PH Internet speed remains sluggish as Duterte ultimatum nears
The Philippines' average Internet connection speed remains pathetic despite the imminent lapse of President Duterte’s ultimatum for telecommunications companies (telcos) to fix their poor service by December this year.
According to Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., the country's Internet speed is "way behind those of its peers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)," based on figures from The Speedtest Global Index.
Campos said the Philippines – with an average mobile Internet speed of only 18.49 megabits per second (Mbps) – ranks No. 110 among 139 countries or territories as of November.
The United Arab Emirates ranks No. 1 in this department with 170.30 Mbps, while Afghanistan is No. 139 with 6.31 Mbps.
In fixed broadband, Campos said the Philippines ranks No. 103 with an average speed of only 28.69 Mbps. Singapore is No. 1 with 241.10 Mbps, while Turkmenistan is at the tail end with 3.47 Mbps.
The Speedtest Global Index analyzes Web access performance metrics around the world based on millions of tests taken by real people using the Internet.
“We clearly still have one of the slowest Internet speeds in the world and in Asia. Among the 10 member countries of the ASEAN, for instance, our average mobile Internet speed is ranked the second-slowest,” said the solon, who is a vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
“In fact, our 18.49 Mbps represents just 60 percent of the 30.94 Mbps average mobile Internet speed across all ASEAN members. We are more concerned about mobile Internet speed because an overwhelming majority of Filipinos now access the Web through their smartphones via their cellular telephone service provider,” he noted.
During his fifth State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) last July 27, Duterte slammed the telcos for their "lousy service" and warned them that he would do something about it by December if they fail to improve.
By Campos's interpretation, he said Duterte had threatened to expropriate the assets of private telecommunications firms if they failed to improve their Internet services by yearend.
The persisting public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has further magnified the need for dependable Internet services for Filipinos, who have been forced to shun physical contact in favor of digital processes and transactions.