SingTel, StarHub trot out netbooks and other freebies

Do you want an Asus Eee PC or an HP mini?

That seems to be the choice that Sitex shoppers are being asked to make by SingTel and StarHub, as the two broadband operators slug it out in an increasingly saturated broadband market.

Counting personal broadband services like 3.5G offerings, Singapore has a residential broadband penetration of 93 per cent.

What do SingTel and StarHub do then? Tie you in with ever more attractive deals, of course!

At the Sitex show this weekend, you’ll get an Xbox 360 Holiday Value Bundle free, if you sign up for a S$53-a-month, 8Mbps ADSL broadband plan. In fact, add S$2 more each month and you can choose an Asus Eee PC 900HA instead.

StarHub, on the other hand, gives a free HP mini netbook for signing up to its MaxOnline cable modem services. Wait, if you don’t like small, you can also choose a desktop PC from HP for free.

But what I find more exciting is the S$289 Dell Inspiron mini 9 netbook (usual S$899) that StarHub is offering with a two-year signup of its MaxMobile 3.5G wireless service, which, for StarHub cable modem users, costs only S$36.38 a month for unlimited 7.2Mbps downloads.

If you are happy with your telco, by all means get tied in and get the goodies that they offer. Just make sure that you like the service (slow downloads, lag on game servers?) instead of the freebie.

In any case, always check if your contract is up (usually 24 to 28 mths). Maybe it’s time to recontract and get a free netbook in return for your loyalty?