Telcos need new ideas to dial up revenue from rising data use

SINGAPORE has seen the sharpest decline in data prices among key Asian telecom markets in the past 12 months in spite of strong growth in data use, according to a recent report by DBS analyst Sachin Mittal.

This is the result of a ferocious price war in the telecom market which has been a boon for consumers.

But the good times may not last. Once customers are hooked bingeing on big data, they will be reluctant to cut back on usage even if they have to pay more for it once the price war is over - or so the larger operators believe as they batter one another hoping to be the last man standing, figuratively speaking. This version of The Hunger Games is likely to wrap up in the next three years, Moody's analysts expect.