Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 5) — A lawmaker asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for a reevaluation of its performance metrics for telecommunication companies.
In a House hearing on Thursday, Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo questioned NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba’s presentation that showed internet cost is “below the global average.”
“Mag reassess po tayo ng performance indicators. Kayo po ang regulators of telcos. Kung mali yung pinapanood niyo, may problema tayong malaki diyan,” Quimbo said.
[Translation: Let us reassess for performance indicators. You are the regulators for telcos. If you’re watching the wrong things, we will have a problem.]
Cordoba said that according to the Ookla Speedtest Global Index, the download speed on fixed broadband increased from 7.91 megabytes per second (mbps) in July 2016 to 26.08 mbps in September 2020.
Meanwhile, download speed on mobile connection rose from 7.44 mbps in July 2016 to 16.89 mbps in September 2020.
Quimbo cited a World Bank report saying that the download speed was at seven mbps, and fixed broadband average at 26 mbps. For the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), average download rates are 13 mbps for mobile and 59 mbps for fixed broadband.
She added that the country has the most expensive internet connection in ASEAN followed by Cambodia and Indonesia.
