Improved mobile Internet speed due to activation of evolution cell sites

CEBU - Improved mobile Internet speeds may be attributed to Globe and Smart’s continuing activation of long-term evolution cell sites making use of the 700 MHZ spectrum, according to National Telecommunications Commission Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios.

He said both firms started co-using the frequency in May 2016. “Improvements in fixed line internet are also expected to happen as the government, thru the Department of Information and Communications Technology finalizes its roll-out plans for the country’s national broadband network,” Cabarios said.

AKAMAI, a leading content delivery network services provider for media and software delivery, and cloud security solution, recently came out with its State of the Internet Q4 2016 Report.

It said the Philippines’ Internet performance yielded marked improvements in several areas in the report - most notable of which was that the country’s average connection speed (IPV4) for mobile internet topped the Asia Pacific region for two consecutive quarters.

For the past three quarters of 2016, the AKAMAI State of the Internet Report showed a consistent improvement in the Philippines’ average mobile connection speed.

In the second quarter of 2016, the country’s average mobile connection speed was pegged by AKAMAI at 8.5Mbps. In the third quarter of the same year, the outfit reported that the country’s average mobile connection speed increased to 13.9Mbps.

It reported that the Philippines mobile internet speed clocked at 14.3Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2016.

On the table presented in AKAMAI’S State of the Internet Q4 2016 Report, the Philippines’ average mobile speed of 14.3Mbps came in fastest in the Asia Pacific cluster – topping the speeds of Australia (13.8Mbps), Japan (13.3Mbps), South Korea (12.7Mbps), New Zealand (12.5Mbps), Taiwan (12.0Mbps), Singapore (9.9Mbps), Indonesia (9.8Mbps), China (7.4Mbps), Hong Kong (7.2Mbps), Thailand (7.1Mbps), Sri Lanka (5.8Mbps), India (4.8Mbps), Vietnam (4.3Mbps) and Malaysia (3.9Mbps).

The report also cited the Philippines’s improvements in other categories.on the “above 4 Mbps broadband adoption” category, the Philippines’ adoption rate is now at 31%, representing a growth rate for the country of 7.4% QOQ and 126% YOY. And on the “above 10 Mbps broadband adoption” category, the Philippines’ adoption rate is now at 7.5%, representing a growth rate for the country of 39% QOQ and 292% YOY.

And finally, on the “above 15 mbps broadband adoption” category, the Philippines’ adoption is now at 3.6% adoption, representing a growth rate for the country 52% QOQ and 373% YOY.