Local 5G services improving, global study shows

Mobile 5G services in the country have been improving, giving consumers better video experience and download speed, independent analytics company OpenSignal observed.

In its recent “Benchmarking the Global 5G Experience” report, OpenSignal said the Philippines “continues to see a tremendous uplift in experience with the shift from 4G to 5G, ranking highly in a number of categories.”

The country topped globally in terms of video experience uplift, raking in a 79-percent increase in score. It was followed by Chile, Thailand and Indonesia.

“The uplift with 5G is now considerably higher. Across the top 15 markets for uplift, the range is from 79 percent to 34 percent in their video experience improvement with 5G,” it noted. Other countries monitored by OpenSignal are Malaysia, Kuwait, UAE, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Sweden, Qatar, South Korea, Romania, New Zealand and South Africa.

The Philippines, meanwhile, ranked second in terms of improving 5G download speed, which rose nearly ninefold.

Earlier, OpenSignal noted that the country’s 5G offering outperformed Wi-Fi and 4G in download speed and multiplayer mobile gaming.

Download speed of 5G averages 138.6 megabits per second —8.8 times and 5.3 times faster than 4G and Wi-Fi, respectively.

PLDT’s wireless unit Smart Communications ended March with 7,300 5G base stations.

Globe Telecom registered more than 2 million devices on its 5G network as of the first quarter.

—Tyrone Jasper C. Piad