The Philippines moved up to the 86th spot in the global mobile internet speed rankings in January 2021, according to data from an Ookla report, which is a marked improvement from the country’s ranking of 111th in the same period in 2020.

For fixed broadband, the country’s average download speed was recorded at 32.73 Mbps. The country retained its 100th ranking in the fixed broadband global average category.

Additionally, compared to December 2020, the Ookla January 2021 results witnessed a 4.10-percent increase from 31.44 Mbps (fixed broadband), and 14.53 percent from 22.50 Mbps (mobile).

To recall, President Rodrigo Duterte challenged telecom firms to advance improvements in their services to ensure the country’s internet speed and quality keep up with Southeast Asian neighbors, the Philippine government had been closely monitoring telco’s performance.

Moreover, the government had been providing assistance to telcos in their infrastructure buildup by expediting the approval of tower permits as a measure to improve internet services amid the ongoing pandemic, which has seen increased internet use among residences as many were forced to work from home.

Schools also implemented blended learning system the revolved around online classes.

Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan 2nd stated that the Department of Information and Communications Technology will continue to coordinate with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to help ensure that the telco’s roll-out plans are complied with in a timely manner.

“Our vision of digital transformation shall be realized if all Filipinos, regardless of who they are and where they are in the country, have quality access to internet connectivity services at affordable prices,” Honasan said.

The DICT and NTC are conducting bi-monthly meetings with telcos to check on the status of their network roll-out plans and to address any problems that may cause lags in its implementation.