Philippines 5G speed 2nd worst in AsPac-Ookla

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has registered one of the slowest 5G speeds among Asia-Pacific economies, with Metro Manila recording the worst quality when pitted against select cities in the region.

According to Ookla, the Philippines placed 10th in a list of 11 nations in Asia and the Pacific in terms of 5G quality with a median speed of 133.47 Mbps.

The Philippines was bested by Malaysia (512.1 Mbps), South Korea (503.99 Mbps), Singapore (387.15 Mbps), India (335.17 Mbps), New Zealand (271.9 Mbps) and China (264.86 Mbps).

Australia’s 213.36 Mbps, Thailand’s 161.15 Mbps and Hong Kong’s 142.04 Mbps also outpaced the Philippine record. Based on data, Japan tallied the worst 5G speed at 110.54 Mbps.

Further, Ookla flagged Metro Manila for turning up the slowest 5G speed of 135.51 Mbps among 14 urban centers in the region. Ookla said the capital cities of South Korea and Malaysia led the region, with Seoul and Kuala Lumpur averaging 533.95 Mbps and 523.44 Mbps, respectively.

On the other hand, the Philippines posted an availability rate of 19.8 percent for 5G, placing 5th just behind Hong Kong’s 42.3 percent, Australia’s 36.6 percent, South Korea’s 35.3 percent and Thailand’s 26.8 percent.

Although the Philippines launched 5G in the same year as South Korea, the latter has developed the availability and speed of its network faster than the former could.

“South Korea was the first market in the world to deploy a nationwide 5G network in April 2019, followed by Australia, the Philippines, China and New Zealand later that year,” Ookla said.

During the pandemic, most countries in Asia and the Pacific intensified their 5G rollout in aid of consumers who were forced by the lockdowns to transact digitally. In turn, the region is expected to become one of the largest 5G markets in the world by 2025.

Ookla said it is necessary to deploy 5G assets to connect as many people as possible. It explained that people in underserved areas, where fiber infrastructure is lacking, depend on their phones in opening the internet.

“(There) is still a portion of the region where internet connectivity is expensive, unavailable and insufficient [and] many people in these underserved regions rely on mobile devices to access the internet,” Ookla said.

When compared to 4G, 5G promises subscribers faster speeds and lower latency, meaning games run smoother, websites load quicker, among others.