I have written a formal letter to singtel reporting the problem as well as working with them to narrow down the problem. They have been very responsive to my emails and took only 1 day to reply.

The solution to solving the lack to reception seems to switching off 3G and using the 2G network as highlighted by a few of my friends.

this can be done easily on the iphone. settings->general->network->use 3g OFF

I and a few others have tried this and it seems to work, the trade off is that you dont get 3G speeds when using the internet on your phone. You can switch back on 3G when you leave SMU.

Possible Problem

The increased popularity of singtel as well as the use of 3G enabled phones with 12 GB plans seems to be putting the 3G network of singtel at the breaking point. Especially in the area of SMU where there is a disproportionately large number of 3G users. The solution works as the 2G and 3G network exist separately and switching from a crowded network to a less crowded one will definitely improve performance.

The important question is  how long will singtel take to rectify the problem and will other service providers experience the same problem once users start to use the 3G network infrastructure more heavily.

Related posts:

1. Further Updates on Singtel Reception in SMU
2. Seemingly Sporadic Handphone Connection Problems in SMU
3. iPhone 4 Review Update
4. If you have authentication problems with @live SMU Email this is the solution