Consumers who have signed up for a Singtel app that lets them watch TV programmes on the go will have to pay for the service from next month, when a fee waiver ends.
The Singtel TV Go app, which was launched in July 2013, also allows users to view multiple channels wirelessly on mobile devices without the need for additional set-top boxes while they are connected to their Singtel Internet network at home.
From Jan 12, customers will have to pay $6.90 per month for the service, which allows a user at home to stream a different channel on his or her mobile device while someone else watches another TV channel.
Or they can pay $9.90 monthly for a plan which allows three other users to view different programmes at home simultaneously.
Both packages allow one user to watch programmes while outside and on-the-go.
Singtel's managing director for home consumer Singapore, Mr Goh Seow Eng, told The Straits Times the cessation of the fee waiver was because of the introduction of enhanced features and more channels. "The revamped Singtel TV Go app introduces an enhanced Watch TV feature. It also offers an expanded channel line-up, from 35 to over 110 channels. We will continue to add more channels in 2016."
Customers using the app need to sign up for the service to continue using it once the fee waiver ends.
Android and iOS users can download the app for free and access its TV guide and football fixtures and league table. But the function to stream and watch TV programmes is limited to Singtel TV subscribers.
There are more than 70 live channels that users can stream while they are outside, such as lifestyle channel TLC, CNN International news and Cartoon Network.
The app is popular among sports fans, with channels like Fox Sports and mio stadium, which allows football lovers to catch live matches on their phones.
The app includes "catch-up" channels, where customers can download programmes onto their devices for later viewing. These downloaded shows expire in seven days.
Football fan Dominic Nalpon, 26, uses the app to watch football matches in his bedroom while his parents watch movies and serials in the living room.
"It's a bit more than I'm willing to pay for," said Mr Nalpon, a church worker. "If I have to pay, I'll just go out to the living room to watch."
Rival cable TV provider StarHub has a similar service called StarHub Go, which is free for its customers. They will be charged $5.35 per month from March 1.
