By Serene Luo

SINGTEL has upped the ante in the pre-paid mobile service market, which was neglected for a number of years while domestic telcos focused on post-paid services.

Yesterday, the telco launched its new hi! Club service, targeted at foreign workers from countries such as the Philippines, China and Bangladesh.

As club members, they get weekly news about their hometowns and can speak to helpline operators in their native languages.

In addition, incoming calls are free between club members.

SingTel now controls 47 per cent of the pre-paid market, up from 41 per cent last year.

Out of this slice, 70 per cent of the users are foreigners, said vice-president of consumer marketing Wong Soon Nam.

Analysts say that because the post-paid mobile market is now saturated, telcos are turning their sights elsewhere.

SingTel, having "cornered the market" for post-paid services, has decided to turn to the pre-paid space in a change of game, said Mr Marc Einstein, a senior industry analyst at Frost and Sullivan.

Separately, MobileOne (M1), which has been a dominant player in the pre-paid space, has also been wooing foreign workers.

It has organised roadshows in places frequented by foreign workers, offering free IDD phone calls and giving away game prizes such as rice cookers, radios and kettles, which are "necessities relevant to them", an M1 spokesman said.

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