Cellphone users in Singapore can expect extended coverage in buildings, on roads and when travelling in an MRT train underground, when stricter rules on 3G coverage unveiled today by the government regulator kick in as soon as April 2012.

Following a number of high-profile network outages last year, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) today spelt out the new rules, which will include 85 per cent coverage for each building here. Currently, telcos only have to cover 85 per cent of “public access areas”.

For commuters, the coverage will now include all road and MRT tunnels as well as the CTE by 2015, extending from the previous requirement of 95 per cent across road and MRT tunnels tested. In all, about 99 per cent of the outdoor space on the island is to be blanketed by 3G signals. Previously, the requirement was only 95 per cent across all roads.

And each time any of the three telecom operators here – SingTel, StarHub, M1 – fails to meet one requirement, they can be fined up to S$50,000, instead of the previous “slap on the wrist” S$5,000 per indicator per month.

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Singapore Expo is a long way away for most people, other than folks living in the east, so before you head down to Sitex, Singapore’s last quarterly IT bazaar for 2011, check out some of the standout deals that people have been putting up on brochure sites.

Yes, in the past, you had to squeeze your way through the halls for some small bargain, collecting loads of brochures on the way. Today, you can check out what’s on offer online before heading down for a more targeted trip.

Here are some great deals so far at this weekend’s show. We’ll update this page as we get more info.

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Couch potatoes in Singapore will find it easier to switch pay-TV operators come March 2012, when new rules unveiled today kick in to prevent operators from locking in users with long-term or punitive subscription plans.

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Think of Singapore’s latest efforts to turn everyone’s phone into a mobile wallet to pay for taxi rides, burgers and groceries, and the phrase deja vu may not be far from your mind.

As the city-state’s infocomm regulator and its industry partners embark on an ambitious S$40 million project, unveiled today, to let mobile phone users here tap and pay with their phones at some 20,000 payment points by next year, they could perhaps remember a lesson or two from the past.

If they succeed, users will be able to trot out their smartphones to pay for a burger at McDonald’s instead of using an ez-link card by mid-2012. A year later, in 2013, commuters may also be able to tap their phones at train station gantries to pay for their rides – if the transport authorities and companies get their act together.

But Singapore has seen numerous such trials over the years, even as places like Japan and Hong Kong have raced ahead with more advanced payment options. …

Flat-rate fees for surfing the Web on the phone in Europe could be something on the cards for StarHub users after the telco and its regional telecom partners signed a deal with one of the world’s biggest cellphone operators, Vodafone, today.

The Conexus Mobile Alliance, a grouping of Asian telecom operators that StarHub is part of, said it would work with Vodafone to provide more streamlined services to multi-national corporations and offer “harmonised roaming rates across multiple countries” for a combined 600 million subscribers in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. …

Another one of Singapore’s quarterly tech bazaars, Comex 2011, opens its doors today to thousands of bargain hunters eager to cash in on discounts – or perceived discounts – on laptops, headphones, printers, TVs, broadband plans and just about anything tech you can find on the island.

One of the most hotly-awaited deals – HP’s TouchPad – has already been sold out this morning. Only 100 units of each version of the tablet (16GB and 32GB) went on sale today and the queue numbers were snapped up in no time. A queue had formed as early as 4am, according to the good folks from The Straits Times Digital Life.

HP is still selling the tablet from S$118 in the coming days, but you’d have to love queues to get in line for one of these fire sale items.

Meanwhile, here are a few other deals we’d be interested with: …

Help Sparky the dog reunite with his long lost love.

No, not by choosing a mate from a dog breeder, but through following his story on TV, playing games on your mobile phone, and finding hints on Facebook.

It’s a virtual love story that StarHub, who is running Singapore’s first interactive commercial, hopes will create lots of brand publicity for them. The commercial was unveiled on the big screen at a media preview held at GV Vivocity cinemas today.

The catch is that it doesn’t only play out on TV, YouTube or the cinema screen, but also on mobile phones and computers through interactive gaming — the first time it is done here locally. It’s not exactly a full-blown alternate reality game (ARG), but it contains some elements of it.

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UNWIRED, Singapore’s first and only independent wireless and mobile conference, returned for a second run last Thursday, and saw the attendance of top-level executives from the relevant industries from across Southeast Asia.

Opened by the Infocomm Development Authority’s assistance chief executive Khoong Hock Yun, it featured half a day’s discussion on hot topics affecting the industry and its users.

From Singapore’s expected move to next generation mobile broadband (4G/LTE) to the rise of mobile computing and winning features of a mobile operating system, the conference was packed with fresh insights from a who’s who list of the country’s industry experts, who fielded a number of questions from the audience. …

If you’ve been lusting over the smooth, curved Gorilla Glass screen and sleek exterior of the Dell Venue smartphone, it’s here finally. The Android 2.2 smartphone – which feels a bit 2010, to be honest – has hit stores here in Singapore with a recommended retail price of S$738. The phone will also be available through telcos StarHub and M1. …

What features would users expect from the mobile OSes running their handheld gizmos in the next six to 12 months? What will LTE and 4G bring to telecom operators when the speedy networks are finally rolled out? And how can organisations gain by creating mobile apps that tap on “the cloud” through their smartphones?

These are just a sample of the issues that industry leaders from Singapore and the region will be discussing at the upcoming UNWIRED 2011 conference on May 26, 2011. …