SINGAPORE—Mobile-phone subscriber growth is slowing in Singapore. In September, only 1,100 new accounts were opened, compared with the monthly average of 80,000 new subscribers since the beginning of this year.
The number of mobile subscribers grew only 0.04 percent in September to 3.08 million. The previous monthly average was 3 percent to 4 percent. This could mean that Singapore has reached saturation point.
The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore said that one cause of decline was the contraction in the number of prepaid mobile customers by 20,100 last month.
Dr William Bratton of Spectrum Strategy said that the country’s penetration rate is at 75 percent, spelling saturation. Unless mobile operators can find ways of selling more than one device to subscribers, there does not seem to be much hope for increasing penetration beyond current levels, said Bratton.
