2Gbps vs 1Gbps Broadband SG 2026: Singtel vs StarHub vs M1 vs SIMBA

SIMBA's 10Gbps home fibre plan costs S$29.99 a month and Singtel's 1Gbps plan costs S$43.90, which means the fastest consumer line sold in Singapore is now cheaper than one of the slowest, and the 2Gbps tier in the middle is the one that no longer makes sense for most flats. Those two numbers are both on the providers' own September 2026 listings (SIMBA's broadband page, and Singtel's plan listing as mirrored on Seedly in October 2026), and they are the reason this article exists.

This is a four-way on 1Gbps versus 2Gbps across Singtel, StarHub, M1 and SIMBA, written for someone whose 24-month contract is ending and who is being upsold "2Gbps for just S$15 more". We go through what each provider actually sells as of September 2026, why a Wi-Fi 6 router and a 1Gbps laptop port stop you from ever seeing 2Gbps, who really needs it, and where cashback via ShopBack fits around the one thing you buy once: the router.

What do Singtel, StarHub, M1 and SIMBA charge for 1Gbps and 2Gbps as of September 2026?

All four run on the same NetLink NBN Trust fibre. The provider changes the price, the router in the box and the customer service queue, not the glass in the wall.

Plan	Singtel	StarHub	M1	SIMBA
1Gbps list price (24 months)	S$43.90 (dual-band router) or S$49.90 (Askey mesh pair)	Not on the current shelf; 500Mbps at S$29.90 and 3Gbps at S$39.91 bracket it (SG Signal, May 2026)	S$39.90 with Wi-Fi 6 router (SG Signal, May 2026)	Not sold
2Gbps list price (24 months)	S$61.90 with AirTies mesh pair; 2Gbps Mesh plan S$74.26, S$56.26 on new-home promo	S$62.90 with Smart WiFi Pro (older listing)	Dual 2Gbps S$59.90, delivered as two 1Gbps ONT ports	2.5Gbps at S$20 a month before GST, quarterly or annual billing, BYO router (2024 launch; not on the Sep 2026 shelf)
Next tier up	1+1Gbps gaming S$64.90 (ASUS RT-AX86U Wi-Fi 6); 10Gbps S$169 list	UltraSpeed 5Gbps S$29.55 (new sign-ups); 10Gbps S$38.90; 10Gbps Mesh S$46.26, all with TP-Link Wi-Fi 7	HomePac 3Gbps from S$29.50 with free Wi-Fi 7 router; HomePac 10Gbps from S$26.90	10Gbps S$29.99 per 30 days, Huawei Wi-Fi 7 mesh (24 months) or eero Pro 7 (24 months) or BYO (12 months)
Router generation on the 1Gbps or 2Gbps tier	Wi-Fi 5 AC on base 1Gbps; Wi-Fi 6 on gaming tier	Wi-Fi 6 Smart WiFi Pro on 2Gbps; Wi-Fi 7 on 5Gbps and up	Wi-Fi 6 on 1Gbps; Wi-Fi 7 on HomePac	None on 2.5Gbps; Wi-Fi 7 on 10Gbps
Contract	24 months only	24 months	24 months	24 months with router, 12 months BYO
Install and activation	Often waived on promo	Free NLT activation and installation worth S$152.72 on current promo	Free registration and activation on HomePac	Included on 24-month plans; connection and delivery charged separately on the old 2.5Gbps plan

Sources: Singtel plan listing via Seedly (October 2026), StarHub broadband page (September 2026), M1 homepage (September 2026), SIMBA broadband page (September 2026), SG Signal cheapest broadband roundup (3 May 2026), HardwareZone on SIMBA's 2.5Gbps launch (February 2024), MoneySmart's Singtel 2Gbps listing (September 2026).

Read the table twice and the pattern is clear. The 1Gbps tier is priced S$39.90 to S$49.90 at the big three. The 2Gbps tier is priced S$56.26 to S$74.26. And the 3Gbps to 10Gbps tiers at M1, StarHub and SIMBA are priced S$26.90 to S$46.26. The 2Gbps plans are the most expensive line on the whole shelf, by a wide margin, for a speed that most flats cannot consume.

Why can't most Singapore homes actually use 2Gbps?

This is the part the sales script skips. Four separate limits sit between the fibre and your screen, and any one of them caps you at 1Gbps.

How is 2Gbps actually delivered through the ONT port?

The optical network terminal is the provider's white box that turns NetLink's light into Ethernet. On a 1Gbps plan it has 1Gbps ports. On the 2Gbps plans there are two designs. M1's dual 2Gbps plan activates two ONT ports at 1Gbps each, which is why its own listing describes it as "two activated ONT ports delivering 1Gbps each". Singtel's 1+1Gbps gaming plan is the same idea: two separate gigabit feeds, one for the gaming PC and one for everything else. Under either design no single device can exceed 1Gbps, full stop. SIMBA's older 2.5Gbps plan went the other way and specified a single ONT port at 2.5Gbps down and 1.25Gbps up, and its current 10Gbps gateway, launched with Huawei Wi-Fi 7 mesh on 18 September 2026 per HardwareZone, has multi-gig ports. If you are paying for 2Gbps, ask which design you are getting.

Why does the Wi-Fi 6 router in the box cap you below 1Gbps?

Most 1Gbps and 2Gbps plans ship a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router or mesh pair: Singtel's Askey or AirTies mesh, StarHub's Smart WiFi Pro, M1's Wi-Fi 6 unit. A Wi-Fi 6 router talking to a two-antenna client over an 80MHz channel links at a nominal 1,201Mbps. After protocol overhead, neighbours' networks on the same 5GHz channel and the concrete walls in an HDB flat, the usable throughput to that one phone or laptop lands at roughly 600 to 900Mbps on a good day. Ezurio's Wi-Fi generation comparison puts Wi-Fi 6E real-world throughput at 2 to 3Gbps and Wi-Fi 7 at 5 to 10Gbps, which is why the providers only bother putting Wi-Fi 7 kit on the 3Gbps and faster tiers. On Wi-Fi 6, a 2Gbps plan and a 1Gbps plan feel identical to every wireless device in the house.

There is a second, quieter cap: the LAN and WAN ports on most Wi-Fi 6 routers are 1Gbps. Even if the ONT could feed 2.5Gbps, the router's WAN port throttles it to 1Gbps before any Wi-Fi happens.

The 1GbE port on almost every device you own

Standard Ethernet on laptops, smart TVs, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and most desktops is Gigabit Ethernet, which is 1Gbps. 2.5GBASE-T ports appear on newer gaming desktops, some premium laptops and NAS units, but a MacBook Air has no Ethernet port at all and a Samsung or LG TV has a 100Mbps port on many models. To see 2Gbps on one device you need a 2.5GbE port on that device, a 2.5GbE port on the router, a 2.5GbE port on the ONT, and Cat5e in good condition or Cat6 between all of them.

The in-wall cabling in older flats

Cat5e, which most HDB flats and condos completed before the late 2010s were wired with, is rated to 1Gbps at standard run lengths. 2.5GbE will negotiate over short, clean Cat5e runs but is only reliable over Cat6. If the ONT is in the DB box near the front door and the TV console is at the far end of a 4-room flat, the in-wall cable is the ceiling, not the plan.

The server at the other end

Even with a perfect 2.5GbE path, a single download from Steam, the PlayStation Store or iCloud rarely exceeds 1Gbps per connection because the far end throttles per session. Where multi-gig shows up is many parallel transfers, which is a NAS and multi-user problem, not a one-laptop problem.

What actually moves the broadband bill?

Three things, in this order.

The tier you sit on. The S$15 to S$30 monthly jump from 1Gbps to 2Gbps is the single largest avoidable line, and across 24 months it is S$360 to S$720. Over the same window a 3Gbps to 10Gbps plan at M1, StarHub or SIMBA costs less per month than the 1Gbps plan at Singtel.

The router you accept. Wi-Fi 7 kit is what unlocks multi-gig wireless, and the providers only bundle it on the faster tiers. StarHub's TP-Link HB710 is valued at S$749 and its dual-unit mesh at S$1,498 on the 10Gbps Mesh plan; SIMBA quotes its Huawei Wi-Fi 7 mesh bundle at S$1,500 in freebies. If you take a 1Gbps plan with a Wi-Fi 5 router and then buy your own Wi-Fi 7 mesh, that purchase is the real cost of the "cheap" plan.

The promotion window. Activation and installation (S$152.72 at StarHub's published value), free months, and new-home or port-in discounts move the first-year cost more than the tier does. Singtel's S$18 off for new home customers on the 2Gbps Mesh plan is S$432 across 24 months.

What does not move the bill: the fibre. Every provider rides NetLink's network, so there is no "better fibre" to pay for.

Which plan fits which household?

Single in a one-bedder, laptop and phone, streams at night

Heaviest moment: a 4K Netflix stream (roughly 15 to 25Mbps) plus a phone update. A 1Gbps plan is 40 times that. Take the cheapest line that comes with a router you will not need to replace. As of September 2026 that is M1 HomePac 3Gbps from S$29.50 with a free Wi-Fi 7 router, or SIMBA 10Gbps at S$29.99 with eero Pro 7, both cheaper than Singtel's S$43.90 1Gbps. The 2Gbps tier is irrelevant here.

Family of four in a 4-room HDB flat, two teens gaming, parents on Zoom

Heaviest moment: two console downloads at once, a Zoom call in the study and a Disney+ stream in the living room. Total under 300Mbps if the downloads are capped by the store, but the Zoom call will stutter if the router is in the DB box by the front door. The fix is a mesh node in the study, not a faster plan. Pick a plan with a Wi-Fi 7 mesh pair: StarHub 10Gbps Mesh at S$46.26 or SIMBA 10Gbps with Huawei mesh at S$29.99, both on 24 months. The only reason to consider Singtel's 2Gbps Mesh at S$56.26 is if the household already runs three or more Singtel mobile lines and the bundle discount closes the gap, which the Singtel plan page does not show for broadband alone.

Heavy streamer or content creator uploading 4K daily

Upload is the number that matters, and it is the number providers advertise least. SIMBA's old 2.5Gbps plan was 2.5Gbps down and 1.25Gbps up. On a symmetric 1Gbps plan, a 50GB 4K project uploads in about seven minutes; on 2Gbps symmetric with a 2.5GbE path it halves. This is the one persona where the faster tier is felt, and even then the 3Gbps to 10Gbps plans at S$26.90 to S$46.26 beat the 2Gbps tier on price.

Home office with NAS backup and large datasets

Multi-gig matters here, on wired 2.5GbE or 10GbE. Skip 2Gbps, which is often two 1Gbps ports anyway, and go to a 10Gbps plan with a gateway that has a 10G port: StarHub's TP-Link HB710 or SIMBA's eero Pro 7 10G. Budget for a 2.5GbE or 10GbE switch and Cat6 runs; without them the plan is theoretical.

Elderly household that wants a shop to walk into

Singtel and StarHub have the widest retail footprint and the longest-running home install teams (StarHub brands its installers HubTroopers). The premium for Singtel's 1Gbps at S$43.90 over M1's S$39.90 is S$96 across 24 months, which is a fair price for a counter to visit. The 2Gbps tier buys nothing extra for this household.

Verdict by buyer type

Lowest monthly bill for a plan you will not outgrow: M1 HomePac 10Gbps from S$26.90 or SIMBA 10Gbps at S$29.99 (both 24 months, both with Wi-Fi 7 routers). Source: M1 homepage and SIMBA broadband page, September 2026.

Best bundled Wi-Fi 7 mesh for a large flat: StarHub UltraSpeed 10Gbps Mesh at S$46.26 with two TP-Link HB710 units, or SIMBA 10Gbps with the Huawei OptiXstar mesh pair at S$29.99. Source: provider pages, September 2026.

You genuinely only want 1Gbps and a plain router: M1 1Gbps at S$39.90 with a Wi-Fi 6 router (SG Signal, May 2026) beats Singtel's S$43.90 with a Wi-Fi 5 unit. MyRepublic at S$37.99 and WhizComms at S$34.90 sit below both, though StarHub's August 2026 acquisition of MyRepublic (reported by HardwareZone on 22 August 2026) means that shelf may change.

The 2Gbps tier itself: we could not build a persona for which it is the right answer at September 2026 prices. The two-port designs cap each device at 1Gbps, the Wi-Fi 6 routers cap wireless below 1Gbps, and the 3Gbps to 10Gbps plans from rivals cost less. If a sales rep offers 2Gbps as an upgrade, the honest counter-offer is "show me your 10Gbps price".

You want Singtel specifically: take the 1Gbps at S$43.90 or the 2Gbps Mesh on the S$56.26 new-home promotion only if you need the AirTies mesh and the Singtel app ecosystem, and treat the 10Gbps list price of S$169 as a negotiating anchor rather than a plan to buy.

Where cashback via ShopBack fits

ShopBack does not list Singtel, StarHub, M1 or SIMBA as cashback merchants in Singapore, so the broadband plan itself is not where cashback lands. Where it does land is the hardware around the plan, which for most households is the bigger one-off spend: a Wi-Fi 7 mesh pair, a 2.5GbE switch, Cat6 cables, a NAS for the backup persona, or a replacement router when you take a BYO plan like SIMBA's 12-month 10Gbps.

The mechanism is the same every time. Open ShopBack first, either the app on your phone or the Cashback Buddy extension on desktop, tap through to Lazada, Shopee or Amazon Singapore, and complete the purchase in that same session so the tracking fires. Cashback shows as pending in your ShopBack account and confirms after the merchant's return window closes; a returned router voids the cashback on that item. The rate on each merchant page on the day is what you earn, and it moves, so the ShopBack merchant page is the source of truth rather than this article.

Timing stacks naturally with contract timing. Routers and mesh kits are discounted hardest around 10.10, 11.11 and Black Friday on 27 November 2026, which lines up with a December recontract. Buy the router in the sale, then sign the BYO or router-light plan when the current contract ends.

FAQ

What is the real difference between a 1Gbps and a 2Gbps fibre plan in Singapore?

On paper the 2Gbps plan doubles your download ceiling. In practice the ceiling is set by the slowest link between the fibre box and your screen. Every laptop, smart TV and console with a standard Ethernet port tops out at 1Gbps, a typical Wi-Fi 6 phone or laptop links at a nominal 1,201Mbps and delivers well under 1Gbps in real use, and several 2Gbps plans (M1's dual 2Gbps, Singtel's 1+1Gbps gaming plan) are actually two 1Gbps ports, so no single device can pull more than 1Gbps. The difference only shows up when two or more wired devices, or a Wi-Fi 7 client on a 6GHz band, are saturating the line at the same moment.

How does a Wi-Fi 6 router limit a 2Gbps plan?

A Wi-Fi 6 router talks to a two-antenna client (most phones and laptops) over an 80MHz channel at a nominal 1,201Mbps. After protocol overhead and real-world interference the usable throughput to that one device is typically 600 to 900Mbps, so a 2Gbps plan cannot be felt on Wi-Fi 6 by any single device. Most Wi-Fi 6 routers supplied with 1Gbps plans also have 1Gbps LAN and WAN ports, which is a hard 1Gbps cap before the Wi-Fi even starts. Ezurio's Wi-Fi comparison puts Wi-Fi 6E real-world throughput at 2 to 3Gbps and Wi-Fi 7 at 5 to 10Gbps, and those are the router generations that can actually carry a 2Gbps or faster plan.

How is a 2Gbps plan delivered to the home?

Two ways, and it matters. Some providers split 2Gbps across two 1Gbps ports on the optical network terminal (ONT), so you get two separate 1Gbps feeds. M1's dual 2Gbps plan and Singtel's 1+1Gbps gaming plan work this way. Others hand you a single 2.5GbE port on the ONT or gateway, which can carry 2Gbps to one device if that device also has a 2.5GbE port. SIMBA's older 2.5Gbps plan specified an ONT at 2.5Gbps down and 1.25Gbps up, and its current 10Gbps plan ships a Wi-Fi 7 gateway with 10G ports. Ask which design you are getting before paying for the faster tier.

Is a 2Gbps plan cheaper than a 10Gbps plan in Singapore in 2026?

Often it is not. As of September 2026 SIMBA lists 10Gbps at S$29.99 per 30 days, M1 lists HomePac 10Gbps from S$26.90 a month and StarHub lists UltraSpeed 10Gbps at S$38.90 a month, all on 24-month terms. Singtel's 2Gbps tiers list at S$61.90 to S$74.26 a month (S$56.26 on the new-home promotion) and StarHub's older 2Gbps listing sits at S$62.90. The 2Gbps tier is the one being squeezed, and in several cases the 10Gbps plan from a rival is the cheaper monthly bill.

Is 1Gbps from Singtel cheaper than 1Gbps from M1 or SIMBA?

No. As of September 2026 Singtel's 1Gbps plans list at S$43.90 with a dual-band router and S$49.90 with an Askey mesh pair on 24 months. M1's 1Gbps listed at S$39.90 with a Wi-Fi 6 router in SG Signal's May 2026 roundup, and M1's own site now pushes HomePac 3Gbps from S$29.50 with a free Wi-Fi 7 router, which undercuts its own 1Gbps. SIMBA does not sell a 1Gbps tier at all; its single consumer plan is 10Gbps at S$29.99. Singtel's premium buys the biggest retail footprint and mobile bundling, not a cheaper line.

When does a household actually need more than 1Gbps?

When several heavy wired loads run at the same time: two people downloading 100GB games on Steam or PlayStation at once, a NAS doing cloud backup while someone uploads 4K video, or a home office pulling large datasets. A single 4K stream on Netflix or Disney+ uses roughly 15 to 25Mbps, so even five simultaneous 4K streams sit far below 150Mbps. If your heaviest moment is streaming plus video calls plus a phone update, 1Gbps is already more than ten times what you use.

When is the best time to recontract a Singapore broadband plan?

In the last 60 to 90 days before your 24-month contract ends, and ideally while a rival is running a launch promotion. September 2026 is a good example: StarHub's free activation and installation (worth S$152.72) and Premier League pass promotion ran to 30 September, SIMBA's 10Gbps launch promotion was still live, and M1 was bundling a free Wi-Fi 7 router. Recontracting early with your current provider usually just extends the lock-in at a slightly better rate; the bigger drops come from switching, because all four run on the same NetLink fibre and the port-over is a technician visit, not a new line.

Can I keep my own Wi-Fi 7 router and skip the provider's bundle?

Yes on the plans that offer a bring-your-own option. SIMBA's 12-month 10Gbps plan is explicitly BYO router, and its earlier 2.5Gbps plan shipped no router at all so you could use any router you liked. On Singtel, StarHub and M1 the bundled router is part of the plan price, so skipping it rarely lowers the bill, but you can run your own Wi-Fi 7 mesh behind the provider gateway in bridge or access-point mode. The one thing you cannot skip is the ONT, which belongs to the provider and terminates the NetLink fibre.

Does a 2Gbps plan make Netflix, Disney+ or Zoom noticeably better?

No. Streaming and video calls are latency and consistency problems, not bandwidth problems, once you are above about 50Mbps per screen. What improves a laggy Zoom call in a 4-room HDB flat is usually router placement, a mesh node in the far bedroom, or moving the TV to a wired connection, not the headline plan speed. Where 2Gbps and above does help is bulk transfers: game downloads, camera uploads, and multi-device backups, and only if the wired path is 2.5GbE or faster end to end.

What happens if I sign a 2Gbps plan and my flat's wiring only carries 1Gbps?

You pay for 2Gbps and measure 1Gbps or less. Cat5e in-wall cabling, which many older HDB flats and condos were fitted with, is rated to 1Gbps at standard lengths; 2.5GbE needs Cat5e in good condition over short runs or Cat6 to be reliable. If the ONT sits in the DB box and your TV console is on the other side of the flat over in-wall Cat5e, a 2Gbps plan cannot reach it at 2Gbps. The fix is either a direct Cat6 run, a Wi-Fi 7 mesh node near the heavy device, or simply taking the 1Gbps or cheaper 10Gbps-promo plan and spending the difference on the router.

Key takeaways

• As of September 2026 the 2Gbps tier is the most expensive line on the shelf (S$56.26 to S$74.26 at Singtel, S$62.90 at StarHub's older listing, S$59.90 at M1), while 3Gbps to 10Gbps plans at M1, StarHub and SIMBA run S$26.90 to S$46.26.
• Wi-Fi 6 routers, 1Gbps router ports, 1GbE device ports and Cat5e in-wall cabling each cap a single device at or below 1Gbps; only Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5GbE or 10GbE wired paths carry more.
• M1's dual 2Gbps and Singtel's 1+1Gbps gaming plans are two 1Gbps ports, not one 2Gbps feed.
• A single 4K stream needs roughly 15 to 25Mbps, so a 1Gbps plan already covers a family of four with headroom; the faster tiers only pay off for wired bulk transfers and uploads.
• IMDA's S$100 million programme is pushing the NetLink network and household routers to 10Gbps-ready Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 by 2028, which is why the 10Gbps plans are where the launch pricing sits.
• Cashback via ShopBack lands on the router, mesh kit, switch and cabling bought through Lazada, Shopee or Amazon Singapore, not on the telco plan itself.

Earn cashback via ShopBack on the Wi-Fi 7 router or mesh kit you buy for your new fibre plan Takes 2 minutes to sign up. No promo codes needed.

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About this article

Plan prices and router bundles are as published by Singtel (via Seedly's October 2026 listing and MoneySmart's September 2026 2Gbps listing), StarHub, M1 and SIMBA on their own sites in September 2026, SG Signal's 3 May 2026 roundup for the 1Gbps M1 and MyRepublic lines, HardwareZone for SIMBA's 2.5Gbps plan (February 2024) and the StarHub and SIMBA news items of August and September 2026, and iTnews Asia reporting IMDA's February 2024 10Gbps programme. Wi-Fi generation throughput ranges are from Ezurio's published comparison. ShopBack receives a commission when readers complete a purchase through a cashback link. This commission does not vary by editorial coverage.

The views expressed are those of the author, for informational purposes only, and not professional advice.

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