Which is Singapore’s best mobile network?

We track a dozen mobile providers in our comparison, which means plenty of options. There may be dozens to choose from, but there are only four mobile networks in Singapore: M1, Simba (formerly TPG Telecom), Singtel and StarHub. All of the mobile providers in Singapore own or operate on these four networks. We’ve used June 2022 data from independent testing site Opensignal and our own insights for best telcos on these networks to determine the best mobile network for specific categories.

Before we get into the best ones, here’s a list of some of the most popular mobile plans available today.

Best mobile network in Singapore overall

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According to Opensignal report data, the best mobile network overall in Singapore is StarHub. Opensignal breaks down the overall experience in terms of games, voice apps, download speeds and upload speeds. Popular plans from Singtel and other mobile providers on the Singtel network are listed above with at least 10GB. Here’s how each mobile network in Singapore scored for each metric.

Video experience

Opensignal calculates the video experience by streaming a mix of video resolutions up to 4K. Picture quality, video loading time and stall rate are used to determine the overall score out of 100. None of the scores is particularly high, but Simba (TPG) is noticeably behind StarHub, Singtel and M1.

• StarHub 67.1/100
• Singtel 65.5/100
• M1 62.7/100
• Simba (TPG): 48/100

Games experience

Multiplayer games played over mobile networks are used to determine the scores in this Opensignal category. Games include Fortnite, Prop Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor. Latency, packet loss and jitter are all factored in to determine an overall score out of 100. It’s a close race between StarHub, Singtel and M1 but Simba (TPG) is noticeably behind.

• StarHub 81.5/100
• Singtel 78.9/100
• M1 77.7/100
• Simba (TPG): 58.4/100

Voice app experience

Opensignal uses communication apps like WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger to determine the scores of this category. The scale is again between 0 and 100, and the competition was a lot closer across networks with minimal difference between StarHub, Singtel, M1 and Simba (TPG).

• StarHub 80.1/100
• Singtel 79.8/100
• M1 79.7/100
• Simba (TPG): 78.2/100

Download speed experience

Megabits-per-second (Mbs) measurements are used by Opensignal to determine the download speeds on the different mobile networks in Singapore. Average download speeds are determined by a mix of 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G networks. As you can see below, StarHub has a noticeable lead over Singtel and M1, with Simba (TPG) lagging behind.

• StarHub 65.9Mbps
• Singtel 56.5Mbps
• M1 38.7Mbps
• Simba (TPG): 19.2Mbps

Upload speed experience

Upload speed isn’t as important as upload speed for most online tasks. But Opensignal uses a mix of 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G networks to determine the overall averages for the four networks in Singapore. There are only fractions of a megabit differences between Singtel, StarHub and M1, but Simba is noticeably slower.

• Singtel 14.9Mbps
• StarHub 14.5Mbps
• M1 14.2Mbps
• Simba (TPG): 4.2Mbps

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Also consider the following:

Best mobile network in Singapore for coverage

According to Opensignal, there’s a joint win between all four mobile networks for coverage. This means whichever network you’re on, you can expect to have access to mobile signal for data, calls and SMS almost all the time. Given the four-way tie, we recommend starting comparisons with the M1 mobile network for good value SIM-only mobile plans.

Here’s how the four mobile networks look in terms of coverage.

Network availability

There’s only a 0.2% difference between the best mobile network availability and the lowest. This means all networks can be relied upon for regular availability.

• StarHub: 99.5% uptime
• Singtel: 99.4% uptime
• Simba (TPG): 99.4% uptime
• M1: 99.3% uptime

4G coverage experience

Opensignal rates this metric out of 10, factoring in mobile coverage availability in the places people tend to live, work and travel to the most. It’s a three-way tie between the perfect scores of M1, Singtel and StarHub, with Simba (TPG) not far behind.

• M1: 10/10
• Singtel: 10/10
• StarHub: 10/10
• Simba (TPG): 9.7/10

Also consider the following:

Best mobile network in Singapore for consistency

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Singtel takes out the top spot for consistency in Singapore, according to Opensignal. This category covers ‘excellent’ and ‘core’ consistent quality. Scores are rated between 0% to 100%. The plans above are some popular picks available on the Singtel mobile network.

Excellent consistent quality

This Opensignal metric evaluates a mobile network in terms of common app requirements, including download and upload speed, latency, jitter and packet loss. While no mobile network is particularly close to perfect, Singtel and StarHub have the highest scores.

• Singtel: 83.4%
• StarHub: 80.3%
• M1: 79.8%
• Simba (TPG): 71.4%

Core consistent quality

This Opensignal category tests whether mobile networks can meet app requirements for SD video, voice calls and web browsing. The same factors as the excellent consistent quality category are considered. All four network operators received high percentages for these tests.

• Singtel: 91.5%
• M1: 91.2%
• StarHub: 90.4%
• Simba (TPG): 89.9%

Also consider the following:

Best mobile network in Singapore for data value

Simba (TPG) was in last place for most of the Opensignal categories above. But the telco still has good value SIM-only mobile plans for those after great pricing and plenty of data. Check out a few of Simba’s most popular SIM-only mobile plans above.

Also consider the following:

Best mobile network in Singapore for telco choices

Except for Simba (TPG), the other three mobile networks in Singapore have mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that also sell plans on their networks. The M1 mobile network has Circles.Life and MyRepublic plans. Giga and RedOne also operate on the StarHub mobile network. Finally, the Singtel mobile network has mobile plans from Gomo, CMLink, Vivifi and Zero1. Because Singtel has so many options, we’ve picked it as the best mobile network for the most choices. Some of the popular plans from Singtel and Singtel MVNOs are listed above.

Also consider the following:

Best mobile network in Singapore FAQs

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Which telco is best in Singapore?
The best telco overall in Singapore is StarHub or Giga and RedOne, which also sell mobile plans on the StarHub mobile network. Alternatively, consider M1 telcos for coverage, Singtel for reliability and Simba (TPG) for value.

Which SIM is best for internet in Singapore?
If you want fast download speeds, consider a SIM card on the StarHub mobile network. Alternatively, for a mix of fast download and upload speeds, pick a SIM plan on the Singtel mobile network.

Which telco has the best reception?
According to Opensignal report data from June 2022, the best coverage and reception overall comes from the StarHub mobile network. Consider a SIM plan from StarHub, Giga or RedOne for the best coverage.