Singapore Telecom is to cut its international direct dialing rates to mainstream destinations by up to 50% from Nov 1. The reductions which will cut call rates to 31 destinations including China, Hong Kong, Japan, US and UK, will be the company’s third rate cut this year. Rates to the US alone will be reduced by up to 33%. In June, SingTel announced it would lower its IDD rates to 106 less popular destinations by up to 15 per cent. And before that, in January, it cut its rates by up to 46 per cent to about 100 destinations, costing it more than S$100m ($65.47m) in lost revenue. The threat of competition and the advent of newer technology left SingTel with no choice but to cut its rates. SingTel saw competition for the first time in the mobile communications market in April this year.
