What is the difference between a Chinese Input Enabled mobile phone and a mobile phone that supports Chinese Character Display function?

Chinese Input Enabled mobile phone allows you to input Chinese character as well as to receive Chinese SMS (please refer to A12 below for the list of recommended phones).
Mobile phone that supports Chinese Character Display function only allows you to receive Chinese SMS but not to send Chinese SMS (please refer to A13 below for the list of recommended phones).

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How can I subscribe to the Chinese SMS service, and how much do I have to pay?

If you are an existing SingTel Mobile customer (subscribed to any of the GSM/ GSM 1800/ Dual Band price plan) without SmartMessage service, you can subscribe to SmartMessage service at a monthly rate of $3.15*. This service will enable you to send Chinese SMS with your Chinese input enabled mobile phone. You will have to pay 5.25 cents for every message sent; while for messages received it will be free of charge.

If you are not an existing SingTel Mobile customer, and wishes to send Chinese SMS with your Chinese input enabled mobile phone; all you need to do is to subscribe to GSM/ GSM1800/ DualBand price plan. (You may enjoy 6 months free SmartMessage subscription & free registration fees dependent on existing National Promotion). You will have to pay 5.25 cents for every message sent; and for messages received, it will be free of charge.

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How many Chinese characters can I compose in one message?

You can compose up to 70 Chinese character in one message.

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With my Chinese input enabled mobile phone, can I send Chinese SMS to my friend's message pager?

No, you cannot send Chinese SMS to your friend's message pager.

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With my Chinese input enabled mobile phone, can I send Chinese SMS to all my friends on their mobile phone?

You can only send Chinese SMS to another party who either have a Chinese input enabled mobile phone or mobile phones that have Chinese character display function; and the receiving party must be a SingTel Mobile customer.

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When I travel overseas, will I be able to send and receive Chinese SMS with my Chinese input enabled mobile phone? How much do I have to pay?

Yes, you will be able to send Chinese SMS with your Chinese input enabled mobile phone when you travel overseas, provided the foreign operator's network supports the sending and receiving of SMS.

When you are travelling overseas, SingTel Mobile will charge you 5.25 cents for sending a Chinese SMS, but will not charge you for receiving Chinese SMS. However, depending on the country that you are traveling to, the foreign operator may charge you for sending and receiving Chinese SMS (on top and above the 5.25 cents per Chinese SMS sent chargeable by SingTel Mobile); and the charges may vary from country to country.
The charges will be reflected in your SingTel Mobile bill when you return to Singapore.

Before you travel overseas, if you wish to know the specific foreign operator's charges for sending and receiving Chinese SMS, please refer to your Roaming Guide.

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If someone sends me a Chinese SMS on my mobile phone that does not support Chinese SMS (message) function, what will appear on my mobile phone screen?

A string of symbols and improper characters will be displayed on your mobile phone screen.

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With my Chinese input enabled mobile phone and if I have subscribe to SmartMessage service, can I request for the existing SmartMessage information in Chinese?

At the meantime, you can only send Chinese short messages with your Chinese input enabled mobile phone. It will not enable you to request for the existing SmartMessage information in Chinese.

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I'm trying to compose a Chinese message with my Chinese input enabled Ericsson mobile phone, and there is an incoming call, can I answer the call first and then return to the uncompleted message after I have ended my call?

Yes, you can press the "yes" button to answer your incoming call, the uncompleted message will be stored in the Message file. When you have ended your incoming call, you may choose to return to the uncompleted message in the UNSENT folder of the Message File.

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Do I need a special SIM card for the Chinese SMS service?

No, you do not need to change your SIM card. Your existing SingTel mobile SIM card can be used for Chinese SMS service provided you have also subscribed to the SmartMessage service. 

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Would I be able to send Chinese SMS from SingTel Mobile website?

No, because the Chinese coding schemes on the Internet is different from that of the GSM standard.

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Can I send Chinese SMS through to a Chinese message pager?

No, because the Chinese coding schemes are different.

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What are the brands and models of mobile phones that have Chinese character input capability (Chinese Input Enabled)?

At the moment, the recommended list of mobile phones that have the Chinese character input capability are the Ericsson models T10sc, T18sc, T28sc, and A1018sc.

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How do I input a Chinese message with my Ericsson mobile phone (T10sc, T18sc, T28sc, or A10a8sc)?

There are basically three methods to input a Chinese character or a message, namely:

• Pinyin - This method is based on the Roman alphabet. The user writes the pronunciation of the Chinese word with Roman characters and can then choose among a set of suggested Chinese characters.
• Bopomofo - This method is similar to Pinyin but instead of the Roman alphabet, it uses the special letters of the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, usually called Bopomofo letters.
• Stroke (Zi8) - This method is based on stroke order. Chinese characters are always written in a precise way. Follow the proper stroke as you would with written Chinese until the character is completed.

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Can I compose a Chinese SMS in simplified Chinese with my Ericsson Chinese input enabled mobile phone?

Yes, with your Ericsson Chinese input enabled mobile phone, you can either compose a Chinese SMS using Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese, by making the selection of your choice in the Language Setting.

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Prices inclusive of  5% GST.