StarHub proposes discussion with SingTel on one common set-up box
Posted: 12 November 2009 2011 hrs

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SINGAPORE: StarHub said on Thursday that "what could have been proposed three years ago has no relevance," in response to comments made by SingTel Singapore's chief Allen Lew.

At a results briefing on Wednesday, Mr Lew said the offer by StarHub to carry the SingTel Barclays Premier League on its network comes "three years too late".

StarHub counter-argued that there were also a number of things in the telco space that the competitor could have done over the past ten years, which would have made the playing field more level.

StarHub said a more fruitful discussion would be to focus on what can be done for consumers going forward, such as having the convenience of one set top box.

StarHub said, going forward, it will support a universal set-top box solution that would be operator agnostic and connected to the new national broadband infrastructure. This is also aligned with consumers' interest.

The telco said the only reason why SingTel would not accept its proposal is that SingTel would like to have its set top box as the preferred box in homes.

Meanwhile, StarHub said it approached SingTel formally on Wednesday, about its offer to carry SingTel's British Premier League channel and ESS channels on the StarHub TV network. It said its proposal provides an option for consumers.

- CNA/sc