Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 2) — A telecommunication company said there has been a surge in internet traffic following the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine throughout Luzon.
Globe Telecom, Inc. has recorded up to over 40% spike in residential data traffic over the past three weeks, the company’s chief commercial officer Albert de Larrazabal said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
The declaration of the enhanced community quarantine and the consequent announcement of lockdown in other parts of the country have resulted in a stay-at-home order for the public, with the exception of certain individuals. This, in turn, translated into a vast demand for internet services.
However, Larrazabal said they are not yet experiencing congestion issues.
“We’ve had excess capacities in the system—that’s been part of the plan,” he said, adding that the company has put in place a “very large traffic program for 2020.”
The chief officer also said they “continue to roll out their expansive programs” to accommodate the sudden growth. He added that they have sufficient manpower to keep the communications system running.
Globe further assured that they have the necessary cyber security protocols to ensure their operations are not hampered.
Earlier, the Department of Information and Communications Technology urged hospitals to implement emergency backup systems to guard against cyber attacks. This is following reports of hackers targeting hospitals and other health care facilities worldwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
