A global quarterly ranking for mobile network experience saw the Philippines slipping four spots to 75th as local telecommunications players scored lower in internet delivery, according to a report by analytics firm Opensignal.
The firm’s Global Network Excellence Index data showed South Korea topping the list as it had the best mobile network experience after showing dominance in 4G/5G availability and 5G download speed. The Nordic countries of Finland, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands rounded out the top five.
The Philippines beat just Laos (92nd) and Myanmar (93rd) among its neighbors in the region, and the drop in ranking means that it still has a ways to go before coming close to the likes of Singapore (10th) and even Thailand (63rd). The firm analyzed mobile network data from 134 countries across seven regions.
Opensignal noted the Philippines fell by 2 places to 87th in the “excellent consistent quality” category in the first quarter. The country scored just 51.3 percent in the pillar, which is lower by 2.7 percentage points compared to the previous year. “This metric evaluates how consistently networks support demanding applications such as video streaming, video calls, and gaming, ensuring a seamless user experience,” it explained.
It said declining 5G download speeds and improving 4G speeds are trends that have been observed, highlighting changes in how networks are optimized, with many operators rebalancing resources between coverage and performance.
“Going forward, as more users shift to 5G, managing congestion and sustaining consistent quality will remain a central challenge for operators aiming to stay competitive,” Opensignal added.
The speed at which technology develops and evolves in the telecommunications sector presents unique opportunities and challenges for the government and the service providers that mostly come from the private sector, especially in terms of catching up, keeping up, or generally striving to be not left behind, since our telco industry has yet to be a regional or global leader when it comes to performance and customer satisfaction. Closer coordination and cooperation between stakeholders could help the sector make steady gains and improvements, until we get to the point that we can compete with the global leaders.*
