With StarHub and M1 now reinstating unlimited mobile data plans, many internet users in Singapore have been reconsidering relying solely on mobile broadband. A researcher believes that mobile broadband is fast and reliable enough to replace home broadband plans.
Manjunath Bhat, research director at advisory firm Gartner, likens the unlimited mobile plans to cellular phones replacing landlines in most households. In an interview with The Strait Times, Bhat says he believes mobile data will soon suffice a user's need.
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StarHub now offers unlimited mobile data plans for as low as US$35 per month. Having only one data plan may sound convenient, mobile data might find it difficult to accommodate multiple users at the same time.
For now, unlimited mobile data plans seem fitting for single-user homes and those internet usages include only basic surfing and streaming of YouTube videos. Heavy internet users may not be ready to fully depend on the mobile internet alone.
Singapore ranks fourth in the world's fastest mobile broadband speeds with an average of 3G and 4G surfing speed of 45.99 Mbps, according to Ookla's Net Index report for August. Even so, this figure is still slower than local fixed broadband speeds with an average of 154.38 Mbps.
