MyRepublic introduces three new mobile plans

Standee for the new
mobile plans, which
let users "break free
of 'meh'".

MyRepublic, known for its home broadband services, has launched three mobile offers in Singapore that exemplify simplicity and freedom from worry.

The Uno and Ultimate plans were previously only available to MyRepublic's broadband customers and registered supporters of its mobility bid, or those who the company calls "friends of MyRepublic".

“It was important for us to keep the promise we made to our supporters,” says MyRepublic CEO Malcolm Rodrigues, “Our first, special offering was us trying to do right by that promise. That said, all our plans are based on the same philosophy of giving customers a better experience.”

According to Yap Yong Teck, MD, MyRepublic Singapore, delivery services around the new mobile plans were booked solid for weeks after the pre-launch, indicating pent-up demand for alternative mobile subscription offers. The company expects that the new offers will appeal to its target segment of young, smart, sophisticated and technically-savvy adults.

"We are going to play in the value segment. Word of mouth in that segment is extremely important for us," said Shivendra Singh, CMO, MyRepublic.

"The market we're after is around people who want control," added Rodrigues.

All MyRepublic plans feature no contracts, no hidden charges, as who as two capabilities that the company calls Boundless Data and Roam Like Home. “We want to be generous, not just with data but with the essentials,” said Singh. “We don’t want our customers to worry about not having enough talktime or SMS. We also don’t charge for services like Caller ID or plan changes. That’s not giving customers true value. That’s not a worry-free experience.”

MyRepublic says the Boundless Data feature is not the same as giving users unlimited data, though for all intents and purposes users can tap on free mobile data services at any time. With Boundless Data, mobile data speeds are throttled (slowed down) once the user has consumed the full data allowance in the subscription. This empowers customers with service continuity, greater control on data usage, and billing transparency. Other telcos in Singapore cut off mobile data use when the allowance is consumed, or charge for additional mobile data used.

Boundless data means
continuous surfing.

Those who prefer full speeds can buy a Data Booster, which tops up a data allowance and is valid for 30 days, through the MyRepublic app. Monthly recurring Data Add-ons can also be purchased instead.

MyRepublic users should be able to surf the Internet, send WhatsApp messages, make calls and stream music comfortably at the reduced speeds, said Singh. He also shared that he has watched YouTube videos at the slower speeds but cautioned that the speeds are not optimum for watching HD or 4K videos.

"We don't want a price war. We want to give you the best value that we can
and make sure the user experience does not suffer," he said.

Normal speeds will be on par with typical mobile network speeds for Singapore. The speed downgrade could drop data rates to anywhere from 384 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps, rather than a specific speed. Singh explained, "We will manage the speed so everyone can use it."

Roam Like Home refers to eliminating the shock of receiving a large bill for roaming through not having pay per use roaming charges. To roam, customers have to buy a roaming Data Booster  or Data Add-on before they travel, or via Wi-Fi while they are overseas.

Billing has also been simplified for roaming with all countries categorised into one of three pricing tiers, each of which with a flat rate for receiving calls.

From left: Singh, Rodrigues and Yap.

Plans are in place to launch the same offers in at least one other country, probably within the year, said Rodrigues. "Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are not allowed in Indonesia so it probably won't be there," he said. MyRepublic also operates in Australia and New Zealand.

Rodrigues also observed that incoming telcos would have an uphill task satisfying demanding Singapore customers, who complained about StarHub's coverage for years after the company first offered mobile services. Rodrigues used to work with StarHub. "I know how hard it is to get good coverage in this country," he said.

TPG Telecom won the rights to operate as the fourth telco in Singapore in 2016, and has said it will launch services in 2018. "TPG isn't putting in the effort that we did back then," Rodrigues noted. (Coverage) won't be like that of the other three guys and won't be like that for a while," he said.

There could be a sweet spot for TPG with cheap plans for people who do not require widespread coverage, Rodrigues suggested, such as people who stay at their homes or offices most of the time.

"We want to be in 100 countries and have a 5% market share. We're not looking to completely transform the market share dynamics here," he commented.

Tata Communications, a global digital infrastructure provider, separately announced that it is working together with MyRepublic. The cloud-based Tata Communications MOVE platform helps MyRepublic become an agile MVNO that does not need to make any capital investments in its own mobile network infrastructure or service management. 

The API-enabled, cloud-based and fully automated Tata Communications MOVE platform is integrated with MyRepublic’s business processes, simplifying and accelerating the management of operations such as service activation, launching of new services, new billing plans, special promotions and value-added services.

Through its core network offering and end to end service management such as billing, Tata Communications MOVE also enables MyRepublic’s dynamic mobile plan offerings, including Boundless Data.

"We have always envisioned bringing our brand of digital-first, worry-free mobile services to the market,” said Rodrigues. “As a platform company ourselves, the software-defined capabilities of Tata Communications MOVE was not just aligned with our operational philosophy, but also enabled us to introduce our mobile services in an agile, cost-effective, and scalable manner.”

“People’s insatiable appetite for mobile connectivity anywhere, anytime, means that there are huge opportunities for ISPs (Internet service providers) to generate additional revenues from mobile services both in their home market and in new geographies,” said Anthony Bartolo, Chief Product Officer, Tata Communications. 

“Yet the resources needed for building and managing your own mobile network, as well as the services on top, is preventing many from taking the plunge. Tata Communications MOVE eliminates the cost and complexity of becoming an MVNO, helping ambitious companies like MyRepublic deliver innovative mobile services, anywhere in the world.”

MyRepublic can also expand to new geographies easily and rapidly with Tata Communications MOVE ecosystem of mobile network points of presence (PoPs) in Asia and globally. MyRepublic has said that plans to launch more mobile offerings, including phone bundles and fixed-mobile converged plans, in coming months.

"Today is step one. You'll see things come out in the next 60 days that will blow your mind," Rodrigues said at the launch yesterday.

According to Transparency Market Research, the global MVNO market is expected to be worth US$75.25 billion in the next five years, growing at CAGR of 7.4% between 2015 and 2023.

“The MVNO market is consolidating and within the next five years, 80% of existing MVNOs using a traditional ‘thick model’ will struggle in a market that is transitioning to the cloud,” said Dustin Kehoe, Head of Asia Pacific research, GlobalData, an analyst firm. 

“Having critical functions, such operations support systems/business support systems (OSS/BSS) through to many customer-facing applications, or even IoT services, deployed from the cloud provides operators, like MyRepublic, the necessary speed and agility as a challenger. Tata Communications offers a strong carrier to carrier relationship and supports up to 70% of the world’s network operators. This scale enables providers like MyRepublic to enter new markets quickly.” 

The thickness of an MVNO is an indication of how much it relies on the infrastructure of a traditional mobile network operator (MNO). MyRepublic is using a “thick” MVNO model that is the first of its kind in Singapore, it said. The company's model involves MyRepublic building a more robust and complex technology layer between its own TelcoTech platform and its host network StarHub’s access platform.

This approach gives the company far greater control over the structure of its mobile plans and customer experience; “thinner” MVNOs are limited on differentiating themselves by the structure and pricing of its host network operator’s offerings. Yap elaborated that MyRepublic has more control over how data is routed and over the applications layer, so the company can prioritise, optimise and package services better, in real-time, as opposed to making change requests and waiting for their partner to make the change for them.

"We control the components that lets us make the products," Rodrigues said.

Rodrigues also disclosed that it is a "three plus three"-year agreement with StarHub.

Details:

The new plans launched are:

Smart

7 GB of data at S$35/month

Mega

12 GB of data at S$55/month and

Xtra

25 GB of data at S$85/month
2GB Roam Like Home Essential Data Add-on

MyRepublic broadband customers who take these plans get bonus data. If they sign up for the Smart plan they enjoy 3 GB of extra data, and 8 GB of bonus data for the Mega and Xtra plans. Customers interested to change their plan can do so starting from 29 June 2018 via the MyRepublic app.

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