Singapore, 20 September 1999 -- Singapore’s newest info-communications service provider, StarHub, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to provide payphone equipment and services for both the Singapore Changi and Seletar Airports. The contract will see StarHub managing 50% of the total payphone units in both airports for two years, starting from 1 October 2000. In total, StarHub will install a range of 300 to 400 payphones, including coin-operated, multi-card payment and courtesy phone units.

 

StarHub will be the first info-communications service provider to introduce an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) based payphone network in Singapore. The majority of StarHub’s state-of-the art payphones to be installed in both Changi and Seletar Airports will be ISDN-enabled to provide users with quality and reliable services, convenience, faster transmission speed and information enriched features.

 

These ISDN payphones will support various languages, allow simultaneous voice and data communications and multi-mode payment, including cash, credit cards, Nets cash cards, and StarHub’s chip-based phone cards. At the same time, the phone units will be equipped with sockets which will allow users to connect their notebooks or to any other Web-enabled personal digital assistant devices to the payphone units and log onto the Internet to retrieve and send emails, as well as to surf the Net.

 

Apart from these innovative features, StarHub will also introduce several value-added services on its payphone units, including enabling users to check on weather forecasts, make taxi-bookings and use paging services.

In addition, StarHub will be providing several innovative multimedia kiosks that are equipped with free Internet access via its wholly-owned subsidiary, CyberWay.

 

StarHub’s payphones will be located at public access and transit areas. StarHub will also provide courtesy phone units at the transit areas.

 

Besides local calls, the various coin and multi-card payphone units will also allow international call services. These calls will be charged at prevailing rates as approved by Telecommunications Authority of Singapore (TAS). StarHub’s payphones and courtesy phones in the transit area will offer free local calls.

 

Said Mr Peter Kaliaropoulos, Senior Vice President, Commercial & Service, StarHub, "We are delighted to be able to assist CAAS in meeting the needs of travellers with an innovative range of payphone services and multimedia kiosks. Visitors arriving at both airports can expect state-of-the art and reliable communication services from StarHub. We are particularly pleased with this contract win as it is a testimony of CAAS’ confidence in StarHub’s capabilities and commitment to provide innovative solutions for its airport terminals."

 

StarHub will manage and maintain these payphone units in the airports via an intelligent Payphone Management System (PMS) to ensure their smooth operation. The contract will also include all related payphone maintenance and monitoring services.

 

StarHub will progressively install 3,500 payphone units in Singapore. StarHub will begin its full commercial payphone services on 1 April 2000. The payphone units and the payphone management system are procured from Ascom Payphone Systems, a division of the Swiss telecommunications and service automation company known as the Ascom Group.