Two 'firsts' from Singtel

SINGAPORE - Starting tomorrow, hi!Card users will be the first prepaid GSM customers in Singapore to enjoy Short Messaging Service (SMS).

They can send messages to mobile phone users on all networks in Singapore and even to SingTel Paging message pagers. They can also send Chinese and picture messages, and even download free caller group and logos from the www.singtel.com and www.pod.com.sg websites and forward it to their friends via SMS.

"The hi!Card is very popular with our 300,000-plus customers since we introduced Singapore's first prepaid mobile phone service in June 1998," said Mr Lucas Chow, CEO of SingTel Mobile. "And this number is still growing rapidly, especially amongst the youth. With the youth as its predominant target audience, the hi!Card will be marketed by pod, SingTel's brand for the youth market.

"Besides the convenience of no bills and managing their mobile phone expenses, hi!Card customers can now send messages using SMS which has traditionally been available only to customers who pay monthly subscriptions."

"hi!Card customers today no longer just make and receive local calls. We want to give our customers even more value and a better service. For example, we offer free Caller-ID, Call Waiting, Call Transfer and Call Barring to help them manage their calls better," Mr Chow said. hi!Card users can also make international calls using IDD 001 and BudgetCall 013.

To enjoy the service, users need to set their SMS centre number to +65 9640 0001. The charge for each message sent is ten cents.

hi!Card top-up at DBS/POSB ATMs
Another first for prepaid mobile customers in Singapore, hi!Card users will now find it even more convenient to top up the value of their hi!Cards at ATMs operated by the DBS Bank at no charge.

"It is very likely that the majority of our prepaid customers have at least an account with DBS or POSB. With the bank's extensive network of ATMs islandwide, our customers will find it very convenient to top up their talktime, whenever they want and wherever they are," Mr Chow said.

There are more than 900 ATMs which accept both DBS and POSB ATM cards. hi!Card customers can choose from six top-up denominations - $25, $50, $75, $100, $150 and $200 - which can be deducted from their savings or current account.

Currently, users top up their cards by purchasing top-up cards or via Singapore Post's Self-Automated Machine (SAM). The first top-up for hi!Card must be made using the top-up cards, thereafter customers can choose from the various top-up methods.