Trial customers also to sample other multimedia rich content

Singapore, 6 December 2004 – StarHub's customers are set to experience the full excitement of exclusive Barclays English Premier League multimedia content on mobile as StarHub kick-started its 3G customer trials on 3 December 2004.

"Sports is one of the most compelling mobile content categories. We believe content such as Barclays English Premier League powered by StarHub's 3G network will strike a chord with our customers, enabling them to enjoy a richer experience of the soccer action. In a nutshell, our 3G trial will showcase complete match actions which allow users to fully embrace an all-round experience of soccer, during the games and immediately after," said Mr Chan Kin Hung, Head of Mobile Services, StarHub.

As the only provider of Barclays English Premier League audio-visual mobile content in Singapore, StarHub will offer its 3G trial customers access to exclusive video clips including 'near-live' goals, footage of previews, highlights, and round-ups of the league action from both current matches and archives of previous seasons. In addition, they will also have access to exclusive MMS updates, complete with pictures and audio to enable them to immerse themselves in the full magic of winning moments during the EPL matches.

In addition to the complete mobile offering of EPL action, trial participants will enjoy a sample of rich video content such as:

• Cable TV - Trailers of programmes on cable TV channels;
• News - 'Live' streaming of news;
• Music - Music videos of the latest hits, interviews with artistes, and Elvis specials;
• Movies - Trailers of the latest box office movies; and
• Animations - An assortment of entertaining short video clips of animation.

"The key objective of our 3G customer trials is to enable our customers to realise and enjoy first-hand the excitement and enhanced experience that 3G technology will bring to them with compelling content such as EPL. The trials will also help us to further enhance the end-to-end customer experience in viewing these types of rich multimedia content over our 3G network. This will enable users to distinctly experience the real excitement that rich content can deliver over their mobile phones, and not just limited to the standard 3G mobile services such as video calls and messaging services or Internet access," added Mr Chan. "Feedback from our customers will provide us with a better understanding of the expectations of our potential 3G mobile users, allowing us to fine-tune our 3G roll-out plan."

Trial customers will be issued with a 3G handset and SIM card each to sample the 3G content and services for free for the entire duration of the trial. The diverse genre of content will be updated regularly to allow customers to enjoy the latest in town. Besides, they will be able to experience other 3G services such as video calls and video MMS.

Mr Chan said: "Ultimately, what our customers can expect from this user trial is compelling content experience enhanced by the 3G technology. So, whether it is 2G, 3G or cable we can ensure that we have good content because of our unique ability to leverage content expertise through cable TV, thereby empowering our customers to hub the content of their interest, be it sports, music, news, information, or entertainment, whether at home or on the move."

StarHub obtained its 3G licence in 2001 and appointed Nokia as its 3G network vendor in 2003. It is currently in the final phases of its 3G infrastructure deployment to achieve nationwide 3G coverage by the end of the year.

StarHub's commercial 3G launch is expected to commence during the first half of next year.

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