Network Speeds with Singtel

Have you ever been frustrated with your Mobile Network Coverage? How about the pain of not being able to watch your favourite Youtube Video? These “hiccups” are not uncommon, and therefore it is heartening to hear that my Service Provider Singtel, is looking into it! Smile

singtel roaming team

Recently, I got to go on a special insider Singtel event with its network engineers! I was thus able to find out 1st hand, the pressing questions that many Singtel Users like me have!

Firstly, it was heartening to know that Singtel actually listens to customers feedback. Singtel  is continuously investing to ensure high quality and reliable mobile services. In the last 3 years, they have invested more than S$2 billion across all our networks, including mobile.

Currently they have added more than  100 new base station sites island wide  to boost capacity and coverage and they are upgrading their 3G network to offer download speeds of up to 42Mbps. This is double the 21Mbps speed of existing 3G networks!

If you are like me, and curious to find out what a Base station looks like, this is one of the outdoor bases found in the Somerset Area. That’s right! Your Mobile Reception is actually determined by that Rectangular Box which can be situated above buildings. Each Box can be as high as 1.6m in height!

singtel base station

Yes! I know what you are thinking!

Why don’t we just populate buildings and Rooftops with these boxes? In theory, that is what we want our Service Providers to do! However, life gets a bit complicated, when the installation of these boxes is determined by owners of buildings. Service Providers are charged Roof Rentals for the installation of these boxes and utility charges. Building owners must also be open to negotiate and allow these boxes to be perched on their buildings as well!

Therefore, troubled spots do not get solved in a day, and there are contractual negotiations that need to be undertaken, to ensure successful installation.

I thought this video gives consumers a good understanding of the problem!

Singtel Network Coverage

There is also an online feedback form that we can submit to Singtel, to let them know about your problem spots in Singapore! When Singtel processes the form, and determines that it is not a problem with the handset, they actually send a “Roaming” team down to the site, to determine the strength of the telecommunication signals in that area. Do click on this link to submit your feedback!

Secondly, I got to discover the Speed of the 4G network!

The 4G network is NOT a Voice Network, but it is a mobile data network. If you are into internet browsing, downloading videos or just watching Youtube, this is the network for you.

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With 4G or otherwise known as LTE (Long Term Evolution), you can download a 20MB file in less than 20secs

singtel roaming

Through the special 1 hour ride with Singtel staff, I learnt how they determine network speed and coverage in the CBD and town area. Roaming Singtel vans do patrol the streets and monitor network speed and strength.

If you are wondering about MRT tunnels, they only have 3G network coverage and 4G is only available at Street level. Throughout the journey, the 4G network maintained good network strength and it was able to download data at an average transfer rate of 47.1 Mbps! This is definitely good enough for any ordinary user! Smile

4g download speeds

If you want speed, 4G is fast and furious!

Work and Coverage of the 4G network is still in progress and it currently covers 95% Island wide coverage!

My visit with the Singtel Engineers was definitely enlightening, and I am looking forward to find out more about the networks in my further interaction with them. If you have any questions about the networks and coverage issues, feel free to ask, and I will run it by them! Smile

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