Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — When it comes to home broadband, Internet users have different preferences.
“The price, of course — that it should be attainable to any kind of market, like for example, families,” said blogger Jamon Martin.
Accounts executive Jona Atienza, on the other hand, prefers a fast connection. “Basically, the speed — because with the line of work that I have, it’s very important that I get to be online wherever, including at home.”
But most of all, users say it is important for service providers to be more transparent with their product descriptions.
“In a way… siguro misleading sila. Not all, definitely — pero may mga parts na misleading kasi sinasabi nila na [ang] nakikita nga una is 5 mbps, pero its not really 5mbps,” remarked Bob Freking, an intern.
[Translation: “In a way, perhaps they’re misleading. Not all, definitely — but their are parts that are misleading because they initially see 5mbps, but it’s not really 5mbps.”]
Ritz Aguspina, a web developer, said that there can be times when users don’t get the speed they pay for: “Technically, the packages come with, let’s say 14mbps, basically you’ll get 9mbps to 10mbps when you do a speed test — and then when you report it to the companies, they’ll say they can’t do anything and [that] they’re trying their best.”
This will soon be addressed as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) expects to release broadband rules for fixed connections next month.
“So what is being done here is i-publish iyan so that the consumers would know that for this particular service provider, iyon ang kanyang average speed. So if the consumer wants a higher average speed, then doon siya sa isa,” explained Edgar Cabarios, Director of the NTC’s Common Carriers Authorization Department (CCAD).
[Translation: “So what is being done here is that the rules will be published so that the consumers would know the speed of a particular service provider. So if the consumer wants a higher average speed, then he or she transfers to another provider.”]
Cabarios said the Commission is just waiting for the final position paper of service providers before the rules are completed and released.
Under the draft rules, the commission will measure and publish each service provider’s average Internet speed. NTC will also look at the other factors that can affect the quality of more complex Internet services such as video streaming and games.
Abe Olandres, an IT expert, expert said the new rules will force service providers to up their game as they must be clear about their offers, the conditions, and the price.
“Well one, at least it becomes more visible to consumers — what are being offered… So when people realize that it’s not worth it, they might look elsewhere, and that becomes an opportunity for other players.
Olandres gave a few tips to those looking for a home broadband connection:
Always go for a wired connection as this is more stable — fiber optics are better than the legacy copper wire.
If you have no choice but to go wireless, make sure the signal is strong in your neighborhood.
Find out if the product you’re subscribing to has a data cap or a specified volume allocation.
