SINGAPORE-At the initial launch of dual-band services in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore and Taiwan reached the starting line simultaneously.
Singapore Telecom Mobile Pte. Ltd. on Jan. 20 launched dual-band service between its Global System for Mobile communications 900 and GSM 1800 networks. The same day, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. Ltd. in Taiwan, launched its initial commercial service as a dual-band GSM offering.
Far EasTone is a joint venture of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Far Eastern Group. A new wireless operator in Taiwan, it received both GSM 900 and GSM 1800 licenses last January from Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communication and is just beginning operations. Singapore Telecom, on the other hand, has offered analog cellular service since 1988 and launched GSM networks more recently.
The dual-band service allows SingTel Mobile customers to select the GSM system that provides them with the best signal in a particular area of Singapore or in other countries, said Chan Kin Hung, senior director of marketing, sales and customer service for SingTel Mobile. The carrier currently has plans to offer roaming for dual-band handsets to more than 60 countries.
This roaming capability is especially important for Singapore, a small city-nation with a population of just 2.8 million. Residents frequently travel to neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand.
“In countries with a big land mass, such as Malaysia and Thailand, which have several operators offering both GSM [900] and GSM 1800 services throughout the country, dual-band service allows mobile-phone users to switch from one network to another that has a better coverage,” said SingTel.
To use the dual-band service, customers can either purchase a dual-band handset or insert a GSM 1800 subscriber identification module card into a GSM 900 phone.
Currently, said Chan, SingTel is offering two dual-band handsets-the Motorola Inc. Dual Band 880, which requires manual switching between systems; and the Bosch DUAL-Com 738, which offers automatic switching. The carriers also plan to use a dual-band model from L.M. Ericsson, scheduled to be available later in 1998.
