The country’s fixed broadband speed continued to improve in February as telecom companies ramped up the construction of cellular towers and lengthening the fiber optic network, according to the Ookla Speedtest Global Index report.
The reported showed the fixed broadband median speed having improved to 90.03Mbps (megabytes per second) from only 88.13Mbps posted just a month prior.
The average fixed broadband speed stood at 142.57Mbps. The latest download speed represents an improvement of 18.95 percent since the Marcos administration began in July 2022.
As for mobile broadband, its median speed barely changed as tests show a download speed of 24.58Mbps from 24.59Mbps the month before. The average mobile speed stood at 58.66Mbps.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said that ensuring the continued improvement of internet speeds remain a priority as the economy pursues its digitization endeavors.
“We are also happy that Elon Musk’s Starlink is also now available in the country to give Filipinos in underserved and unserved areas fast and reliable internet,” NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca B. Lopez said.
The NTC traced the improvement in broadband speed to the streamlining and speeding up of the issuance of LGU permits beginning July 2020 when such permits granted to telcos started showing significant increases.
“Improvement on internet speed is largely attributed to this development as telcos are able to fast-track building infrastructure (cellular towers and fiber optic network) necessary in boosting services and connectivity,” the agency said .
