CPF Info - mPAL for those on the go

On 1 October 2005, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board introduced yet another innovative IT initiative to improve customer service. This time, it is for members who are always on the go.

Said Director (Customer Relations) Ng Hock Keong: “Mobile penetration rate is high in Singapore. Since almost every Singaporean owns a handphone, we aim to provide great convenience to CPF members by letting them access their account information on the move.”

Anyone with a GPRS, Java-enabled mobile phone can view his account balance and 15-month contribution history through mPAL, or mobile Personal Auto Link. To use the service, he just needs a Phone PIN, which can be easily obtained at the CPF website with his SingPass.

The mPAL service is free, but users have to pay GPRS charges set by their telco service provider. The average unit cost is about $0.005 per KB.

When the Board launched the trial on 1 July 2005, more than 130 CPF members signed up. Many gave positive feedback.

Said Mr Yong: “I find the service convenient and useful for people who do not have Internet access like myself.”

Eager for more members to enjoy the benefits of mPAL, Mr Ng said: “We hope mPAL will prove to be a popular service with our members and thereafter encourage more public agencies to make their transactions available on this platform.

“If more services are provided on the mobile platform, we can all
bring the vision of becoming an e-Government to the next level, i.e.
m-Government.”