Singtel facts for kids
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Comcentre, the main office of Singtel
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| Public | |
| Traded as | SGX: Z74 |
| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=US82929R3049 US82929R3049] |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1879 (as Private Telephone Exchange) 28 March 1992 (as Singapore Telecom) |
| Headquarters | Comcentre, , |
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Area served
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Key people
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Yuen Kuan Moon (Group CEO) |
| Products | Fixed-line and mobile telephony, broadband and fixed-line internet services, digital television, IT and network services |
| Revenue |  S$16.54 billion (2020) |
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Operating income
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S$3.7 billion (2020) |
| S$1.08 billion (2020) |
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| Total assets |  S$48.96 billion (2020) |
| Total equity | S$26.79 billion (2020) |
| Owner | Temasek Holdings |
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Number of employees
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>25,000 |
| Parent | Temasek Holdings |
| Subsidiaries |
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Singapore Telecommunications Limited, usually called Singtel, is a big company from Singapore. It's one of the main companies that provides phone and internet services in Singapore. It's also one of the four big mobile phone companies there.
Contents
What Singtel Does
Singtel is the biggest mobile phone company in Singapore. It has over 4 million customers in Singapore alone. If you count its other companies around the world, it serves over 770 million mobile customers!
Singtel offers many services like:
- Internet for homes and businesses.
- IPTV (which is TV over the internet), called Singtel TV.
- Mobile phone services.
- Regular home phone services.
Singtel has grown a lot outside of Singapore. It owns other phone companies in different countries. For example, it fully owns Optus, which is Australia's second-largest phone company. It also owns a big part of Bharti Airtel, a large phone company in India.
In Singapore, Singtel is a very important company. It handles most of the home phone lines, nearly half of the mobile phone services, and a lot of the internet services. The company is largely owned by Temasek Holdings, which is an investment company linked to the Singapore government. Singtel also invests in new and exciting technology companies through its special group called Singtel Innov8.
Singtel's Journey Through Time
The Early Days (1800s)
- 1883: Singapore's first phone network started. It was run by a company called Oriental Telephone and Electric Company (OTEC). They set up about 60 phone lines for businesses.
Growing Up (1900s)
- 1907: A new main phone office opened in Hill Street.
- 1955: The Singapore Telephone Board (STB) was created. It was the only company allowed to run phone services in Singapore.
- 1974: STB joined with another company called Telecommunications Authority of Singapore (TAS). Before this, STB handled local calls, and TAS handled international calls.
- 1982: The Postal Department also joined Singapore Telecom.
- 1992: Singapore Telecommunications Private Limited (SingTel) became a separate company. The postal services became Singapore Post.
- 1993: SingTel became a public company, meaning people could buy shares in it.
- 1997: Singtel received money from the government because it lost its special right to be the only phone company earlier than planned.
The New Millennium (2000s)
- 2000: Singtel's special right to be the only phone company in Singapore ended. This meant other companies could now offer phone services too.
- 2001: Singtel got a license to offer 3G mobile services, which was a faster type of mobile internet.
- 2001: Singtel bought Optus, a big phone company in Australia.
- 2005: Singtel started offering its 3G services to customers.
- 2007: Singtel launched its TV service, called mio TV.
- 2008: Singtel was the first company to bring the iPhone 3G to Singapore.
- 2008: Singtel became the main sponsor for the first ever Singapore Grand Prix car race.
- 2009: Singtel launched the iPhone 3GS in Singapore.
Recent Years (2011–Present)
- 2011: Singtel launched Skoob, Singapore's first e-book store, where people could read books on their phones or tablets.
- 2012: Singtel bought Amobee, a company that helps with mobile advertising.
- 2012: Singtel got the rights to show the 2012 Summer Olympics on its mio TV service.
- 2012: Singtel started offering 4G LTE services, which is even faster mobile internet.
- 2013: mio TV was officially renamed Singtel TV.
- 2014: Singtel worked with other big companies, including Google, to build a super-fast undersea internet cable connecting the U.S. and Japan.
- 2015: Singtel changed its brand look for the first time in 16 years.
- 2015: Singtel bought Trustwave, a company that helps with cyber security.
- 2019: Singtel partnered with NETSTARS to allow travelers to use their mobile payment apps in Japan.
- 2020: Singtel announced that Yuen Kuan Moon would become its new CEO.
- 2020: Singtel and Grab (a ride-hailing company) were given a license to start a digital banking service in Singapore.
How Singtel Connects the World
Singtel has a huge network of underwater cables that connect Singapore to over 100 countries. These cables are like superhighways for internet data. Singtel has invested in many of these big cable systems around the world.
For example, Singtel is part of the SJC (SJC cable system) system, which is a long cable connecting up to seven countries or territories. This cable helps make internet connections between Asia and the US super fast.
In Singapore, Singtel's 4G mobile network covers almost all of the island, providing fast internet to its mobile customers.
Singtel's Mobile Network in Singapore
Singtel uses different radio frequencies to provide its mobile services in Singapore. These frequencies help carry phone calls and internet data to your mobile devices.
Singtel's Family of Companies
The Singtel group includes many companies that it owns or has a share in. Most of its business is in mobile phones, with over 638 million customers globally as of 2017.
Mobile Companies Around the World
Singtel has shares in many mobile phone companies in different countries:
| Mobile company | Country | Singtel's Share | Market Position |
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| Advanced Info Service | Thailand | 23% | No. 1 |
| Bharti Airtel | India | 32% | No. 2 |
| Globe Telecom | Philippines | 47% | No. 1 |
| Optus | Australia | 100% | No. 2 |
| Telkomsel | Indonesia | 35% | No. 1 |
Other Important Companies in the Singtel Group
- Singtel Mobile Singapore: This is the main company that runs mobile phone services in Singapore.
- NCS: This company provides IT (Information Technology) services and advice.
- Amobee: This company helps with mobile advertising.
- SingNet: This company provides internet access and pay TV services.
- Singtel Innov8: This group invests in new and exciting technology companies.
Important Events and Challenges
Bukit Panjang Exchange Fire
On October 9, 2013, a fire happened at one of Singtel's important internet buildings in Bukit Panjang. The fire caused big problems for internet, mobile, and home phone services in many parts of Singapore, especially in the North-Western areas.
- About 100 mobile phone towers were affected, cutting off mobile service for many customers.
- Around 60,000 home internet lines and 46,000 Singtel TV customers also lost service.
- Other companies and banks also had problems because they relied on Singtel's network.
Singtel worked hard to fix the damaged cables. It took a few days to get most services back online. Singtel also offered special compensation to affected customers.
An investigation found that the fire started during maintenance work and was caused by an employee not following safety rules and using a tool that wasn't allowed. Singtel later had to pay a large fine of $6 million Singapore dollars for this incident, which was the biggest fine for a phone company in Singapore's history.
Data Security Issues
Singtel has faced some challenges with data security:
- 2020 My Singtel App Issue: Singtel was fined $9,000 because of a technical problem in its My Singtel mobile app. This problem caused the personal information of 39 customers to be seen by other customers for a short time.
- 2021 Zero-day Attack: In February 2021, Singtel announced that hackers had attacked one of its file-sharing systems. This attack resulted in some customer data being stolen, including names, birth dates, and contact numbers for about 12,900 customers. It also affected some bank account details of former employees and credit card details of some company staff. Singtel apologized for the incident and worked to fix the problem.
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See also
In Spanish: Singapur Telecomunicaciones para niños
