THE Philippines’ internet speeds continue to show improvement as the country transitions to a full digital transformation in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the country’s average internet speeds continue to surge upward, as reported by global monitoring firm Ookla Speedtest.
“We recognize and laud the initiatives and tireless efforts of the members of the telecommunications and information service industries and the public sector in fostering and accelerating digital connectivity in the country,” DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said in a press release.
For May 2021, fixed broadband speed was recorded at 58.73 megabits per second (Mbps) while mobile speed was at 31.97 Mbps, translating to an improvement of 19.1 percent for fixed broadband and 9.8 percent for mobile internet speeds, as compared to April 2021 (49.31 Mbps for fixed broadband, 29.12 Mbps for mobile), the DICT said.
Honasan said the continuing challenge, especially in the time of the Covid-19 crisis, is to provide both connectivity and quality of service to the people.
“To meet that challenge, we all need to unite, cooperate, engage and work together—the industry, the national and local government and the entire nation. The report shows good improvement, but so much more needs to be done,” he said.
He assured the public that the agency will continue to strengthen connectivity programs to boost internet quality and coverage in the country, especially in the remote and far-flung areas.
According to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the recent upward surge can be credited to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive back in July 2020 for telecommunications companies to improve their services amid the ongoing pandemic.
Duterte, in addition, also urged to address the need for a more efficient processing of local government unit permits to fast-track the rollout of cellular towers.
The DICT also pushed with other agencies for streamlining the permitting process for the deployment of cell towers and other ICT infrastructure in line with Section 4 (ii) of Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act and the DICT’s common tower policy under Department Circular 008 series 2021.
The DICT said the agency and the NTC also continue to engage with the telcos and internet service providers, and monitor their performance to ensure compliance with Duterte’s directive. (JOB)