Zero1 is Singapore's first MVNO to offer 5G mobile plans

There’s a new option for a 5G plan in town, and it’s probably one you didn’t see coming.

Zero1 has come out of nowhere to become the first MVNO to offer 5G, joining the ‘big boys’ Singtel, M1 and StarHub as the only providers of high-speed mobile data plans.

The prices for the two new plans, Zero1 60u 5G and Zero1 90u 5G, aren’t bad either. It costs $24.90 monthly for 60GB of data and $31.90 monthly for 90GB of data.

And from now till Dec 31, 2022, Zero1 is offering prices of $22.90 per month for 60GB and $29.90 per month for 90GB for the first 12 months, before reverting to the regular pricing. On top of that, customers will receive an additional 10GB of data for free for three months. Despite the competitive state of the mobile network space, I do think that Zero1 does bring something different–and attractive–to the table.

No plan involved

Singtel and StarHub have more attractive packages; for example, Singtel is offering $30 (6 months, U.P. $45) for 70GB+30GB for the first six months and StarHub is offering $28 for 70GB+30GB for the first three months with an additional 10GB for 12 months (and free Disney+ subscription for a limited time). Both offer 1,000 min and 1,000 SMS as well, but you’re tied down to a 12-month contract.

M1’s Bespoke SIM-only plan doesn’t enforce a 12-month contract, and just for example’s sake (note that there are other configurations and charges will differ), a 50GB (30GB+20GB for 12 months) plan with Caller ID costs $27.95 ($33.30 when caller ID is chargeable after three months).

Other benefits include free unlimited weekend data for 12 months and a bundle of 300 minutes of talktime and 100 SMS. The price will revert to $38.30 and 30GB of data, so while there are other perks in the first year, it costs more than a Zero1 Plan in the long run unless you terminate the plan and start another.

Zero1’s offering is more straightforward. There’s no contract, and there’s only the 12-month introductory offer and the 3-month 10GB bonus to think about. It’s pretty reasonable, all things considered, and you don’t need to go through the pain of combing through contracts and clauses.

Excess charges

The ‘big three’ impose data excess charges of $10.70 per gigabyte. So if you have the tendency to not be able to keep to your cap, then Zero1 is far more forgiving and you can still more or less be able to use your phone, albeit at throttled speeds. But at least you don’t have to worry about insane bill charges.

Non-Standalone(NSA) vs Standalone(SA)

It would be a real shocker if an MVNO is able to offer SA 5G service… and no surprises here; Zero1 doesn’t. But presently, not many applications benefit hugely from the low-latency advantage that SA 5G offers. StarHub and M1 have been trying to value-add with cloud gaming services like GeForce Now and Zolaz, but for most of us, NSA is adequate.

Coverage

This is largely subjective and highly dependent on a lot of variables but most people have little to no trouble with coverage when it comes to Singtel’s networks. And it’s no secret as well that Zero1 is Singtel’s MVNO partner, which means you are essentially leveraging on Singtel’s robust network.

Price plans at a glance

For full details, visit Zero1’s Plans page, or sign up here.

This article was first published in Potions.sg.