Slow PH Internet speed a major concern for NTC’s proposed 2015 budget

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Even some of the country’s most powerful people are dismayed with the slow Internet speed in the Philippines.

Senator Francis Escudero seems to share internet users’ sentiments on the country’s Internet services, describing them as “mahal at mabagal (expensive and slow).”

During Wednesday’s 2015 budget hearing at the Senate chaired by Escudero, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said that the country’s average internet speed is at 3.9 Mbps (Megabits per second), a far cry from Southeast Asia’s average of 12.4 Mbps.

To address this problem, the NTC proposed a budget of P296 million for 2015, which is 17.4 percent higher than last year.

If approved, the NTC will purchase fiber optics—which are used to transmit Internet connection and increase Internet speeds—priced at 15,000 pesos per kilometer.

A major Philippine telecommunications company has already been using fiber optics to boost its internet speed.

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