Internet speed in Philippines improves

MANILA, Philippines — Mobile internet speed (MIS) in the Philippines has improved following the entry of a third telecommunications company.?

In the latest Speedtest Global Index, the country’s MIS went up from 22.50 to 25.77 megabits per second (Mbps) to overtake both Malaysia and Myanmar for the first time, ranking sixth fastest among the 10 nations in Southeast Asia.

Globally, the country’s MIS ranking improved 10 notches, climbing to 86th place as of January 2021. Meanwhile, the Philippines’ fixed broadband speed improved slightly from 31.44 to 32.73 Mbps, sixth fastest in the region and 100th in the world.?Singapore still has the fastest MIS in the region with 66.44 Mbps (22nd worldwide), followed by Thailand with 50.00 Mbps (36th worldwide), Brunei with 36.75 Mbps (56th), Vietnam with 34.68 Mbps (62nd) and Laos with 27.55 Mbps (80th).?Myanmar is seventh in the list with 25.21 Mbps (88th worldwide), followed by Malaysia with 23.74 Mbps (94th), Cambodia with 19.98 Mbps (106th) and Indonesia with 17.33 Mbps (121st).?United Arab Emirates remains the fastest in the world at 183.03 Mbps, followed by South Korea with 171.26 Mbps and Qatar with 170.65 Mbps.?The speed improvement came as the country’s third major telecommunications player, DITO Telecommunity, is set to start selling SIM cards to the public next month.

For Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., the improved MIS in the country could be a result of political pressure exerted by President Duterte on Globe and PLDT-Smart.

“There’s no question the political pressure brought to bear on telecommunications companies is starting to bear fruit,” he said.

Reminder to ISPs?Meanwhile, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gregorio Honasan II reminded telecommunications companies and internet service providers (ISPs) of their duty to comply with existing laws against the online sexual exploitation of children.

“The DICT takes the matter of online child sexual exploitation very seriously. We are closely coordinating with the NTC in exploring measures to prevent this and ensure compliance of telcos and ISPs with the provisions of the law,” Honasan said.

Republic Act No. 9775, or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, mandates all ISPs to notify the Philippine National Police or the National Bureau of Investigation of any form of child pornography committed using its servers or facilities within seven days upon obtaining facts and evidence. – Rainier Allan Ronda