STARHUB raised the bar on Friday on Internet deals by giving its home broadband subscribers free wireless access on the go as well.

The first such deal here, it may push rivals SingTel and MobileOne (M1) to roll out more competitive offerings.

New subscribers to StarHub's MaxOnline cable modem service, which gives them broadband access from home, will now get free access with the mobile wireless MaxMobile service as well.

The home service starts from $59.92 a month, while the on-the-go offering used to cost about $36 a month.

With the new deal, users will get a free modem to access the 3.5G wireless service, which gives download speeds of 7.2 megabits per second (Mbps) islandwide.

To log on to, they simply plug in the wireless modem to their laptops while on the go.

The offer is also open to existing MaxOnline subscribers who do not have a contract.

Mr Adit Harinasuta, head of StarHub services and solutions, said it was aimed at getting more users on both services.

The move is likely to provoke a response from rivals SingTel and M1, which have been locked in a fierce fight for customers in a market where broadband penetration is nearly 80 per cent.

However, neither one offers such a bundled deal yet. SingTel sells its asymmetric digital subsciber line (ADSL) service, which uses the phone line to carry data to homes, and its 3.5G on-the-go service separately.

M1, meanwhile, does not have a home broadband service, but offers its 3.5G service as an alternative to SingTel and StarHub.