Odette damage slows internet speed in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s internet speed saw a slight decline last month due to infrastructure damages brought by Typhoon Odette in 22 provinces.

Ookla Speedtest Global Index report showed a slight drop in both fixed broadband and mobile median download speeds for the Philippines in January.

The decreases in speeds were attributed primarily due to the devastation brought by Typhoon Odette which barreled through various provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao on December 2021.

The country’s fixed median broadband speed declined to 49.52 Mbps in January from 50.26 Mbps a month earlier.

Mobile median speed also dipped to 17.95 Mbps last month from 19.20 Mbps in December 2021.

Works on the full restoration of internet connectivity continue among telcos in response to the National Telecommunications Commission’s call to immediately normalize telco services in all areas affected by Typhoon Odette.

Telcos claim that full restoration of several downed facilities are due to power outage or no commercial power available in the area.

Ookla said rankings on the Speedtest Global Index are now based on median download speed to best reflect the speeds a user is likely to achieve in a market.

Throughout 2021, however, the country’s fixed broadband and mobile download speeds were able to sustain improvement following the government’s move to streamline and speed up the issuance of local government unit permits in July 2020, which resulted in a significant increase in permits granted to telcos.