From today, mobile communications users will no longer have to pay an annual licence fee to the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) when a new class license regulation which is gazetted on 1 April ...
Singapore, 1 April 1997 | For Immediate Release
From today, mobile communications users will no longer have to pay an annual licence fee to the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) when a new class license regulation which is gazetted on 1 April 1997 comes into effect. This was announced by the Minister for Communications, Mr Mah Bow Tan at the launch of ST Messaging's SUNPAGE service this morning. The move, which is a result of TAS' continual efforts to improve operations and lower the cost for telecommunication users in Singapore, will save telecommunication users about $23 million a year.
Under the new class license regulation, all existing individual licences are revoked from 1 April 1997 and anyone who possesses the subscriber radio-communication equipment is deemed to have been granted a class licence. Licence fees that are waived include the $50 annual fee for each cellular mobile telephone, trunked radio handheld/mobile unit and mobile data subscriber terminal, and $100 for each trunked radio despatch unit.
To date, TAS has issued licences to about 440,000 cellular mobile telephone, 1,100 mobile data and 12,000 trunked radio users. TAS will refund licence holders, whose licence expires on or after 1 April 1997, the license fee for the unexpired period of their license. To minimize inconvenience to the mobile communications users, TAS has made arrangements with the service providers (SingTel Mobile Pte Ltd, SingTel Paging Pte Ltd, ST Advanced Radio Pte Ltd and ST Mobile Data Pte Ltd) to credit the license fee of the unexpired period into the users' service account with their service provider. The credited amount which will be shown in the users' next service subscription bill can be used to offset the subsequent subscription fees/traffic charges. All existing mobile communications users will receive a letter from TAS this month concerning the refund issue.
With the start of competition in the mobile communications market today when consumers in Singapore will have a choice of two mobile cellular phone operators and four paging operators, the removal of the $50 annual licence fee will help make the mobile communications service more affordable to consumers.
For news information, contact:
Loo Wai Ling
Corporate Communications Officer
Tel: 322 1999
Fax: 323 0941
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