Manila Bulletin
Technews
Beyond connectivity: the Internet as the new Philippine economic powerhouse
Technews
Beyond connectivity: the Internet as the new Philippine economic powerhouse
Beyond connectivity: the Internet as the new Philippine economic powerhouse
Internet usage soars in the Philippines, driving economic growth and encouraging entrepreneurship
By MB Technews
Published Jul 8, 2023 10:48 pm
It's incredible what we can do from our homes because of the Internet. Before, our homes were seen only as a place for rest when we were not working at the office. These days, we can build an empire from our dining room.
If there is anything the pandemic taught us, high-speed Internet provides an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and innovation (apart from its other important role in providing entertainment options for relaxation)—not just in Manila but all around the Philippines.Â
It has a profound impact on the country's economy and people's finances. Filipinos have a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit no matter where they go, especially for small and micro businesses. The Internet gives entrepreneurs and startups access to online resources, knowledge, and tools necessary for research and market exploration. It enables remote work and the creation of innovative digital products and services that can drive one's financial growth.
Internet users in the Philippines are expected to reach 86.77 million this year, an incredible growth since the Internet became widely used in 1994. From being accessible only on computers in offices and homes in the first decade, it is now used by anyone with a computer or a smartphone. Access to data helps businesses to easily connect with their customers, suppliers and partners in cities and rural areas, and across the world.Â
PLDT Home, of course, was tested against the competition. In 2022, PLDT Home was again declared the undisputed fastest network in the Philippines, with an 86.52 speedcore for the whole year. Only PLDT has been consistently tried and tested in providing homes with the fastest connections. Â
A key to empowering the Philippine economy
 The country's fastest internet service provider, PLDT Home, has empowered millions of Filipinos to participate in the country's robust economic activity. During the pandemic, PLDT Home helped people keep their jobs. On a large scale, think of the IT outsourcing industry. BPOs now employ about 1.3 million people in the Philippines and, in the first half of 2022, accounted for 7% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or $29.1 billion, according to research. (Compare that to two decades ago when BPOs contributed only 0.075% to the GDP, and you realize the country's internet infrastructure's advances.) When BPOs were forced to send their workers to work from home for two years during the pandemic, PLDT Home subscribers continued working on back- and front-office operations in human resources, finance, IT, and customer support from their own homes. It would have been disastrous for the BPO industry (and the entire economy) if we didn't have reliable WiFi for two years! Just how fast does your Internet have to be anyway? Imagine you're in a household of five (the average in the Philippines is 4.8) with one kid studying (and watching YouTube videos), another playing games, the house help is on social media between chores, and you and your spouse are both on a hybrid work setup which entails Zoom meetings, talking to customers or colleagues, and downloading and uploading files. It's impossible to do all this efficiently without a super-fast internet connection. Ookla, the global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network testing applications, data and analysis, has certified PLDT Home as the fastest Internet for five years in a row. It's a rare award given to telcos around the world, with only two in Southeast Asia receiving that recognition to date.PLDT Home, of course, was tested against the competition. In 2022, PLDT Home was again declared the undisputed fastest network in the Philippines, with an 86.52 speedcore for the whole year. Only PLDT has been consistently tried and tested in providing homes with the fastest connections. Â
Creating growth opportunities outside Metro Manila
You don't have to start big — as many pandemic businesses have taught us — but you have to start with the right resources. What smart entrepreneurs have in common is the ability to be there for their customers in real-time without ever having to meet them. For freelancers, industries such as technology, digital services, and e-commerce thrive with robust internet connectivity. PLDT Home was certified by Ookla as the fastest broadband in 27 provinces from the Mountain Province (63.66 Mbps median download speed, among the top half in the provinces when it comes to speed) to Marinduque (57.32 Mbps), including the small island province of Guimaras (46.50 Mbps). It even does great numbers in Mindanao, such as a whopping 90.90 Mbps in Cotabato and 81.54 Mbps in the greater Soccsksargen region! It acts as a catalyst for entrepreneurs and freelancers around the country by helping them enhance productivity and create job opportunities for others when they scale up. Think of the countless sellers that only have Instagram and Facebook as their stores — they're not even on Lazada or Shopee — but they've created products or services people need and used their online platforms to market and sell to their audiences. You'd be surprised that many of these businesses are not even based in Metro Manila. We've heard of people who lost or quit their jobs during the pandemic and moved back to their provinces. A fast internet connection allowed them to start a business and enabled them to participate in online marketplaces to open up new growth opportunities. Fast Internet is what we need all across the Philippines right now — and with providers like PLDT Home, it's definitely here. All that's left is to learn how to make use of it to improve our lives in this increasingly digital and interconnected world.