AN OFFICIAL from the Department of Information and Technology Mindanao Cluster 3 (DICT-M3) urged the public to be conscientious in video streaming to give a fair amount of internet bandwidth for government services and those working from home.
Albert Gabriel, DICT-M3 information and communication technology (ICT) development bureau focal person, said they have observed that most of the demand on internet bandwidth during the community quarantine came from video streaming.
He explained that bandwidth is dependent on the existing internet infrastructure which remains a challenge not only in Mindanao but in all parts of the country.
“Example, ang usa ka cell site can only provide how many gigs of bandwidth and then halos tanan mag video stream, naa gyuy possibility nga maghinay ang atong internet connectivity. Limited lang ang atong bandwidth in a certain area (If a cell site in an area can only provide a certain number of gigabytes and all the resident streams a video simultaneously, there is really a possibility that they experience slow internet connection),” he said.
“We are urging people that when they do stream, be conscious about it because we only have a limited bandwidth that our telcos (telecommunication companies) can provide,” he added.
He said this will allow government services, businesses, and online workers or freelancers to access the necessary amount of internet connectivity.
Recently, the DICT dedicated bandwidths to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) to be used for telemedicine as well as in areas housing the frontliners to enable them to communicate with their families online.
Gabriel said the agency and the telecommunication companies have been receiving emails from freelancers around the region complaining of slow internet connectivity.
“Ginabagsakan silag reklamo didto which is ang available lang pud sa atong infrastructure is not really prepared when it comes to bandwidth nga kung tanan mag internet ta tanan, mag stream tanan, mag hinay gyud atong connectivity (They are bombarded with complaints but our available infrastructure is not really prepared for a surge in bandwidth),” he said.
Meanwhile, DICT, through the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), has directed all public telecommunication entities (PTEs) as well as internet service providers (ISPs) to submit a Business Continuity Plan detailing measures taken to ensure uninterrupted service and to address the increased demand for ICT services.
“The order aims to boost efforts at maintaining the operation of vital ICT services and supporting infrastructure as the administration extends the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) until the end of April 2020 to manage the Covid-19 threat. For the duration of the ECQ, telecommunications play a key role as many businesses shift from traditional operations to work-from-home arrangements for health and safety concerns,” DICT said in a statement.
Gabriel added that Facebook Philippines has reduced its bit rate for videos on Facebook and Instagram as a response to the call of DICT to ensure internet stability in the country during the pandemic.
In a statement from the DICT, Facebook has said to have been working closely with mobile operators in the Philippines to manage any bandwidth constraints during the crisis.
“The measure is expected to address network congestion and free up bandwidth allocation that may be used for other vital online services,” DICT said.
The agency added that other online streaming platforms such as Netflix, Google, iFlix and iWant have taken similar measures as requested by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The Davao City Chamber of Commerce Inc., (DCCCII) has constantly appealed to the government for a reliable internet connection as businesses are gradually adopting the online platforms in their operations.
The chamber said a fast and reliable internet speed and the signal is needed to boost and maintain the productivity of businesses.
“We have written to the Secretary of DICT Gregorio Honasan and proposed a way forward for our regions where local task forces can be organized to help the local ICT sector to find solutions to our concerns about connectivity,” DCCCII executive vice president and ICT leader Belinda Torres said in a statement.
“If we want more people to work from home, we will need solutions at the regional level to improve internet service both the speed and quality,” she added.