'Napakabagal': Campos rues Philippines' drop in global mobile Internet speed rankings
At A Glance
- Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. says the country’s telecommunications companies (telcos) are simply not doing enough to improve their services, particularly when it comes to mobile Internet.
(Unsplash)
Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. says the country’s telecommunications companies (telcos) are simply not doing enough to improve their services, particularly when it comes to mobile Internet.
Case in point: Campos said the Philippines fell four notches from No.87 to No.83 in Ookla’s May 2024 Global Speedtest Index.
He noted that the country’s mobile internet speed slowed to an average of 32.12 megabits per second (Mbps) last month.
“Telecommunication companies are simply not doing enough to improve their networks. This is why we want Congress to pass a new law so that the government can set compulsory deadlines for telcos to deliver faster mobile internet speeds under pain of punitive regulatory fines,” Campos said.
“We want accelerating mobile Internet speeds to improve public access to online resources, government services, education, and new opportunities,” added Campos, the husband of Makati Mayor Abby Binay.
In the May 2024 rankings, the Philippines still placed No.6 among the 10 members the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The five ASEAN members with faster average mobile internet speeds than the Philippines were: Brunei (107.40 Mbps, No. 15 worldwide); Singapore (99.29 Mbps, No. 21 worldwide); Malaysia (95.66 Mbps, No. 25 worldwide); Vietnam (52.15 Mbps, No. 57 worldwide); and Thailand (48.76 Mbps, No. 62 worldwide).
Campos, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, has been batting for the passage of his House Bill (HB) No.10215. The measure seeks to tag high-speed Internet connection as a basic telecommunication service to which every Filipino has a right of access to, instead of a value-added service.
The reclassification would empower the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to impose rising minimum mobile internet speed targets that telcos must hit within prescribed deadlines.
Telcos that are unable to reach the target speeds would be subjected to severe fines of up to P1 million per day, or P365 million per year, until they achieve compliance.
In the April 2024 Speedtest rankings, the Philippines ranked No. 79 worldwide, with a mobile internet speed that averaged 32.37 Mbps.