PH internet shows massive improvement in 2020 but still lags behind neighboring countries

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said that the internet speeds in the Philippines has improved as much as 262.7 percent this year but data from global index showed the country still lags behind neighboring Asian countries in a Senate public services committee hearing today, December 7.

According to NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, as of November 2020, the fixed broadband speeds in the country increased to 28.69 megabit per second (mbps) which is 262.70 percent higher than the 7.91 mbps in July 2016 based on the Speedtest by Ookla.

Gordoba added that the mobile internet speed in the Philippines has also improved by 148.52 percent from 7.44 mbps four years ago to 18.49 mbps in November 2020, ranking the country as 34th out of 50. Meanwhile, as of October 2020, the Philippines’ fixed broadband speed ranked 32nd in Asia.

According to the World Bank, it would be nice if the government can invest in internet infrastructure just like what is being done in other countries where the government builds the infrastructures and telcos rent from the government.

However, Cordoba said that although the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) earlier asked for Php 10 billion to Php 12 billion to be able to put up a fiber internet backbone from Aparri to Jolo and then from left side to right ride from Palawan to Samar, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) only allowed them to have Php 900 million.

"In the Philippines, we are still in the mindset of putting up roads dahil yan po ay nakikita (because that can be easily seen). But actually po, maganda if aside from roads, mag-invest din po tayo sa [internet] infrastructure para mapababa po ang presyo at mapabilis po ang roll out," he said.

Cordoba urged the lawmakers to continue supporting the DICT’s plan noting the demand for internet use has increased by 500 percent after the implementation of lockdown in the whole Luzon back in March.

Furthermore, Grace Poe, the Senate Committee on Public Service assured Cordoba that the senate has raised the DICT’s fund to Php 5.9 billion.

Photo from ABS-CBN News