Years after Wireless@SG was first rolled out in Singapore, it’s heartening to hear that the free nationwide Wi-Fi service will be extended to at least 2017, while being easier to log in to and faster to surf on.
From next month, users will be able to go online at cafes and other places at up to 2Mbps, up from the current 1Mbps. No big deal, you say, given that smartphones can connect to 4G networks several times faster, so perhaps what’s more interesting here is the easier login process.
By April next year, users will be able to log in by the identifier on their smartphone’s SIM cards, said Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim on Friday, during this week’s Budget debate.
That will go some way to address one major bugbear of the service – the rather troublesome login process.
Currently, users have to sign up with one of the three operators – SingTel, M1 and iCell Network – and log in with their passwords.
There have been efforts to make this simpler over the years, but the need for identification by the authorities has made Wireless@SG somewhat unattractive to many users who have turned to 3G and 4G services.
Now, if users can automatically log in with their smartphones, Wireless@SG can be a lot more attractive. This comes at a good time too, as cellphone networks are so often jammed up today, while users have to pay more to surf more on those networks.
When Wireless@SG was introduced back in 2006, it offered the first taste of wireless surfing for many people toting their first smartphones and netbooks (remember them?). They soon graduated to 3G and 4G dongles, and later, got so used to 3G and 4G services on their phones and tablets.
The irony is that these mobile Internet services, which are available on the go and don’t need all that fuss to log in to, are now so congested that the telecom industry is talking about offloading some of the traffic to city-wide Wi-Fi networks.
If you’re at a cafe today, say, at a notoriously congested area like Vivocity, a Wireless@SG hotspot could be a ticket to a faster lane on cyberspace than your phone’s 3G or 4G link.
Thus Wireless@SG still has some life in it yet. Indeed, one more player – Y5Zone from Hong Kong – is set to enter the fray here, while the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) considers whether to approve current operator iCell Network’s proposal for the next phase.
The wireless project is also a great example of how a national effort should be followed through. While many other municipal Wi-Fi networks overseas have either closed or been badly run over the years, the IDA has to be lauded for pushing ahead with Wireless@SG in Singapore, despite its critics.
Along with the national fibre network funded by tax dollars, Wireless@SG has helped open up a broadband market that was dominated by SingTel and StarHub. Now, as cellphone networks are increasingly clogged up, it may be called on to provide an alternative highway to the Internet.
I just read this article and I have to agree with the people below stating that the Wireless@SG is a failure, slow and congested with poor oversight. Even today (two years after this article), it is still slow and congested. Personally, if it is going to be slow (i.e. low bandwidth), then it should be accessible everywhere in HDB blocks, shop houses, etc and the connectivity shouldn’t break when moving between one building to the other or crossing one street to the other. If it is going to be restricted to only certain buildings like malls, libraries, etc, then it should be fast. Then you improve it from there…
I suggest you provide more balanced articles in the future or the reputation of your site will suffer.Why ? Its generally felt by many Singaporeans that Wireless @SG is a failure because of its slow speed and a clogged network yet you seem to gloat over it and worse still, seem to suggest that users who face slow mobile networks ( which a majority do ) may shift to Wirelesss@SG ( which is already clogged in many places )
Btw, have you ever even tried the Android version of Wireless@SG ? PURE RUBBISH .See the comments here :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.icellnetwork.dashboard.s&hl=en
Hi Jen, I’ve used Wireless@SG since day one and I’m also frustrated when it doesn’t work. But there are many times it does work and I do use it with my laptop often when I’m at a cafe. It’s not a replacement for 3G but it’s an alternative for times when 3G doesn’t work. Not sure how that’s considered gloating. As a user often on the go, I do hope the IDA checks up on these operators more often. You’ll be surprised a lot of times, someone at a cafe simply didn’t turn on a modem. Stupid problems, yes, but I think they can be solved with a bit more vigilance.
You are right Alfred – most of the times, its just simply because the particular merchant doesn’t turn on the modem or just can’t be bothered. In fact, if users make it a point to spend at their outlet just for Wireless@SG and its not working, they should be reported and probably allow IDA to take them to task. I had feedback before that these shops should make it clear upfront to customers that their Wireless@SG for that day is NOT working and let customers decide if they still wanna go in and dine. Also, Jen’s plight is understandable as it IS quite frustrating when you need it and it doesn’t work. For me, thankfully there’s M1’s islandwide 4G Network though I am NOT happy with their voice service. Unless I’m home, I tend to use my LTE for surfing when outdoors.
I tried 3 different wireless@sg android apps…so far the only updated and worked one is m1…https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nanoequipment.m1wirelesssg
Actually, the Android app is not required. Just search for and connect to Wireless@SGx SSID directly, it will prompt for userid and password but that is for the first time only. This method works for me on Android ICS/JB, iOS 5/6, Windows 7 and OSX.
Alternatively, you can configured manually as per instructions at http://www.m1net.com.sg/wireless-sg/ssa/downloads.html
HTH
I think you are giving IDA and Wireless@SG too much credit.When was the last time you tried connecting to Wireless@SG ? Have you ever tried connecting to Wireless@SG at Jurong Point ( one of the largest malls in Singapore ) ? Its so congested at times you cant even log in.
Then there is the issue of the areas where Wireless@SG serves.Who makes the decisions where Wireless@SG should be available?. Go to a “poor neighbourhood” like the vicinity of Boon Lay Shopping Centre and you will find that Wireless@SG has never lurked its head since inception.
Even the vicinity of the new Boon Lay Community Club has no Wireless@SG connectivity. A lot of waste of public funds with poor oversight.
Hi Pat, the last time I used Wireless@SG was probably the last fortnight. I haven’t been to Boon Lay lately but I use the service sometimes at fast food restaurants or cafes in town in between meetings. I think there’s a lot to be improved – as you say, congestion is one – and I hope this next phase will bring better services especially with a new player in town.