Internet speeds over the last three years have increased and are poised to rise further ahead of the entry of a third mobile player—whose fate has yet to be decided by Congress.
A statement citing crowdsourced results from the OOKLA Speedtest Globe Index said fixed-line subscribers had seen their average download speed more than double from 7.91 megabits per second (Mbps) in 2016 to 19.28 Mbps as of February this year.
Mobile internet had likewise improved from 7.44 Mbps in 2016 to 14.46 Mbps in February.
“As the country prepares for the eventual entry of [Mislatel Consortium], which was named the provisional new major telco player, internet speed and pricing are expected to improve further,” according to the statement.
Telcos have also been investing vast sums to bolster their mobile and fixed-line networks.
While gains were made over the years, the Philippines still lagged behind several of its neighbors and also when compared to the global average.
According to OOkla, the average global fixed-line download speed stood at 55.6 Mbps as of February. In terms of mobile internet, the global average download speed stood at 25.27 Mbps.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology is expecting lawmakers to approve the transfer of telco franchise holder Mindanao Islamic Telephone to the Mislatel Consortium after the May 2019 polls.
Mislatel Consortium will be controlled by companies owned by businessman Dennis A. Uy of Udenna Corp. in partnership with state-owned China Telecom.