SINGAPORE - Prices of broadband plans have hit rock bottom, with broadband service providers now turning to giving out freebies and exploring new payment options to drive sales.

ViewQwest, for one, is rolling out Singapore's first-ever prepaid broadband plan at the four-day Sitex trade show, which opened on Thursday (Nov 26).

It charges customers an upfront fee of $1,008 to provide its 1Gbps broadband service over two years. This works out to $42 a month, one of the cheapest 1Gbps plans here.

The original price for this plan is $65 a month. Those who do not wish to pay upfront can also enjoy a discounted monthly rate of $53.50 for this plan as part of its Sitex promotion.

ViewQwest's basic two-year 2Gbps plans are going for an upfront fee of $1,392, which works out to $58 a month - the cheapest 2 Gbps plan here.

In terms of megabit per second speed, StarHub, on the other hand, is pushing for its 1Gbps broadband plan as part of a two-year multiple service bundle.

The bundle, dubbed HomeHub 1000, comes with six months of free broadband subscription and Sports Group subscription. The total package is originally priced at $88.80 a month.

Mobile customers who sign up for M1's 1Gbps plan, priced at $39 a month, will get an additional 1GB of mobile data and $100 off any handset they buy, among other freebies.