PH internet in February: Broadband speed up, mobile speed down, says Ookla

By: Beatrice Pinlac - Inquirer.net | April 03,2023 - 01:25 PM

Internet Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ fixed broadband internet speed in the Philippines accelerated in February, while its mobile internet speed suffered a slight drop, according to US-based speed analytics firm Ookla.

Based on Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, the country’s fixed broadband median speed jumped from 88.13 Megabits per second (Mbps) in January to 90.03 Mbps in February.

The median speed, however, went the opposite way for mobile internet since the country’s download speed fell a bit from 24.59 Mbps to 24.58 Mbps.

Despite the slight decrease, the Philippines climbed two notches from its January ranking in terms of mobile internet speed – now at 80th among 137 countries.

The country likewise rose from its rung in the roundup of fixed broadband internet speed at 40th among 180 countries.

READ: PH internet broadband picked up speed in January — NTC

In a statement on Sunday, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) pointed out that the latest broadband internet speed increased by about 19 percent from 75.62 Mbps in July 2022, or the start of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

A nine percent increase was also observed by the NTC in mobile internet speed over the same period.

The NTC said the better internet speed is due to the improved process of granting permits to telecommunication companies (telcos) that need to upgrade their networks.

This, it noted, allows telcos to fast-track the building of their infrastructure such as cellular towers and fiber optic networks.

The availability of Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet connectivity service Starlink in the Philippines is also expected to play a part in improving the country’s internet speed by providing “fast and reliable internet” in areas deemed “underserved and unserved,” the NTC added.