Serious Singapore 2G switch-off illuminates digital divide

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When Singapore pulls the plug on its second-generation (2G) mobile phone network this year, thousands of people could be stuck without a signal — digital have-nots left behind by the relentless march of technology. From technophobic pensioners to cash-strapped migrant workers, about 140,000 people in highly wired Singapore still use the city-state’s 2G network and cheap, robust handsets.

For other devotees of 2G, it is the simplicity of the solid, old handsets that is the main selling point, and 80-year-old retiree Tan Ah Phong said he is dreading the April deadline. “We only need phones to make calls,” he said. “Just looking at the number of functions on a lot of phones nowadays gives me a headache.”

Lee Soo Eng, 86, said her daughter gave her a touchscreen smartphone two months ago, but she regrets giving up her 2G device. “At this age, my memory is not good, so I keep forgetting how to unlock it or use it to call,” she said. “When I need to contact anybody, I will just use a public payphone,” she said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/.../23/2003663606


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