May 6, 1998  SingTel Mobile company press release

SingTel Mobile customers can expect faster data transmissions by early next year. This is made possible by a new GSM technology called High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) which allows data to be transmitted to and from mobile phones up to 38.4 kilo bits per second. This is comparable to the transmission rate of modems via a fixed telephone network.

Today, SingTel Mobile customers who subscribe to MobileOffice services can transfer files and data and send faxes at 9.6 kbps. Customers can do so by hooking their laptops to their mobile phones for wireless data transmission. With HSCSD, they can surf the Internet at 38.4 kbps, four times faster than what is currently possible with MobileOffice.

"We believe that mobile phones are not just a voice communications tool. Increasingly, customers find that they need to access the Internet and corporate databases or send faxes while on the move. With faster data transmissions, our customers will find it even easier and more convenient to use our MobileOffice service," said Mr Tay Soo Meng, SingTel Mobile’s Senior Director of Engineering.