Circles.Life or circles of hell

Everything about Circles.Life was customer-centric and affordable when it started—cheap data, no lock-in, actual customer service. Four years on, competition has more than caught up, and it's burdened with three markets—none easy

Circles.Life burst onto the Singapore telco scene with features such as cheap data, digital customer service while leveraging on a telco partner

Four years on, much has changed with the mobile virtual network operator, now operating in three countries

There was also an attempt to diversify its business operations beyond telephony with a rewards programme and events platform

Yet, under the surface, things aren't as rosy as they seem, with layoffs and closures impacting the MVNO

Cheap data plans, no lock-in periods and customer service that tangibly serves the customer. Those were the offerings that would set Singapore mobile virtual network operator Circles.Life apart from the telco competition. At least in 2016.

With an all digital backend and no physical stores, Circles offered a new experience to customers tired of dealing with incumbent telcos, who made them jump through hoops and wait at physical locations for their turn. “If you look at the telco industry, there’s a huge amount of value being generated. But if you look at the consumer experience, they’re horrible,” Circles co-founder Rameez Ansar had said in a previous interview.

AUTHOR

Benjamin Cher

Based in Singapore, Ben covers news and stories from the hub of Southeast Asia. He covers the intersection of technology and business, and how it affects Singapore and Southeast Asia. Ben was previously a reporter at The Edge Singapore.

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