The country’s fixed and mobile broadband speeds have improved in March compared with the previous month, according to Ookla’s latest Speedtest Global Index report.
In a statement, Ookla said the fixed broadband median speed increased to 52.16 megabits per second (Mbps) last month from 49.10 Mbps registered the month before.
The latest download speed signifies a 6.23 percent month-to-month increase in speed for fixed broadband with average download speed at 83.37 Mbps.
For mobile broadband, Ookla said the median speed also increased to 19.38 Mbps in March from 18.79 Mbps in February. The latest median download speed signifies a 3.14 percent month-to-month increase with average download speed of 45.48 Mbps.
The latest speeds represent an improvement of 559 percent and 160 percent for fixed and mobile broadband, respectively, since the Duterte administration began in July 2016.
As the telcos are able to fast-track building infrastructure cellular towers and fiber optic network necessary in boosting services and connectivity, the country’s internet speed has been improving, Ookla said.
PLDT Inc. has spent P518.5 billion over the last 10 years for network expansion and has allocated between P76 billion to P80 billion for capital expenditure this year, with the bulk being used for its network related initiatives.
Globe Telecom Inc. is spending P89 billion to build new cell sites, upgrade existing sites to 4G/Long Term Evolution, accelerate the rollout of 5G connectivity and boost the fiberization of Filipino homes nationwide this year.
Meanwhile, Globe in partnership with several tower companies has expanded its coverage in 16 provinces as of March this year.
Globe said 91 towerco sites have started carrying Globe traffic as of end March, nearly 57 percent more than the 58 sites completed in the same period in 202.1
These new towers are powering 16 provinces across the country: La Union and Pangasinan in Northern Luzon; Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac in Central Luzon; Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon in Southern Luzon; Occidental Mindoro in Mimaropa; and Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and South Cotabato in Mindanao.
