Report: 5G download speed in Philippines among fastest in Asia

CEBU, Philippines —  Independent mobile analytics firm OpenSignal reported an improved 5G experience of mobile subscribers in the Philippines owing to the active rollout of this latest technology in the country by telecom companies.

According to the Benchmarking the 5G Experience-Asia Pacific June 2021 report by Opensignal, the Philippines’ 5G download speed is now at   141 Mbps, which is among the fastest in the Asia Pacific.

The download speed is even faster than Hong Kong’s 134.8 Mbps and Thailand’s 122.5 Mbps. 

Moreover, it reported that the Philippines can go as fast as up to 426.2 Mbps as its peak download speed, also higher than Thailand and Hong Kong.  Compared to 4G, PH registers an improvement of about 10.4 times in terms of download speed on 5G.

Opensignal is an independent mobile analytics company that specializes in “quantifying mobile network experience.”

5G is the latest wireless internet connectivity that promises faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and more stable internet connections compared to 4G.

Opensignal also reported several milestones about the 5G technology in the country such as Video, Games and Voice App Experiences.

In 5G Video Experience, the Philippines ranks among the highest in Asia Pacific with a score of 79.3 which is even higher than Japan’s 76.7. The country’s 5G Games Experience is also among the highest in the region with a score of 68.1 which is again better than Japan’s 64.9. The 5G Voice App Experience is also among the best in the region with a score of 79.7.

In both the Download Speed and Video Experience improvements, smartphone users in the country have experienced the most enhancements between 4G and 5G technologies.

Overall, the Philippines’ 5G Availability and Reach has been hailed as impressive by Opensignal considering the country’s geographic area.

According to Opensignal, 5G users in Philippines spend 10 percent of their time connected to 5G, and experience 5G in almost one-third of locations, with a 5G reach score of 3.0.

Telecom giants like Globe Telecom and PLDT’s Smart Communications are boosting their capital expenditures to accelerate the full coverage of 5G network in the country.

“5G technology is one of the ways to get over the economic impacts of the pandemic and other challenges our customers get to experience every day. By making it more pervasive and more accessible, they will realize its potential and promise of better mobile experience,” said Issa Guevarra-Cabreira, Globe Chief Commercial Officer.

Likewise, the capital expenditure (capex) commitment of up to P92 billion in 2021, PLDT spent over P20 billion in the first quarter, largely for network upgrades.

“The unrelenting rollout of fiber, 5G and 4G/LTE networks to support business demand underpin the 2021 capex commitment,” said PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan in a recently held virtual press conference.