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Students take part in their online classes inside their home in Parañaque on September 24, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

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Student using a laptop

Jekki Pascual

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1710496999502student45.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Students take part in their online classes inside their home in Parañaque on September 24, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News </div>MANILA -- The Philippines continues to lag behind some of its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of internet connectivity, according to the World Bank’s ‘Better Internet for All Filipinos’ 2024 report. The study revealed that the country’s internet connectivity “lags in affordability, speed and access, creating an uneven landscape for digital participation.”It added that this curbs digital potential for citizens and businesses, and is a lost growth opportunity for Filipinos. Citing several studies, the World Bank report showed that in fixed broadband, for example, the Philippines’ average speed is 92Mbps. That’s lower than Singapore’s 264Mbps, Thailand’s 216Mbps, Malaysia’s 112Mbps, Vietnam’s 105Mbps, and Brunei’s 94Mbps. Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar reported lower speeds. <div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/14/23/us-eyes-help-for-rural-internet-providers-in-philippines">US eyes help for rural internet providers in Philippines</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/17/23/wider-internet-connectivity-crucial-for-e-govt-group">Boosting internet connectivity crucial for e-government push: group</a></div>The penetration of fixed broadband access in the Philippines is at 33 percent, lower than Singapore’s 111 percent, Brunei’s 108 percent, Vietnam’s 76 percent, Thailand’s 58 percent, and Malaysia’s 50 percent.The price, however, of fixed broadband in the Philippines is among the highest in the region at 11.3 percent of the gross national income (GNI) per capita. Only two countries have more costly broadband than the Philippines in Southeast Asia--Cambodia and Myanmar, which were at 11.6 percent and 15.3 percent of GNI per capita, respectively. Mobile broadband figures reported similar rankings, with the Philippines having the slowest mobile download speed and costing more than many countries in Southeast Asia. At the Future of Philippine Connectivity forum in Quezon City, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan agreed that the country needs to do more to improve internet connectivity. “We’re improving, but you know our neighbors are also improving. So we have to catch up,” Balisacan said.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kOXbjsePJE8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy added that the agency is now implementing various programs to bring free internet connectivity to remote areas.He said the agency wants to have about 25,000 free Wi-Fi spots around the country this year. “This is a sovereign reminder of the pressing need to further efforts to bridge the digital gap in many parts of our country. We have to work doubly hard,” Uy said. The World Bank report also cited the need to reform regulatory policies as many are already outdated, such as the Radio Control Act of 1931, which governs spectrum management in the Philippines. Both Balisacan and Uy agree that policy reforms are needed. NEDA is pushing for the ‘Konektadong Pinoy bill’ or the Open Access in Data Transmission Bill to improve the internet infrastructure and lower its cost. Balisacan added that the Open Access bill would benefit the public.&quot;It would mean internet will be accessible to ordinary people for inclusivity. It would mean our children can now access better educational services…. To improve the quality of the internet services, higher speed, so that we can do streaming and all that,&quot; Balisacan said.&quot;Two, it would make it affordable,&quot; he added. The USAID Beacon Project, which co-organized the forum, also said the Philippines needs to improve connectivity because better internet go hand in hand with economic growth and development. “Our progress will be limited without transformative legislation that will ensure digital development is sustained and the Philippine ICT sector is competitive,” said Jeff Goebel, Director of the Office of Economic Development and Governance at USAID. Government officials agreed to discuss the challenges with telco stakeholders to further improve connectivity in the country. The World Bank said strengthening the ICT sector through updating Philippine policy will greatly promote competition, encourage investment, and upgrade broadband infrastructure.

The Philippines continues to lag behind some of its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of internet connectivity, according to the World Bank.

The Philippines continues to lag behind some of its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of internet connectivity, according to the World Bank.

World Bank: PH still has slower internet, higher cost than neighbors in ASEAN

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World Bank: PH still has slower internet, higher cost than neighbors in ASEAN

Jekki Pascual,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 15, 2024 06:03 PM PHT

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Updated Mar 15, 2024 06:46 PM PHT

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internet

internet speed

connectivity

internet access

broadband

mobile data

World Bank

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