Internet connection options vary by Internet Service Provider and by region.

Customers
should consider some of the following factors before selecting an Internet package:
speed or bandwidth, cost, availability, reliability and convenience. In order to determine
what Internet plan is right for you, we recommend you review the different types of
Internet connections available on the market today.

Understanding The Differences Between Internet Connections

When determining which type of Internet connection is right for you or your family, its
important to understand the distinction between each connection. In todays age, there
are numerous ways to connect laptops, desktops, mobile phones, gaming consoles, ereaders and tablets to the Internet. Some of the most widely used Internet connections
are described below.
Wireless
Radio frequency bands are used in place of telephone or cable networks. One of the
greatest advantages of wireless Internet connections is the always-on connection that
can be accessed from any location that falls within network coverage. Wireless
connections are made possible through the use of a modem, which picks up Internet
signals and sends them to other devices.
Mobile
Many cell phone and smartphone providers offer voice plans with Internet access.
Mobile Internet connections provide good speeds and allow you to access the Internet
on the go.
Hotspots
Hotspots are sites that offer Internet access over a wireless local area network (WLAN)
by way of a router that then connects to an Internet service provider. Hotspots utilize WiFi technology, which allows electronic devices to connect to the Internet or exchange
data wirelessly through radio waves. Hotspots can be phone-based or free-standing,
commercial or free to the public.
Dial-Up

Dial-up connections require users to link their phone line to a computer in order to
access the Internet. This particular type of connectionalso referred to as analog
does not permit users to make or receive phone calls through their home phone
service while using the Internet.

Broadband
This high-speed Internet connection is provided through either cable or telephone
companies. One of the fastest options available, broadband Internet uses multiple data
channels to send large quantities of information. The term broadband is shorthand for
broad bandwidth. Broadband Internet connections such as DSL and cable are
considered high-bandwidth connections. Although many DSL connections can be
considered broadband, not all broadband connections are DSL.
DSL
DSL, which stands for Digital Subscriber Line, uses existing 2-wire copper telephone
line connected to ones home so service is delivered at the same time as landline
telephone service. Customers can still place calls while surfing the Internet.
Cable
Cable Internet connection is a form of broadband access. Through use of a cable
modem, users can access the Internet over cable TV lines. Cable modems can provide
extremely fast access to the Internet.
Satellite
In certain areas where broadband connection is not yet offered, a satellite Internet
option may be available. Similar to wireless access, satellite connection utilizes a
modem.
ISDN
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) allows users to send data, voice and video
content over digital telephone lines or standard telephone wires. The installation of an

ISDN adapter is required at both ends of the transmissionon the part of the user as
well as the Internet access provider.
There are quite a few other Internet connection options available, including T-1 lines, T-3
lines, OC (Optical Carrier) and other DSL technologies.
As you decide what Internet connection is the best fit for your needs, you may wish to
narrow down your selection based on your preferred download and upload speeds.
Reliably fast speeds and comprehensive coverage make it easier than ever to stream
your favorite TV shows and movies, share photos, chat with friends and play games
online.

There are lots of ways to connect devices like mobile phones and computers
to the internet.
For some of us, our options depend on where we live, what devices we have,
and if we want to use the internet when we're away from home.

Dial-up connections
To get a dial-up connection, your computer will dial a phone number using
your telephone line.
Dial-up connections need a modem to connect to the internet and you pay
for a call each time you dial-up. Dial-up connections are really slow
compared to broadband, and are usually too slow for streaming video and
making voice or video calls on the internet.
If you want to do more than read web pages and send emails, you'll probably
need a broadband connection.

Broadband connections
Broadband is a high-speed internet connection.
Unlike dial-up, with broadband your phone line is not tied up. You can make a
phone call and be on the internet at the same time. With broadband, you can

watch live news and sport, download and share large files quickly and shop
or bank online more easily.
There are different ways to get broadband which means it doesn't matter
where you live in Australiaeveryone can get access to a fast internet
connection.

Fixed broadband connections

A 'fixed broadband connection' is a permanent connection to the internet.
If you've got fixed broadband at home, you'll have a broadband modem that
you can plug a cable into. If your modem's also a wireless modem, you'll be
able to connect wireless internet devices to your modem without using a
cable.
Wireless connections can be good if you have more than one person and
more than one device all wanting to use the same fixed connection. Most
wireless connections let you use the internet in different rooms and even if
you're outside.
With a fixed broadband connection, you might also look into getting an
internet phone rather than keeping your traditional phone line.
This is called VoIPwhich stands for 'voice over internet protocol'.

Fixed wireless and satellite connections

If you live in a remote part of Australia, you can get a broadband internet
connection by using either a fixed wireless connection or a satellite
connection.
Once you have a broadband connection to your home, you might like to set
up a wireless router so you can connect several wireless devices and use
them in and around the home.

Mobile broadband connections

You could also get the internet on a mobile broadband connection where you
plug a USB modem into your device and use mobile phone towers to access
the internet.
This can be useful if you need the internet when you're out and about, or if
you live in an area with good mobile phone coverage.

Internet on your mobile phone

Many mobile phones let you access the internet if you've signed up for
internet in your mobile phone plan.
'Smartphones' are mobile phones that are like small computers. They have
software on them to make it easier for you to surf the internet, check your
email and use social networking sites.

Wireless hotspots
If you're out and about with an internet device like a laptop, tablet or
smartphone, you might want to connect at a wireless hotspot.
Wireless 'hotspots' are places like libraries and cafs, which offer you free
access to their broadband connection. You may need to be a member of the
library or a customer at a caf to get the password for the wireless
connection.

Next steps
Broadband and wireless broadband can be easy to useyou just need to
follow a few simple steps to keep your internet devices secure online.
You can watch our video guides on keeping yourself and your computer
protected on the internet.

Cellular Telephony
Fixed-Line Telephony
Information Technology
Satellite Communications
Electricity distribution
Broadcast Media

NEWS:

Apologies and expectations

Angela Maravilla, a Client Solutions Manager of virtual office service provider
vOffice Philippines Inc. in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), said that she
apologizes to their clients when they complain about intermittent internet
connection.
There are times when all our meeting rooms are fully booked, then the
internet really slows down. Somebody complains and we have to reset our
connection and I just apologize, Maravilla told INQUIRER.net in a separate
interview.
Although its not reason enough, its in our contract that we should provide
fast and reliable internet. Sometimes its inevitable that the internet connection
will slow down because of many people connecting at the same time, she
said.
vOffice offers office services such as phone answering, reception, meeting
room facilities, and free WiFi, to small and medium enterprises who find the
cost of establishing a physical office too restrictive.
The company started June 2013 in the Fort Legend Tower with around 50
clients that are mostly freelancers and consultants. They had more than 1,000
clients by the end of 2013 prompting the expansion of a second business
center in One Global Place Tower also in BGC.
vOffice has 25 business centers throughout the world including China,
Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and United
Kingdom, but Albert Goh, Founder and CEO of vOffice Philippines Inc. said
that internet in the Philippines certainly ranks among the most expensive in
relation to the speed and reliability offered.
In general, internet access in the Philippines is more expensive and more
restricted than other countries. Our provider in [One Global Place], PLDT, has
a slow internet plan [and] the cost is certainly not cheap, Goh said.
We are paying around P8,000 per month for 8 megabits per second (Mbps)
download and 1 Mbps upload connection. In Malaysia, we are able to get 10
Mbps download/upload for about P5,000 per month only, he said.
Goh also noted troubles with their first business center in Fort Legend Tower
which has Globe as its internet service provider (ISP).

In addition to the high cost, we also experienced ISPs implementing weird

techniques to encourage their customer to upgrade to a more expensive
plan, he said.
For example, our Globe internet connection in Fort Legend Tower will auto
disconnect randomly and assign itself with a different IP address a few times a
day. Besides assigning the connection with a different public IP, certain IPs
that are assigned are not accessible publicly (behind their proxy), Goh said.

Read more: http://technology.inquirer.net/37815/ph-slowest-internet-speed-inasean#ixzz3HhdHkRjM

For the virtual office service that Goh offers to clients, unstable internet
service has severe effects on their daily operations such as loss of productivity
or money. He needed to subscribe to an additional 8 Mbps connection as
back up to ensure consistent internet availability for his clients.

Many companies and clients heavily depend on a speedy and stable internet
connection as they are into the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.
Having unreliable internet access will easily mean loss of productivity and
money for these clients, Goh said.
[Our two connections are still] somewhat insufficient due to the quality of the
ISP here [because] our back up connection can be as slow or just as
unreliable [as our primary]. In other countries, we have never needed to fall
back to our redundant service provider so far, he said.
Maravilla, who directly interacts with their clients on a daily basis, said that
she informs them about internet reliability on the outset of their service
contract.
Im very transparent with our clients, I set their expectations regarding our
internet service provider in order to serve them properly. We have a client
here into construction and building development, they subscribed their own 8
Mbps line because they really need a fast connection due to their higher
demands on the internet, she said.
I think for us Filipinos, we are always aware and we understand for a fact that
[the internet] is like this in the Philippines, she added.
Because of the higher price of ISPs in the Philippines, vOffices service plans
in the country are also more expensive compared to in Malaysia.
In general, [ISP costs] will definitely be a factor when we are pricing our
services. Currently the pricing in Philippines is about 30 percent more than
Malaysia but this is not purely due to internet alone. Philippine as a whole has
a much higher legislation and operations costs compared with Malaysia, Goh
said.
vOffice has thus far absorbed about 70 percent of the ISP cost at this stage,
he said.
Two Dominant Players
The Philippines telecommunications industry is dominated by two major
companies, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone company (PLDT) group,
headed by Manuel Pangilinan, who owns Smart Communications, Sun
Cellular, and Cignal Digital TV, and the Globe group, headed by the Jaime
Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, who also own Bayantel.

These telcos build their own infrastructure from international undersea cable
connection sites to the network of cellular towers scattered throughout the
country. At present, PLDT has four connections to international cables while
Globe has two giving the whole country a 2 terabit per second connection to
the rest of the world.
(Two terabits per second is equivalent to 2,000 gigabits or 2,000,000
megabits. To upload a single photo that is 2 megabytes large in just one
second requires a transfer rate of 16 megabits per second.)
In comparison, Indonesia has nine connections to international undersea
cables, Malaysia has seven, Singapore has six, Thailand has three, while
Brunei, Vietnam, and Myanmar each have two. Cambodia has one
international undersea cable connection while Laos, as a landlocked country,
has none.
Globe Vice-President for Broadband Product Development and Management,
Francisco Fernando Claravall IV, said that the primary cause of slow internet
is congestion within the national network.
When you build internet infrastructure, you anticipate a certain amount of
traffic that will flow, Claravall said. In the internet, there is always the concept
of peak and non-peak, like weekends and weekdays. The behaviors of people
are different too, some are constantly connected while others only connect
once in a while.
There will be a point where your pipes will not be able to handle the amount
[of connections], it means that the usual flow of traffic will be slower than the
usual. So you have to take into account the capacity youve built, the
behaviors of the people that use the service, and the frequency that they use
it, he said.
According to data from the World Bank, fixed or household broadband internet
subscribers in the Philippines rose from 0.11 percent in 2004 to 2.61 percent
in 2013.
The percentage of internet users had also risen from 5.2 percent in 2004 to 37
percent in 2013. The greatest rise in internet users was from 2009 to 2010, a
jump of 16 percentage points.

Claravall pointed to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets that added to

the number of computer devices connecting to the internet unlike in the past
where one fixed broadband subscription equals to one desktop computer.
Now a typical household can have three tablets and two smartphones. So
many more are connecting and the activity ratio of your home connection has
gone up, which introduces a lot of traffic on the network. Thats already a
reality today, Claravall said.
World Bank statistics showed that the percentage of mobile cellphone
subscriptions in the Philippines has risen from 39 percent in 2004 to 105
percent in 2013.
He said that the Philippines IT infrastructure is very good and is actually
better than other countries as reflected in the boom of the internet-dependent
BPO industry.
Philippines previously overtook India as the top country in the world for
companies looking to outsource some of their business processes. The
Filipinos English proficiency and the relatively cheaper labor in the country
were cited as the main drivers of the growth of BPOs.
Look at the BPO industry, why are we the number one destination for BPO
companies worldwide? You cannot do that if you do not have good
infrastructure, Claravall said.
Globe announced in the last quarter of 2011, that they will invest as much as
$790 million in their network and IT transformation program over two to three
years.
The technology we invest in today is world class. We use the same
equipment that the very big telcos around the world use, Claravall said.
Usec. Louis Casambre, Executive Director of the Department of Science and
Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOSTICTO), likewise cited the growth of BPOs as proof of the Philippines IT
infrastructure.

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

We receive criticisms from time to time from the industry, but our ICT-enabled
industry is booming and thats a critical factor which says something about
[the state of internet in the Philippines], Casambre said.
We would not have this kind of ICT-enabled industry, and with the growth rate
it has, if our internet were as terrible as sometimes they make it to be. Theres
something inconsistent somewhere, he said.
Casambre also noted that the Filipinos ability to speak English means
international website hosting companies dont see the need to put up servers
in the country which leads to the need to access servers in the US.
In Singapore, Hong Kong, and a lot of the ASEAN countries, their internet is
fast because the content is local in their country because of their language. It
makes sense for Facebook to put a server there because they are talking in
their language among themselves, Casambre said.
Us Filipinos, we speak English at a higher level than they do, it doesnt make
sense from a technical point of view for Facebook or other websites to put
servers here, he said.
7,107 Islands
The main challenge is in the Philippines archipelagic nature which creates
constraints in the expansion of telcos networks to the provinces and
municipalities far away from the main urban centers.

Building the infrastructure to provide connectivity to the far-flung areas is very

expensive while the rural market may not provide sufficient revenues for the
telcos.
Casambre noted a report from the Department of Education which found that
only 17 percent out the total 42,000 barangays (villages) have an available
internet connection.
But available does not mean they are connected, he said. We cannot blame
the private sector if they will not invest somewhere where they will not get a
return of investment.
Telcos, as the ones building their own infrastructure, maintains exclusivity to
their network and are not likely to share it with their competitors. Government,
meanwhile, has no role in the building of infrastructure for internet
connectivity, unlike what other countries are doing.
Edgardo Cabarios, Director of the National Telecommunications Commission
(NTC) Regulation Branch, said in a separate interview that in the United
States, the government invests in broadband infrastructure. They have to
stimulate the economy, and they have the stimulus fund worth about $7.6
billion placed in broadband infrastructure. In the Philippines its purely a
private investment.
The government must invest in broadband because the private investment is
not sufficient. [They are investing] P60 billion a year at least for network
development, Cabarios said.
There is no problem in connectivity to the international network, but there is a
problem in national connectivity. The problem is price, especially in the
regions outside of Metro Manila because they are far from where the majority
of connections are. The cost of the infrastructure to give them connectivity [is
high], he said.

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Cabarios pointed out that Singapore continues to lead in internet connectivity
in the entire Southeast Asian region because it is a small country making the
cost of infrastructure very low.
We cannot catch up to Singapore even if it takes so many years because it is
very small. The cost if infrastructure is much less. We also cannot compare
with Malaysia because it is compact with just two islands that are close
making their cost of infrastructure much less than in the Philippines Cabarios
said.
Same with Thailand because its just one big landmass. We are 7,107
islands, its very difficult [to build infrastructure] and the cost is really very high.
Compared to these three, we will have difficulty catching up, he said.
According to Cabarios, Philippines is more like Indonesia which has 13,000
islands and Vietnam which is one landmass but very long. Philippines remains
ahead of Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
We are at par now with Vietnam but they might surpass us as far as internet
penetration and broadband infrastructure is concerned, Cabarios said.
If the government invests in infrastructure to give people in the outlying areas
of the country internet connectivity, which Casambre calls the last mile, and
giving them basic government services online, the private sector will soon
follow in providing internet services.

We really have to address the last mile. If weve built the e-government
services and systems but 83 percent of the public is out of our reach, whats
the point? Were not talking just about birth certificates, but also e-health,
where patients can consult doctors via online systems, Casambre said.
As we see e-Filipinos advance and government is there to remove the
obstacles, we continue to reach out to areas that are not exactly doable by the
private sector, eventually it can be done, he said.
Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, who previously held a hearing to look into
the issue of the slow internet speed, said that they are already looking into the
possibility of government investing in IT infrastructure because its just like
when government invests in physical roads to connect to those in the outlying
areas.
You can look at it as a physical road and a virtual road. Government is
already spending for physical roads why cant it spend of virtual roads also?
Aquino said in a phone interview citing also how economic development
happens when physical roads are brought to areas.
He also cited problems experienced by telcos with local government units
(LGUs) because some of them ask for high fees to set up a cell tower while
others are very welcoming and are even the ones requesting for more cell
towers.
It takes about 30 permits to set up a cell site in an area and the LGUs even
have different charges. We need to standardize rules on how LGUs treat the
telco when they put up their infrastructure, Aquino said.

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Outdated Law
NTC, the government agency mandated with regulating telcos, and DOSTICTO, responsible for developing the countrys information technology (IT)

infrastructure, both pointed to the outdated Republic Act 7925 or Public

Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines that was enacted into law
on March 1, 1995, as reason why the government has difficulty in regulating
internet service today.
Looking at what the commission can do considering the limitations under the
law, our power is very limited, because we are just taking our powers from RA
7925, Cabarios said.
The wordings of RA 7925 does not include internet, broadband,
cellphones or computers and focused more on telephone networks and
services and mobile radio systems.
Cabarios said that a telco can only be fined P200 per day if a subscriber
experiences dropped calls in more than two percent of the total calls.
The P200 fine is not stated in RA 7925, but can be found in Section 21 of
Commonwealth Act No. 146 also known as the Public Service Act that was
enacted nearly 80 years ago in November 7, 1936.
[That is for] all types of violations in the conditions of your authority. If you
continue violating the rule, one year is only around P73,000 worth of fines,
Cabarios said.
There have been many cases [of violations] but its just a small amount. The
two penalties we can impose are fines and cancellation of authority. When you
cancel their authority, you are not only penalizing the company, you are also
penalizing the subscribers because they will lose service, he said.

AFP FILE PHOTO

In Singapore, telcos are fined millions of dollars if they fail to meet service
standards. Fines also ensure the telcos companies maintain consistent
service because investors get angry when fines are imposed.
Casambre said that in 1995, RA 7925 was a masterstroke. It broke apart the
monopoly, it started to get government out of the telecommunications industry
and set the stage for the tremendous growth that we saw around 1997. At one
time we had 12 telcos that are really active.
He however noted that the law achieved the goal of making the industry grow,
but it was not able to put controls in place making the industry very liberalized.
Its the perpetuation of these old and obsolete prototypes of the way the
industry is supposed to operate that does not allow the government to play its
essential role to regulate and see that the industry prospers while at the same
time that the consumer is protected, Casambre said.
The law that governs most of our ICT industry was passed in 1995 so its
already ancient [it needs to be amended to] take it to the next decade of
ICT development in the country, he added.
Aquino said that some of the utilities being referred to in RA 7925 no longer
exist and the internet is not even considered a basic service in that act
In these days, to be able to transact and to be able to communicate, you
really need internet service. We need to start considering internet as a basic
service. Even the United Nations has considered internet access as a basic
right, Aquino said.
If its a basic service, it can be regulated in terms of price, quality standards,
and government will have more basis to monitor and regulate the industry, he
said.
Collaboration and Competition
According to Google Philippines, telcos should collaborate through internet
exchanges, or IP peering, which allows traffic to cross between the two
competing networks locally instead of having to travel to servers outside of the
country before arriving to their respective subscribers.
The Philippines has a unique opportunity to speed things up by better using
the connections it already has. When you wait a long time for a website to

load, your request is traveling all the way to the United States, then back to
the Philippines, even when youre accessing Filipino content from Filipino
companies, Gail Tan, Communication Manager of Google Philippines said in
an email interview.
Even at the speed of light, and even with higher bandwidth, shortcuts make a
difference. You dont want your data to take the scenic route. Creating more
Internet exchanges inside the Philippines would create more direct
connections between the servers and the people, as well as encourage
investment in the Philippines digital resources, she said.
Claravall said that Globe has already joined the Philippine Open Internet
Exchange (www.PHOpenIX.net) operated by DOST-Advanced Science and
Technology Institute (ASTI) along with several other telcos and local
organizations.
PLDT has expressed its support for peering but has yet to join PHOpenIX.
[Without IP Peering], local traffic has to go trough a longer path which
consumes resources therefore unduly adding load to some resources which
could have been left free for other uses. If you use resources inefficiently, it
has an impact on cost and pricing, Claravall said.
WIth internet exchange, telcos can connect and exchange traffic instead of
having to connect to offshore sites. We should do peering, no ifs and buts,
and it has to be open. US telcos do peering for free because they are the core
of the internet. Here in the Philippines, whats stopping us to do the same? he
said.
Cabarios believes that the lack of competition is keeping the prices high while
more telcos will improve the quality of service for the public.
Its better if there are three [telcos], it will open and improve the marketplace.
They will compete in prices and quality, but right now there are only two [PLDT
and Globe]. We dont know if there is a cartel or none. The probability of
cartelized pricing lessens if there are more telcos, three is good but its better if
there are four, he said.

AP FILE PHOTO
Aquino cited the necessity of a Competition Law that would prohibit acts and
practices from stifling the competition or preventing new players into the telco
industry.
For an industry to be truly competitive you need to have three major players,
and we only have two. If there is competition, at the end of the day the
consumer is the one that benefits from lower prices, higher standards, and
quality of service. Its a tried and tested economic principle, Aquino said.
This is not just for telcos, it will be for all industries. It will prohibit acts and
practices that hamper market competition which negatively affect the
consumers such as when the dominant player prevents smaller competitors
from entering the market, or when it uses its position to create a monopoly,
he said.
The bill, which has passed the committee level in the Senate, is set to be
sponsored by Aquino once Congress resumes. He also said that mergers and
acquisitions will also be prohibited if it results in worse situations for
competition.
It should promote competition but not in a direct way, at least it will help
promote competition among the current players and when new players want
to join in, they will not have difficulty because practices which make it hard for
them will be prohibited, Aquino said.

BPO
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a subset of outsourcing that involves the

contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions (or

processes) to a third-party service provider.

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