Singaporean data disruptor Circles.Life plans regional expansion – CNET

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The virtual network operator is also offering a free trial for new customers that comes with 20GB.

Circles.Life

A plucky virtual network operator from Singapore is hoping to change things in the region.

Having successfully disrupted the local scene by offering consumers bigger data caps compared to traditional carriers, Circles.Life is hoping to shake things up in Indonesia and Hong Kong next.

Unlike traditional carriers, Circles.Life doesn’t have infrastructure like cell towers. Similar to other virtual network operators in the US, such as Cricket Wireless, Circles.Life leases its network from a traditional carrier to do business.

The company said today it plans to launch in the region’s biggest market of Indonesia before the end of the year. Hong Kong is also in the works, though a timeline has not yet been revealed.

The announcement comes off the launch of a new service called Circles Switch in Singapore that offers potential customers a free trial of its network. It lets users sign up for a 20GB a month plan, a move similar to Netflix’s free one month trial, though Circles.Life lasts till 31 Dec 2017.

Users who subscribe to the service will automatically port their current number to the new plan after the trial ends, though they can cancel before this happens with no penalty. In Singapore, users typically sign two-year contracts when buying a new phone, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 or the iPhone 8 Plus, and Circles.Life is hoping to snag new customers who are about to recontract.

Circles.Life is currently aiming for a three to five percent share of the local Singapore market, and has stated that it is ahead of schedule by two years. Competition is expected to get heated once the fourth carrier, Australian-based TPG Telecom, enters the fray in 2018.

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