Philippines Ranks 3rd and 6th in APAC Mobile Internet by Akamai

Finally! The Akamai Technologies report on the Asia Pacific (APAC) mobile internet speeds is out. And at sixth place is… the Philippines! Wait! The title says third and sixth. What gives?

Well, it turns out that on the average, Akamai reports that the Philippines placed sixth in average mobile internet speeds along its neighbors, garnering an average speed of 8.5 Mbps (Megabits per second). But the country also ranks third when it comes to peak mobile internet speeds, shooting up 105.1 Mbps, next to Australia and Thailand.

Globe Telecom recently issued this press release reporting the latest Akamai report as a segue to what the telecommunications giant has been doing for the past year, spearheaded by its #WeWant1stWorldInternet (“We want 1st World Internet”) campaign.

Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said “…the company is maximizing the use of additional frequency assets it obtained from the sellout of San Miguel’s telco assets in line with its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to deploy about 4,500 multiband, multimode software defined radio base station equipment to 95% of total municipalities and cities in the country, intended to improve overall customer experience in terms of speed and reliability of mobile internet services.”

So, what has Globe been doing more or less for the past twelve months?

• Globe has already completed deployment of LTE 700 in 200 sites, mostly in Metro Manila as well as LTE 2600 in 900 sites, mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao.

• The company has also expanded its GoWiFi network as it recently completed deployment of the service in close to 500 sites that include Ayala Malls, fast food chains, bus terminals, convenience stores and other public places. Its target is to deploy GoWiFi services in close to 1,000 sites across the country, not only Metro Manila but also in Davao, Cebu, Bulacan, Cavite, Cagayan Valley, Cagayan de Oro, Nueva Vizcaya, Dumaguete, Zamboanga and Boracay. Launched in 2015, GoWiFi, the company’ premium open national WiFi network, is now serving close to 3 million customers per month.

• Globe is also about to complete deployment of free Wi-Fi services in all MRT Line 3 stations, enabling Globe customers riding the MRT to efficiently make use of their transit time as they are now able to access the internet for free. This will benefit around 350,000 daily passengers of MRT Line 3.

• Aside from MRT Line 3, Globe also signed an agreement to provide free Wi-Fi services in all 20 LRT stations.

• Globe will also provide fiber optic cable system that will extend the length of the entire LRT 1 and cover all LRT stations and LRMC’s depot in Pasay City.

• Globe also recently signed with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) a similar agreement that will allow the telco provider to deploy wireless infrastructure in MMDA controlled areas as part of its efforts to enhance network coverage and capacities.

Source: Globe Telecom Press Release

Photo from Akamai.com.

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