SINGAPORE - Fourth telco TPG Telecom will be offering free mobile service for a year for the first 20,000 people who register their interest.

This is the first public announcement that the telco has made since news broke in August that it would spin off its Australian parent.

It also comes just days before the deadline from regulator Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of having to reach 95 per cent outdoor mobile service coverage by year end.

In a statement issued on Friday (Dec 21), TPG said this service will be a SIM-only plan that includes unlimited data and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calls.

But data at 4G speeds will be capped at 2GB daily, after which it will be limited to 1Mbps for the remainder of the day. There will also be 20 local SMS messages and 20 minutes of outgoing calls to local fixed lines each month.

Mobile voice calls on this plan will require a voice over LTE (VoLTE) capable handset that is compatible with its mobile network, said TPG.

As of now, the TPG network supports mobile voice calling on popular devices such as Huawei Nova 3i, P20 and Mate 20 as well as Samsung's Galaxy S9 and S9+.

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The trial plan will come with no lock-in contract and customers will be notified of any standard monthly charge at least two months before the year-long trial period.

Successful applicants to this trial service will be given a newly allocated number.

TPG said mobile number porting is currently being certified and will be made available after the trial.

TPG's executive chairman David Teoh said: "Through this service trial, we hope to seek public feedback as we optimise our network and service offerings through our unique Community Forum.

"The trial plan announced is tailored to encourage active usage of our network and we hope to eventually extend the incredible benefits and value when we launch full commercial services."

Those who would like to participate in this trial service can register their interest at www.tpgtelecom.com.sg

Regarding TPG's announcement, an IMDA spokesman said: "IMDA is encouraged to see TPG embark on a trial to test and gauge consumer feedback ahead of its full service launch which will give consumers a wider choice of telecommunication services."

Earlier this month, TPG had dismissed talk that it might have issues rolling out its services and may even exit Singapore entirely after news that its Australian parent company had started the process to merge with Vodafone Hutchison Australia.