NEWS that SingTel will increase fixed lines charges come January has proven to be the last straw for some customers who plan to ditch the service, which is already waning in popularity.

Marketing manager Dolly Cheng, 36, is among those who plan to rely solely on their mobiles after SingTel said on Monday subscription charges for land lines would rise $10 a year.

She and her IT-professional husband, who get about five calls a week at their Bishan flat, have been considering cancelling the line for the past year.

While the increase is not huge, 'that $10 extra a year just gives us an immediate reason now to just do it', she said.

On Monday, SingTel announced it would, after 18 years, increase subscription charges to $110 annually, and up tariffs by 0.1 cents.

A minute-long call will cost 1.6 cents during between 9am and 7pm from Mondays to Fridays, and 0.8 cents at other times.

SingTel cited increasing wages and rising copper prices as reasons for the price increase.

In recent years, the number of fixed lines in Singapore has been dropping. There were almost 90,000 fewer in July than in 2001.

Over the same time, the number of mobile phone subscriptions has doubled to more than 6 million.

But analysts believe land lines are not obsolete as yet.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.