PLDT-Smart eyes 30Mbps minimum broadband speed for mobile in 2021

MANILA, Philippines — Telecommunications giant PLDT-Smart is eyeing to provide a minimum broadband speed of 30Mbps (megabits per second) for mobile users and 20Mbps for fixed-line users in Metro Manila and key cities next year.

During a House hearing on the state of telecommunications and internet services in the country, PLDT-Smart Senior Vice President Mar Tamayo said the plan seeks to “elevate the Philippines to the global arena.”

“Ang target namin for 2021 is to have a minimum speed of 30 Mbps [for mobile broadband] in Metro Manila and the key cities nationwide,” Tamayo told lawmakers.

Tamayo said the initial plan is to focus on Metro Manila and key cities so that they can maintain it. Later on, the company will “go outward and cover the rest of the population in a couple of years.”

“’Yan yung pinakatarget namin and balak din naming maglagay na ng 5G and continue yung LTE expansion. This is our way of really providing the speed that our subscribers are requiring for us. It takes a lot of investment but we are doing that, nasimulan na namin ‘yan,” Tamayo said.

The telecommunications company also has a similar plan for fixed broadband users by increasing the minimum internet speed to 20 Mbps.

“Ngayon sa fixed naman, sa wired, ang minimum average speed na ilalagay namin is 20, so wala na kaming io-offer na–hindi na kami magbibigay ng less than 20Mbps na speed for our subscribers,” Tamayo said.

“Because of that, tinatanggal na namin yung aming mga legacy copper subscription kasi yan yung medyo considering the requirements of today, kailangan ng palitan yan, yung legacy,” he added.

However, Tamayo pointed out that there are subscribers who refuse to upgrade their current subscriptions to improve their internet speed.

“Kaya lang may subscribers na ayaw umalis sa kanilng subscription sa legacy kaya humingi rin kami ng tulong sa NTC para sabihin sa mga subscribers na they really have to move to a newer technology or fiber,” Tamayo said.

“Ang target sana namin is by middle of 2022, wala na tayong copper subscribers kasi ‘yang speed na binibigay ng copper vs yung speed na binibigay ng fiber, medyo malayo ‘yan,” he added.

In the same hearing, National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, citing the OOKLA’s Speedtest Global Index, said that as of September 2020, fixed broadband speed increased by 229.7 percent while mobile broadband speed grew by 127.06 percent.

“Mayroon naan pong improvement simula nung umupo si Presidente Duterte noong 2016 up to the present,” Cordoba said.

READ: Internet speed for fixed, mobile broadband increased since 2016 – NTC