Maime Autida

July 27,2016

IT-14 (Computer Networks 2)

Wednesday

Duterte vows faster internet, free Wi-Fi

The state of the country's internet has been a major sticking point in recent years, with the average
speeds last year lower than 7 other ASEAN neighbors including those with a lower GDP per capita such as
Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. The country's internet speed is the second slowest in Asia, next only to
Afghanistan. Internet services in the Philippines is also among the most expensive.
One often highlighted point is the lack of choice consumers have in internet service providers or
ISPs with the market dominated by Globe Telecom and PLDT.Both telcos are currently embroiled in
a dispute with the Philippine Competition Commission over a deal with San Miguel Corporation that would
hinder the arrival of any more players
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday announced his plans to have better internet for Filipino.He
ordered the newly created Department of Communications in Technology (DICT) to develop a national
broadband plan to accelerate the deployment of fiber optic cables and wireless technology to improve
internet speed.
Duterte also added that Wi-Fi access shall be provided at no charge in selected public places
including parks, plazas, public libraries, schools, government hospitals, train stations, airports and seaports.
In his almost 6 years term, Duterte wants to improve the internet speed in the Philippines because
he and his teams believes that internet is the way to make peoples lives easier especially when it comes to
business. With the new administration, their wishlist is to make the service provider keep their promise to
protect the subscribers with their agencies, make the regulators to be fair and not biased on the side
businesses. And ICT in the Philippines to have rights, governance, development, and security
framework with the enacted Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom.
In three to five years of the Duterte administration, Barcelon said he hopes to see broadband
connection fees go down for ordinary households.But he believes pushing internet speeds to up to 20Mbps
from the current 3 to 4Mbps can be done in the next few months.
These include forcing telcos to fulfill their promises, ensuring NTC will protect consumers and not
favor the interest of big businesses and prohibit data cap or limited speed for unlimited internet packages.
Meanwhile, the PCCI sees no conflict of interest in the appointment of lawyer Rodolfo Salalima as
head of the newly created Department of Information and Communications Technology.

The Philippines ranked 176th out of 202 countries in terms of average download speed, according
to a study conducted by internet metrics provider Ookla: posting an average household download speed of
3.64 Mbps.
The Philippines download speed is eight times slower than the global average broadband
download speed of 23.3 Mbps.
Duterte is not satisfied because of the connectivity problem. He also stated that if the telcom
companies cannot improve their services, President Duterte would really agree to the coming in of foreign
players, also with energy.
Globe and PLDT said they would jointly roll out San Miguel's assets after each acquired a 50percent stake in the business worth P70 billion.