Make it fast

Telcos have been reaping billions of pesos in profits at the expense of their subscribers who continue to complain about the slow and expensive data services they provide. It is therefore more than fair and reasonable to compel them to spend on the necessary infrastructure expansions and upgrades that will allow them to provide some real service to individuals and industries that need reliable data connections.

The Duterte administration hopes that introducing a third major telco player would spur competition, thereby improving the telcos’ service.

The Internet World Stats ranks the Philippines No. 15 in its list of countries with the most number of internet users. With internet access now a human right, the ranking shows Filipinos enjoy exercising this new technology-driven right.

This right, however, is being threatened by slow internet speed. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the agency that regulates and supervises the telecommunications sector, should make sure that the country’s internet data experience meets the requirements and expectations of the country’s internet users who are now close to 54 million.

There have been a lot of suggestions, one of which is the crafting of a law forcing telcos to set aside a portion of their huge revenues for better network infrastructure. In an NTC study, one of the biggest telcos in the Philippines needed $16.6 billion, or around P750 billion, to bring 2 megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds to 80 percent of Philippine households.

A growing number of Filipinos are relying increasingly on the internet not only for communication, information, education, and entertainment, but also to earn a living by selling goods and services, to shop and to perform financial transactions – from banking to paying bills.

Three years ago, a household download index report by global Internet provider Ookla ranked the Philippines 21st out of 22 countries in Asia in terms of internet speed, trailed only by Afghanistan. It had a household download speed of 3.64 Mbps. Top-ranked Singapore had a broadband speed of 122.43 Mbps and Hong Kong clocked in with 102.96 Mbps. Worldwide, the Philippines ranks No. 100 in average connection speed.

But even with such poor service, the Philippines is tagged as having one of the most expensive internet services in the world! This is unacceptable.

If we want to sustain the growth momentum of the economy, particularly the business process outsourcing industry, we need to have the infrastructures to deliver reliable and high-quality internet services.