News
Yes launches commercial 5G via DNB at insanely low prices
Malaysian operator Yes has announced its full commercial 5G launch with data plans it says are up to 300% cheaper than existing 4G plans. Read more…
pricing plans
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Rakuten Mobile is bleeding users after dropping free data plan
Rakuten Mobile is dropping its free plan for users whose monthly data usage stays below 1GB, prompting an exodus of subs to its rivals. Read more…
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Cellcos are selling 5G like it’s faster 4G – well, almost …
Operators are pricing 5G more or less the same way as 4G, which is fine as long as they’re selling it as a premium and not confusing everyone, says Ovum Read more…
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StarHub makes telco-hate a selling point for new data plans
StarHub’s new marketing campaign acknowledges that customers hate them, and vows to fix that, starting with simplified mobile data plans. It just might work. There are many ways to pitch a new mobile data pricing Read more…
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Japan wants mobile price war ahead of Rakuten’s launch
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s government wants to see greater price competition among the nation’s three dominant mobile phone network providers, before e-commerce firm Rakuten enters the market in October next year with plans for lower Read more…
Off the Wire
StarHub puts data at center of prepaid with free voice calls
StarHub says it is now offering its prepaid customers free local outgoing voice calls as long as they have an active data plan in a bid to simplify the customer experience. Customers using StarHub’s ‘Happy Read more…
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Japan aims to end smartphone bundles to bring fees down
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is aiming to force wireless carriers to cut their monthly fees and stop bundling the cost of smartphones with wireless services, a senior telecoms ministry source said on Tuesday, in a Read more…
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Is Australia’s unlimited data war sustainable? Either way it’s risky
The launch of unlimited data plans by all three major mobile operators in Australia this week should be good news for consumers and spell the demise for monthly mobile plans defined by data caps. However, Read more…
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Australian cellcos embrace (sorta) unlimited data plans
Australian mobile operators Telstra and Vodafone Hutchison Australia launched unlimited data plans on Tuesday – although “unlimited” in this case means radically throttled speeds after users exceed their data caps. Starting tomorrow, Telstra will be Read more…
Off the Wire
Unlimited plans and zero-rating drive mobile data traffic spike in Q317
Mobile data traffic growth reached a six-year high in Q3 2017, increasing 115% globally year on year, thanks in large part to unlimited data plans in Asia and zero-rating in Europe, according to Strategy Analytics. Read more…
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US cellcos are already paying the cost of unlimited plans
All the major US wireless carriers have recently rolled out unlimited plans, and are competing fiercely to outdo each other. But this trend is taking its toll on everyone’s bottom line, according to Cowen and Read more…