Singapore Telecommunications, “Asia’s Leading

Communications Company”
Alexandre Quentin | 18th Aug 2010 | 4 Comments
0tweetsretweet
Share

Hi dear followers! Now that you are familiar with the country I have just settled in, I should introduce you the
company I am currently working in as a trainee: Singapore Telecommunications Limited (also known as
SingTel). I will try to bring a classical definition as well as a more personal vision with facts of the daily life in
such a company.

Milestones for the company

I find important to set some key dates in the history of the firm to understand how SingTel became “Asia’s
Leading Communications Company”.

Singapore Telecommunications was born on 1974, further to the merger between the
Singapore Telephone Board and the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore; it provides domestic and
international calling services, then mobile phone services starting from the 80’s.

Its international development began in 1993 with the opening of its 1st overseas office in
USA, and the acquisition of its 1st shares in a foreign carrier, in Philippines. Right after, in 1994, SingTel
starts to involve in broadband business, creating its dedicated subsidiary SingNet.

In the early 2000’s SingTel multiplies participations in overseas carriers while

strengthening its infrastructure network. A sharp diversification occurs in 2007 as the pay television mio TV
is launched.

Activity of the group

It seems really hard to synthesize such a huge company into few words to describe its activities, however
SingTel is globally a “Telco” (Telecommunications Company) which deals with 5 main fields.
 SingTel's main activities

As a carrier, SingTel provides mobile communication solutions for both businesses and customers. The
company offers as well local and international telephony services.

SingTel is also an Internet Service Provider (ISP). It owns its own equipment such as satellites, local and
international lines, satellite and cable stations, data centers…

The IT & Engineering area of SingTel consists mainly in infrastructure services and business solutions as
well as fiber rollout. Since 2007, the group is involved in TV broadcasting with its channel bouquet mio TV.

Hence, SingTel’s clients can be either consumers, companies in need of IT solutions, or even other carriers
or internet providers demanding for telecommunication infrastructure or services.

This group owns nowadays 37 global offices in 19 different countries, and employs more than 23,000 people
worldwide.

Today, SingTel can claim 351 millions of clients subscribing to its mobile services and a 45% share on
Singapore’s mobile services market. Mobile communications field remains the main source of profit for the
company, followed by internet services. In the last financial year, SingTel assured revenue of nearly S$17
billion (10 billion of Euros).
Presence on international markets and competition

It is obvious for a forerunner in such a business as telecommunication services, which by definition tries to
break borders, to deal with an international context. Mobile offers have been developed overseas for both
corporate and individual clients, while IT and data management solutions are available for foreign
companies.

SingTel developed its international presence for mobile services by acquiring shares in overseas carriers.
Today, SingTel is dealing on 8 Asian markets, other than Singapore, thanks to its subsidiaries in Australia,
India, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

SingTel's worldwide subsidiaries for mobile communications services

Regarding IT solutions for businesses, the SingTel brand manages itself all overseas demands, corporate
clients being located all around the world. This is being possible thanks to solid infrastructures providing a
dense and worldwide network (you can cover it here).

On most of the mobile services markets it is involved, this company has a leader position, however
threatened by high competition, starting within Singapore: M1 and Starhub share the 55% share of the
market not acquired by SingTel. These two companies are also fighting on broadband market, and Starhub
provides pay television too. On its second preferential market, Australia, SingTel’s subsidiary Optus is a
major challenger to competitors like Telstra among others. Anywhere else (India, Thailand, Indonesia,
Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh), SingTel has to face the development of other local carriers.

There are plenty of companies providing, like SingTel, IT, data management or networking solutions and
consulting for businesses all around the world, locally or internationally settled. All of them are potential
competitors that the company has to deal with.

The company structure

I wanted to define the global organization of SingTel in order to scope the position I stand in the company.
 SingTel's global organization

The 3 main branches divide the group activity in SingTel’s brand business (SGO), Optus business and
activities of all other carriers. SGO branch, divided geographically, separates each market into client types,
and I am in the office which manages European companies.

Strategy and internal values

SingTel tries its best to be Asia Pacific’s best multimedia solutions group and has always been following a
specific strategy mainly based on three I’s:
 The three I's of SingTel's strategy

You have already guessed that mastering infrastructure to provide end-to-end solutions customized to
clients demand is an important concern for this firm

Since the 90’s SingTel is strengthening its overseas presence on both B2B and B2C markets, by its
acquisitions in foreign carriers and the opening of strategic offices overseas.

Innovation has always been an engine for the Singaporean company, providing latest technologies to its
clients and investing massively in R&D to keep the IT sector moving forward (for instance, see its
researches in LTE technology here).

This strategy is closely linked to deep core values for SingTel’s group:

• Customer focus
• Challenger spirit
• Teamwork
• Integrity
• Personal excellence

Recent actuality for the group

In this section I wanted to mention the latest big news for the group.

SingTel’s TV just won the rights for the Barclay’s Premier League (English football) broadcast, which is a
major victory, knowing that Singaporean people are crazy about European football, as they are is the only
one in Singapore to have it.
The release of the iPad and more recently (last week) of the iPhone 4 were two big events for SingTel, you
could see people queuing in front of stores before their opening.

A less business related event will be SingTel’s involvement in the National Day Parade next week, and it
promises to be astonishing (every day since I arrived I can see helicopters training or hearing bands
practicing)

Finally, SingTel is sponsoring two great sport events that take place in Singapore: the Youth Olympic
Games, and the famous SingTel Singapore F1 Grand Prix, by night.

An inner vision of SingTel

In my opininion, you don’t properly get a company without being on the inside so I wanted to share with you
some day to day facts of the work here.

First thing I was able to catch about SingTel, as I did not spend a day there yet, is the reputation and image
consumers have of this company: people have for the most a good opinion of it. But what is this company
like on the inside? Well, it surprised me to see that SingTel is one of these companies where a lot of
employees spend 10, 15, 20, 30 years and more!

Why is that? First of all, employees really seem to be able to build a dynamic career; I saw people quite
recently hired getting evolution opportunities. Moreover, it seems that SingTel shows an actual commitment
in CSR (Company Social Responsibility). “It is really something on the paper” I usually think, but one
morning I was really surprised to see in the lobby of the company’s building dozens of people in boots
wearing SingTel red T-shirts, where I normally see people in suits. I remembered it was the plant-a-tree
day, one of these events part of the CSR policy of the group. Finally, these corporate values SingTel
displays are part of the day to day life in the company actually; For example, I just have to read the names of
the meeting rooms on my floor (Synergy, Symphony, and Fusion) to get my team spirit enabled J

SingTel's Headquarters, my place of work

You should know that I have the chance to work in the company’s headquarters. Obviously, despite all
efforts, you can’t get to know just 5% of the people working here (I know I will get to interact with more and
more people), and every day is another 10 introductions of myself… As chinese people usually put their
name before their first name, when I introduce myself as Quentin ALEXANDRE they get completely lost!
However people on my floor (31st ) now get it right. Actually they are about 20 employees here working
either in business analysis, marketing, sales support, project management or administration, and you can
find a bunch of nationalities : Singaporean as well as Chinese, Malay, Japanese, Indian, Indonesian (and
French). So another difficulty is adapting to every accent, because Asian people sometimes have their own
way to speak English, far from what you are used to hearing during TOEIC lessons.

To conclude this article, this is a vision of this company I found funny: as I was talking with another French
employee in the company one day, he had this comparison of SingTel with an elephant with a lot of dexterity
(hum, ok…): its massive but can adapt quickly. Anyway, SingTel is one of the pillars of Singapore’s healthy
economy (which BTW is announcing the world‘s biggest GDP growth this year), and from now I am glad to
be part of it.

I will see you in a month to scope on my position in the company and the missions I have been given. In the
meantime, take care!

Sources and photos:

• SingTel’s intranet
• SingTel’s shareholders annual report
• www.singtel.com
• www.wikipedia.org