerships and building platform-based solutions. This has resulted in a 2% growth in EBITDA in FY2025, driven by the SME and ICT segments and aided by disciplined cost control.
To drive sustainable growth and maintain market leadership, we are focusing on high-impact strategic areas that support consumer lifestyles and enterprise transformation. We continue to build on the strong lead that we established in 5G by deepening network innovation. This has paved the way for multiple global breakthroughs, such as network slicing, whose benefits are now available to both enterprises and consumers.
We are also elevating customer experiences by offering high value plans tailored to different segments including data-hungry super users, value-driven everyday users or those seeking additional features such as security.
Enterprise digital transformation remains a key focus. Our capabilities across mobile, broadband, ICT, cybersecurity, Internet of Things and digital services allow us to offer customer-centric end-to-end solutions like CUBΣ, our Network-as-a-Service, which simplifies network and application management for enterprises. From supporting global cloud transitions to enabling secure, scalable infrastructure, we are empowering businesses — large and small — to realise their digital transformation goals more efficiently and confidently. A standout example is our landmark partnership with Nestlé, where we are enriching their global cloud-based network, demonstrating our ability to meet the complex demands of multinational corporations.
We are also actively creating digital ecosystems, infrastructure and platforms to support growth in critical areas like cyber security, digital identity authentication through telco APIs and Internet of Things. These capabilities enable customers and partners to securely navigate the digital economy.
How are you differentiating your offerings for the consumer in a competitive environment?
In a market where price concerns tend to dominate, we believe we stand out for offering more than just great value. We deliver a superior experience built on three key pillars: Singapore’s best 5G network, exceptional customer service and rewards that benefit our consumers.
We have consistently stayed ahead of the curve, launching the world’s first nationwide 5G standalone network in 2022, a full three years ahead of regulatory targets. Since then, we have expanded our 5G network by deploying the 700 MHz spectrum, rebranding it as 5G+. This upgrade boosts nationwide coverage for all our 5G customers by up to 40%, making us the first telco in Singapore to achieve this milestone. We followed this up by introducing advanced 5G capabilities like network slicing and making it available to consumers besides enterprises. This advanced 5G service sets a new global benchmark in mobile connectivity, delivering faster speeds, seamless connectivity and robust security while roaming to support an increasingly mobile workforce that relies on lag-free connectivity.
Our range of plans caters to all consumer lifestyles and budgets from digital-first options like GOMO to 5G+ tiers packed with enhanced features. These offerings demonstrate how we are continuously evolving to meet our customers’ unique needs across performance, security and service.
What is your view on the sustainability of four telcos in a market as small as Singapore when other markets that are many times larger have two or three?
Singapore’s mobile market is one of the most competitive in the world, and we have long maintained that it is too small to sustainably support four operators. Markets like Thailand and India, with populations that vastly outstrip Singapore’s, operate with even fewer players, underscoring the challenges that operators in over-crowded markets face.
While cautiously optimistic, we see market rationalisation and a more balanced market as ultimately beneficial for both customers and the industry, enabling deeper investments in networks and future-ready solutions that everyone will stand to benefit from.
Our focus remains squarely on what matters most to our customers — reliable networks, exceptional service quality and continuous innovation. We continue to strengthen our market leadership through a diverse business portfolio, which provides the resilience needed to navigate economic fluctuations.
With the rise in scams and cyber threats globally, what is Singtel Singapore doing to protect businesses and consumers?
Cyber security is mission-critical and we take a comprehensive approach to protection.
At the network level, we have launched Southeast Asia’s first National Quantum-Safe Network Plus in collaboration with industry leaders like IDQ, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet. This groundbreaking initiative secures encryption keys across sensitive sectors including finance, healthcare and government, future proofing data protection in the quantum era. We are also using AI to block over 10 million scam calls and SMSes monthly, while our Broadband Protect and Mobile Protect services shield users from billions of cyber threats and malicious URLs.
We are also advancing secure digital innovation through telco APIs, which are unlocking new revenue streams for enterprises. SingVerify is an example of a suite of APIs that authenticates digital identities using mobile network intelligence in real-time. This enables sectors like banking and e-commerce to reduce fraud and enhance trust. We are now scaling across the region through partnerships with both local and global telcos.
Beyond technology, we have been helping to raise cyber awareness and build digital resilience in the community. This includes training seniors on how to use basic digital tools and apps to support their lifestyle needs as well as curated programmes for SMEs and large enterprises to be better prepared against scams. The take-up for these programmes has been overwhelming and more programmes are in the pipeline to support demand.
As threats grow more sophisticated, we have upped our game. From ethical hacking programmes to real-time detection technologies and crisis simulations, we are proactively strengthening our defences to ensure our customers stay safe in an increasingly digital world.
