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Speeding up

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As average internet speeds continue to improve in the country, the Philippines now ranks 63rd out of 180 countries for fixed broadband and 72nd out of 139 countries for mobile internet.

According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, the country posted an average download speed of 71.7 megabits per second (Mbps) for fixed broadband in July, an improvement from the 66.65 Mbps average speed in June. For mobile internet, average download speed increased to 33.69 Mbps from 32.84 Mbps the previous month.

In July last year, average internet speeds stood at only 25.07 Mbps for fixed broadband and 16.95 Mbps for mobile internet.

With these improvements, the Philippines now ranks 17th for fixed broadband and 23rd for mobile internet compared to 50 other countries in Asia. Among our ASEAN peers, we placed 5th out of 10 countries for both fixed broadband and mobile internet.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology attributed the sustained increase in the country’s internet speed to President Duterte’s directive last year for telcos to improve their services amid the pandemic, as well as the agency’s strengthened roll out of its digital connectivity initiatives.

Complementing the DICT’s common tower policy is the issuance of the revised and expanded joint memorandum circular for the streamlined process of securing permits, licenses, and authorizations for building passive telecommunications tower infrastructures.

Kudos go to the DICT and the country’s telecommunications providers for the sharp improvement of internet speeds in the country that has made working and schooling from home slightly more tolerable for those who can afford it as millions of Filipinos endure the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns and quarantine restrictions.

Even if the goal is to simply keep up, the work never stops as global internet speeds are constantly increasing. Furthermore, the acceptance of working and doing business from home as well as the sudden digitalization of our way of life in recent years will require internet speeds to stay ahead of the curve. The DICT and telcos cannot rest on their laurels as they still have a lot on their plate.*

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