But when the interviewee answers him, he turns up the volume on his earphones, looks away and nods vigorously in a clownish manner that cries out: 'We don't care!'

The scene from a recent MobileOne (M1) advertisement, which pokes fun at rival cellphone operators and has become a big hit on the Internet, is the latest salvo to be fired by telcos to attract customers as more competition looms.

From June 13, users will be able to switch telcos while retaining their mobile phone numbers, and experts are predicting that 5 to 15 per cent of users here will do so.

To grab their share of 'switchers', the three telcos - M1, SingTel and StarHub - have turned up the heat by offering new services and plans.

The fight has also spilled online for the first time, and M1 - the smallest operator - is generating the most heat in this arena with its popular ads.

The telco says more than 570,000 hits have been registered for the videos, which satirise the way operators collect customer feedback. The videos, which were put up last month, are so popular that users have also posted copies on YouTube.

More such online campaigns are in the works, said M1 chief executive officer Neil Montefiore, and the company will be pushing its image as the little guy that could.

The other telcos, meanwhile, are trying to tie up users by bundling cellphone plans with pay-TV services, for example. Both SingTel and StarHub plan to show live football matches not just on the telly, but on cellphones as well.

This way, a user who subscribes to both services not only gets discounts, but also content that he can watch on multiple devices.

Experts are keenly watching what will transpire online, given that Internet video ads have been successful of late.

Communications experts say such videos grab attention because they often come recommended by friends.

Ms Pearly Tan, chief executive officer of marketing consultancy Asia Insight, pointed out that in the United States, marketers have successfully mingled with the online crowd and introduced, say, a new phone to unwitting users, who then pass on the word about its new features.

She explained: 'This means you start spreading the word, but the public, who finds it interesting, passes it on to other users, making the message more credible than if it was spread by advertisers.'