Singapore’s mobile hopeful MyRepublic is putting the pressure on the country’s three established mobile players, with a PR blitz that is likely to start a price war long before it even bids for the fourth mobile licence.

MyRepublic announced yesterday it will introduce unlimited data tariffs for SGD80 (about $58) a month if it wins the fourth licence as well as offer 2GB mobile broadband plans for just SGD8 per month — significantly lower than similar plans from rival Singtel (SGD20). The other operators don’t offer unlimited data plans, but 12GB plans are priced at more than SGD100 (StarHub and M1 have 3GB plans for SGD21.45 and SGD30 respectively, the Straits Times said).

Just hours after MyRepublic’s announcement, Singtel launched its “add-on DataX2”, which allows postpaid customers to double their mobile data for a flat fee. Starting today customers can double their mobile data when they sign up or re-contract for two years on one of Singtel’s combo mobile plans. For example, a customer on the Combo 3 plan, paying SGD62.90 a month for 3GB of data, can pay SGD5.90 a month to double the data allowance to 6GB.

M1 today announced similar plans – its “Upsize Data” bundles – which give customers additional data for SGD5.90 a month. Its available for new and recontracting customers who wish to boost their data bundles by up to 12GB, it said.

MyRepublic has long expressed interest in bidding for the country’s fourth mobile licence later this year. Singapore’s Info-Communications Development Authority (IDA) last month released a detailed framework for its previously announced spectrum allocation, which Fitch Ratings says will ease the path for the entry of a fourth mobile operator and intensify competition.

MyRepublic said last week that its lower cost base will enable it to start small and still be profitable within three years. The ISP is targeting 250,000 customers in its first year and 700,000 users, or a 9 per cent share, within three years.

The mobile newcomer will also offer its broadband subscribers 2GB data plans for just SGD6 if they sign up by 30 September. Additional data charges will be SGD8 per GB.