A report by mobile analyst Opensignal has ranked Metro Manila as having the fourth worst 5G speed among 11 Asia-Pacific cities, its 150.7 Mbps ranking behind its regional peers in terms of quality of video and gaming experience.
In the region, Opensignal said Seoul’s 453.1 Mbps leads the pack in terms of 5G speed, ahead of Kuala Lumpur’s 376.6 Mbps and Auckland’s 280.7 Mbps.
By segment, Metro Manila placed fourth lowest in 5G video experience with a score of 71.6, compared to Taipei, Auckland, Singapore and Hong Kong which listed the best ratings with scores of 81.3, 80, 78.6 and 78.6 respectively.
In terms of 5G games experience, the country’s capital city registered the worst score of 66.6 among 11 Asia-Pacific cities. Seoul once again ruled the top with a rating of 87.2, followed by Singapore with 85.1 and Jakarta with 83.7.
Fourth-generation (4G) wireless and fifth generation (5G) wireless networks provide consumers with the mobile connections to the internet. 5G is the latest generation of cellular network technology whose benefits include faster network speeds and real-time communication capabilities.
On the positive side, Opensignal said Metro Manila took the second spot on the difference in internet speed between 5G and 4G, with 5G in the capital city seven times faster than 4G. However, a big disparity between 4G and 5G in an area where 5G speeds are still among the lowest in the region could indicate that Filipinos are also dealing with relatively slow 4G speeds, which is apparently still the more common generation of mobile technology being used in the country due to its availability.
While fixed line and mobile network speeds and bandwidth have most definitely improved by leaps and bounds in recent years, the reality is that the rest of the world is also making improvements that upon comparison, makes our networks lose their luster. This means our network providers and telecommunications firms can never rest on their laurels, because technology marches on.
The country’s telcos and the government will need to continue pushing harder if we are going to catch up and keep up with the rest of the region.*
