Our Heritage

Transforming with you through 145 years

Singtel’s history is closely tied to the rapid growth of the Singapore economy and innovations in telecommunications. Starting when phone services first became available, to our evolution from a government statutory board to a listed company and transformation to a communications technology company today, we have come a long way in the last centennial.

The Singtel story is not merely a company story, it is an inextricable part of Singapore’s journey from trading settlement into the knowledge-based economy and technology hub it is today.

History of Singtel

  • The Early Years
    The Singtel heritage can be traced to the late 19th century when Singapore was a thriving trading hub connecting East and West. Our history is closely tied to the rapid growth of the economy and innovations in telecommunications.
    The Early Years of Singtel

    1879

    Telephone service in Singapore began in 1879 with a trial connection made between Raffles Square and Tanjong Pagar using a telegraph line. It was set up by the Eastern Exchange Telegraph Company.

    1882

    Oriental Telephone & Electric Company (OTEC) operated Singapore's first public phone exchange from Robinson Road. Earliest customers include Chartered Bank and HSBC.

    1937

    Telephone service in Singapore went international with the first long-distance call outside of Asia to London, connecting the Malaya Tribune office to journalist Rosalind Wong in the British capital.

    1946

    Communications systems and infrastructure were destroyed or heavily damaged during the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945). The number of phone lines fall from 11,000 in 1939 to just 6,983 in 1946.

    1955

    The Singapore Telephone Board (STB) was established to oversee Singapore’s phone network and takes over the entire phone network from Oriental Telephone & Electric Company.

    1965

    After Singapore gained independence, the STB was tasked with looking after domestic services, while the new Singapore Telecommunication Department (STD) oversaw international services.

    1974

    Following a reorganisation of STB and STD, the new Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS), also referred to as Telecoms, was handed responsibility for both domestic and international telecom services.

  • Connecting Singapore
    Singtel has been connecting people and businesses through more than 140 years of changing communications technology. 1979 was a milestone year which marked the centennial of telephone services in Singapore. We have come a long way since the days of phone operators, payphone and pagers.
    Connecting Singapore

    1971

    Singapore's first satellite earth station opened on Sentosa island, enabling high grade, direct telephone linked to destinations around the world.

    1979

    To mark 100 years of telephone service in Singapore, Telecoms unveiled a new logo and a new corporate headquarters, Comcentre, on Exeter Road. Singtel’s corporate headquarters is still at Comcentre today.

    1982

    The Postal Services Department merged with the then Telecommunication Authority of Singapore.

    1988

    Singtel launched cellular handphones, providing Singapore with first-generation (1G) mobile services.

    1989

    In 1989, just a mere decade after Telecoms was formed, the company was renamed Singapore Telecom, to reflect the globalisation of the business.

    1994

    Singtel launched Singapore's first internet service called SingNet.

    2007

    Singtel expanded into cable television services with mio TV, now known as Singtel TV.

  • When Singtel went global
    The 1990s mark the makings of Singtel as a regional multinational corporation. Our move overseas was spurred by the global deregulation of the telecoms market, starting in the 1980s. Knowing deregulation would reach our shores, we started preparing for competition by venturing abroad.
    When Singtel went global

    1992

    The Telecommunication Authority of Singapore was split into three entities: the reconstituted Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS, now part of the Info-communications Development Authority), Singapore Telecommunications Private Limited and Singapore Post Private Limited.

    On 1 April 1992, Singtel was corporatised in preparation for its public listing and impending competition in the telecoms sector. A new logo was unveiled at the same time.

    1993

    Singtel launched Singapore’s largest IPO to date, offering shares to the public at a discounted price as part of the government’s efforts to share the nation’s wealth and enlarge the base of share-owning Singaporeans. Shares began trading on the Singapore Stock Exchange on 1 November 1993.

    1993

    Singtel acquired a stake in Globe in the Philippines. This investment was to develop new sources of growth and also the future goal of creating regionwide services for the Singtel Group.

    1997

    Singtel acquired National Computer Systems (NCS) to become a significant enterprise solutions provider in the Asia Pacific.

    1999

    Singtel acquired a stake in Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand's largest cellular operator.

    2000

    As telecom deregulation accelerated worldwide, Singtel expanded further into regional markets with the acquisition of stake in Airtel, which has a presence in India, Sri Lanka and Africa.

    2001

    Singtel successfully aquired Optus in Australia, a significant foray beyond emerging markets in Asia and expanded Singtel’s footprint in the region.

    2001

    Singtel acquired a stake in Telkomsel in Indonesia.

  • Singtel’s Digital Transformation
    We continue to invest in upgrading, modernising through digital transformation initiatives and equipping our people and systems with new capabilities to ensure we are able to deliver innovative and relevant services to our customers.
    Singtel Digital Transformation

    2010

    Singtel Innov8 was founded as Singtel’s corporate venture company to invest in innovative technologies and solutions to create future growth engines for the Group.

    2018

    Singtel partnered with Etisalat, SoftBank and Telefónica to create the first Global Telco Security Alliance, one of the world’s biggest managed security services platforms, to offer enterprises access to a comprehensive portfolio of cyber security services. AT&T joined the alliance in 2019.

    2018

    Singtel launched FutureNow Innovation Centre to help enterprises transform their business models, unlock new growth opportunities, redefine customer experiences and improve productivity.

  • 5G and the future digital economy
    The arrival of 5G brings the opportunity to supercharge the future, by reconfiguring how technology, data and services are deployed to meet consumers’ needs, transforming industries and cities in the process. We have embarked on a strategic reset aimed at capturing untapped digital growth in the 5G era and are making good progress by reinvigorating our core consumer and enterprise businesses, developing new growth engines through NCS, digital banking and data centre business, as well as unlocking the value of our portfolio of assets.
    5G and future digital economy

    2019

    Singtel, Ericsson and Singapore Polytechnic opened 5G Garage, Singapore’s first live 5G facility to develop Singapore’s 5G ecosystem by providing training, test-bedding and ideating.

    2020

    Singtel was awarded a 5G licence by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore to roll out nationwide 5G by 2025, which will enable higher quality connectivity and extensive digital innovation for industries and businesses. 

    Singtel selected Ericsson to provide the 5G SA Core, RAN and mmWave network.

    2020

    Our Singtel-Grab consortium was selected to set up a full digital bank in Singapore, which will be launched in the second half of 2022.

    2021

    Our ICT arm NCS embarked on a major transformation to become a regional tech services powerhouse by driving digital growth, scaling government and telco business, and expanding into the enterprise sector and key markets in the Asia Pacific.

    2021

    We established a regional data centre platform anchored by our Singapore data centre business to capture opportunities from ASEAN’s rapid digitalisation. We have formed partnerships in Thailand with Gulf Energy and regional associate AIS, as well as in Indonesia with Telkom.

    2021

    Singtel launched Singapore’s first 5G Standalone network, which can deliver twice the responsiveness and 30% faster uploads compared to 4G, to enable applications such as self-driving cars, real-time immersive entertainment, and massive IoT connections.

    Following this, we collaborated with GovTech and Sentosa Development Corporation on a 5G@Sentosa testbed to catalyse large-scale adoption of 5G by government agencies and develop Singapore’s 5G ecosystem.

    2021

    We launched our sustainable financing programme, Olives, which aligns our financing strategy to broader ESG goals. The majority of financing raised since 2021 is sustainability-linked.

    2022

    Singtel launched Paragon, a revolutionary all-in-one orchestration platform that consolidates all the necessary resources across 5G and edge computing into one touchpoint, significantly lowering the barriers to 5G adoption and integration for enterprises.

    Partners include Micron, Hyundai, National University Health System who have deployed 5G solutions in areas such as advanced manufacturing and healthcare to improve operational efficiencies, drive innovation and enhance problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.

    2022

    We expanded our digital bank footprint beyond Singapore with a full digital banking licence win in Malaysia and the acquisition of a stake in Bank Fama in Indonesia – both in partnership with Grab.

    2022

    Singtel announced plans to redevelop our Comcentre headquarters into a S$3 billion world-class sustainable workplace featuring the latest smart building and digital technologies. We are partnering real estate group Lendlease in a joint venture for the redevelopment. Expected to be completed by the end of 2028, the new Comcentre will be a net zero energy development built in line with carbon neutral construction principles.

    2023

    Singtel has partnered with leading global investment firm KKR in our regional data centre business. KKR's investment puts the enterprise value at S$5.5b and will support the expansion of the business across ASEAN markets.