HOOKED after almost two years of free Internet surfing on the go with the huge Wireless@SG project, techies are now flocking to sign up for paid plans that give them more speed.
According to the Infocomm Development Authority, there are more than three million wireless broadband subscriptions here. Of these, over one million are subscribers to the free Wireless@SG ervice. The rest fork out money for faster services.
While many use new fangled cellphones to surf the Net wirelessly on the go, more are signing up for plans that allow them to use their computers to go online anywhere, and not just at Wi-Fi hot spots.
These so-called 3.5G services use compact USB modems which take a SIM card, so the user can hook up to the Net via the phone networks. Subscription plans for such services start from around $22 a month.
The amount of data downloaded by mobile users shows how popular surfing on the go has become.
StarHub, the most aggressive promoter of such services among the three telecom operators here, says its mobile data traffic has grown almost 50 times from a year ago. Its mobile broadband users gobbled up 924,672 gigabytes (GB) of data from January to September this year. A year ago, users downloaded just 18,679GB in the same period.
At MobileOne (M1), mobile broadband now contributes 9.6 per cent of its revenue - up from 7.7 per cent a year ago.
SingTel, too, says more users are turning to 3.5G services, though it declined to give figures.
The popularity of such services is a far cry from the dismal reception to the 3G network when it first arrived here in 2005. Experts say that while advances in technology, for example, new and easier- to-use phones, has played a part, the major driver has been the Wireless@SG roject.
The Wi-Fi service, aimed at pushing up broadband usage when it was introduced in December 2006, now has 7,400 hot spots islandwide.
It will be run for free until 2009 by iCell Network, QMax Communications and SingTel. The trio hope to make money from advertisements as well as through other services like paid Internet calls.
ireless@SG has also spawned a culture of being 'always on'.
Even at school or in a library, students can stay online to chat, blog and watch YouTube videos.
Assistant Professor Lim Sun Sun, a new media expert at the National University of Singapore, said youths today live or represent their lives online, as their social networks tend to be centred on the Net. And people in their 30s and 40s have also taken to Net-based applications such as Facebook.
The three operators of Wreless@SG have not indicated if the service will be free after 2009, but market watchers say users now expect it to be.
But it has its limitations. Although the number of hot spots is growing, some say it is troublesome to go looking for one.
Sales manager Chua Yen San, 32, said: 'Sometimes, I don't know where the hot spots are, and the signal strength is often low.'
Also, the network's 512Kbps speed is too slow for those used to high-speed broadband at home.
Junior college student Tay Shi Ling, 16, is one of them. She signed up for the free service, but would pay for a faster connection if she could afford it.
And users may have problems connecting, said iCell Network's chief executive officer Ken Chua, because of the sheer numbers trying to log on, causing a clog in the broadband pipe.
Faced with these problems, but smitten by broadband on the go, many users, like businessman Ng Thye Peng, 34, are turning to paid services. 'Wireless@SG is not bad for people who sit at a cafe and open up their laptop,' he said. 'But if you want true mobile broadband and to stay connected, then switching to 3.5G is better.'
Agreeing, senior analyst Soh Siow Meng from research firm Current Analysis said: 'Once people get used to Wireless@SG, they will want to access the Net even when they are not at a hot spot.'
Meanwhile, telcos are busy dealing with the happy problem of pent-up demand. All three companies are now readying their cellphone networks for zippier downloads in the coming years.
M1, last Thursday, announced an upgrade of its high-speed packet access network, with upload speeds of 5.76Mbps, the fastest here.
The next big upgrade will be the 4G networks, with speeds several times faster than now.
Wireless@SG is not standing still. Operators say they are close to having a system which will automatically log users in without the need for usernames or passwords at a hot spot.
Nokia phone users enjoy this convenience now, and other laptop and phone users can expect it next year, when testing is complete.
Said freelance writer Wilson Wong, 34, who logs on regularly with both his phone and laptop: 'Now, a few clicks on your phone and you can upload pictures to your blog while you are on the go.
'Things have become much more usable.'
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