Why Internet connection is slow in PH

MANILA - The country's piecemeal approach to developing and regulating the Internet sphere needs to be reviewed and restructured to meet the demands of the information age. That's the contention of Senator Bam Aquino who has called for a Senate probe into the Philippines' slow Internet connection. Aquino believes it's best to set up an entity in the government that will focus on issues of access, price and quality of Internet services in the country. The senator, who chairs the Senate's trade, commerce and entrepreneurship committee, says there are several reasons why the country is falling behind its ASEAN neighbors when it comes to Internet services. "We're slow for a number of reasons. There's an issue about us being an archipelago and issue on infrastructure. Our telcos have an issue on the [National Telecommunications Commission] since they should layout the road map of faster and cheaper Internet in our country," he said. "When we have our investigation two weeks from now, yan yung gusto nating malaman. Why are we slow and what can we do about it?" Globe's vice-president for broadband products Francisco Claravall disputes statistics which show the country's Internet speed is the slowest in the region. He says other studies indicate the Philippines is better off than Indonesia, Vietnam and India. He adds the country's infrastructure requirements are vastly different from other countries and these drive Internet costs higher. Regardless of the statistics, both Aquino and tech expert Carlo Ople agree the Philippines is at the lower end of the speed and reliability spectrum and that problem needs to be addressed. They assert Internet speed has a direct impact on the economy and on the international employment potential of online-savvy Filipino workers. ANC, May 7, 2014