17 July 2009

Singapore , 17 July 2009 – More online users in Singapore will soon experience ultra-high local Internet surfing speeds as StarHub unleashes its MaxOnline Premium service to meet the demands for bandwidth-intensive next-generation applications and content.

From today, StarHub MaxOnline Premium customers will receive an extra speed boost of up to 100Mbps* when they use a DOCSIS 3.0** cable modem to access online content hosted locally in Singapore. With higher local bandwidth, StarHub’s MaxOnline Premium customers can now enjoy a better surfing experience – with smoother video streaming, faster downloads, quicker access to office Intranets, and better gaming experience.

Ms Ong Bee Lian, StarHub's Vice President of Home Solutions said, “As an award-winning broadband player in Asia-Pacific***, we continue to push the envelope in delivering more value on our service offerings to our customers. This new upgrade will empower our MaxOnline Premium customer base to experience true next-generation broadband speeds now.”

Industry partners in Singapore agree that StarHub’s initiative to boost the local broadband speeds of MaxOnline Premium customers will help accelerate the online adoption of the next-generation of applications and content.

“We have been working closely with StarHub for many years to ensure that our dedicated gaming community can enjoy our popular MMOGs such as MapleStory, Audition and CABAL Online seamlessly.  The new enhancement for StarHub's MaxOnline Premium customers will further boost their enjoyment of these games, with faster download times for the game clients and updates, and an even better gaming experience than before,” said Mr Gerry Ung, managing director of Asiasoft Online.

“Gamers today demand speed and quality in connectivity. We welcome StarHub’s speed upgrade for MaxOnline Premium as it will allow more gamers to spend less time waiting for the online game client to download and more time actually playing these games. This enhancement is timely for the launch of our latest MMOG game Dragonica, as well as for our other games such as EA SPORTS™ FIFA Online 2 and IMC’s Granado Espada where gamers will be able to have high speed access, lower latency and thus a more enjoyable online experience as they interact with countless other players,” said Mr Roland Ong, CEO of IAH Games.

To experience the full speed boost, MaxOnline Premium customers are advised to upgrade their cable modem to a DOCSIS 3.0**-compatible one. MaxOnline Premium customers using DOCSIS 2.0 cable modems should be able to experience a speed bump up to 32Mbps to access online content hosted locally in Singapore. There will be no change in access speeds for users using DOCSIS 1.0 or earlier cable modems.

MaxOnline Premium + StarHub TV = Better value for families

The upgrade comes hot on the heels of a new Home Hubbing Pack Premium bundle to be introduced tomorrow. The new bundle gives new MaxOnline Premium customers an opportunity to experience many of the services that StarHub offers. The Home Hubbing Pack Premium retails at $81.32 (with GST) and comes packaged with the following services:

  • MaxOnline Premium, delivering speeds of up to 12Mbps (up to 100Mbps locally with a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem) for 24 months;
  • StarHub TV service with any three Basic Groups of up to 21 channels for 24 months;
  • Additional upsized channels from the Basic Plus Groups for six months;

In addition, MaxOnline Premium customers can choose one of the following two solutions as part of their package -

1. Protect your PC and home network for 12 months with Norton 360 version 3.0, the industry’s leading all-in-one security solution for protecting users’ PCs and all their online activities. The latest version of Norton 360 includes security and performance enhancements that keep PCs protected and running at peak performance, and increased online backup flexibility for safeguarding users' most important files.  Norton 360 now further extends protection to online activities with the full-featured version of the new Web site ratings service, Norton Safe Web.

2. Help your children improve their studies by accessing ASKnLearn's popular interactive e-learning tool. New customers will be able to view numerous tests, quizzes and school revisions on one subject of a single primary or secondary school level, for 12 months. ASKnLearn is a Pan-Asian provider of education solutions, providing e-learning solutions, multimedia content and consultancy services to over 180 institutions across the region.

This Home Hubbing Pack Premium bundle offers tremendous value to families with kids as it combines the MaxOnline Premium residential broadband plan with a wide selection of StarHub TV channels and the complementary Digital Voice service at the same price of $81.32 (w/GST).