Back in primary 6 when I was 12, I received my first mobile phone Nokia 8210 and mobile number. Mobile phones were uncommon back then, regular phones were about $200-$400 and phone plans were about $10-15/month.
Following, I switched to Sony Ericsson, back to Nokia and to Sony Ericsson again. Each phone lasted about 2 years each. I lost the last Sony Ericsson in poly year 2 or 3, it still had a trade-in value of $50. Fortunately, no contacts were lost as I always saved my contacts in Excel. My elder sister gave me her Sony Ericsson after she bought a new phone.
During NS, I decided to buy an iPhone after I posted out. I paid $0 on the spot because I had $200 discount for switching from Singtel to Starhub and $50 for being NSF. $60/month for tier 2 plan was reduced to $45/month thanks to 25% hub club discount.
Previously, my sisters chose and paid for my phone. This time, I chose and have been paying my phone bill myself since.