PH’s $53.71 cost of broadband per month in 2020 lower than global average – study
MANILA, Philippines — The average cost of broadband in the Philippines per month was at $53.71, lower than the global average cost of $78.14 in 211 countries, a survey by consumer comparison website Cable.co.uk has shown.
With a $0.75 average cost of broadband per megabit per month, the Philippines ranked 119 out of 211 countries in the survey. Meanwhile, the country placed 18th out of 42 Asian countries, 14th of the 35 Asia-Pacific countries, and 6th out of the 10 ASEAN countries.
In Asia, the countries with the least expensive average cost for broadband per megabit per month were Macau at $0.03, Singapore at $0.04, and Hong Kong at $0.05, according to the survey published in December.
For the ASEAN countries, Singapore came first at $0.04, Thailand at $0.12, and Vietnam at $0.17, it noted.
The countries in the Asia-Pacific that offer the lowest average cost for broadband per megabit per month were Singapore, Russia at $0.10, and Thailand. On the other hand, the countries with the most expensive costs in this region were Afghanistan at $70.45, the Marshall Islands at $148.01, and Timor-Leste at $14.91.
However, the UK-based technology website noted that the $53.71 average monthly cost for the Philippines in 2020 is higher than its 2019 average of $39.29. Other countries also saw an increase in their average monthly broadband cost.
According to consumer telecoms analyst Dan Howdle of cable.co.uk, this is the first time that the average cost of a broadband package globally hasn’t fallen.
“Whether or not this is related to the pandemic and other, destabilizing global events is a matter for further study, however. We have also seen a substantial number of countries upgrading their infrastructure in the last 12 months, with available speeds of 1Gbps becoming increasingly common,” Howdle said in a statement.
“As in previous years, however, the countries with slow, patchy broadband infrastructure that supplies only a fraction of the population tend to be the most expensive, and their growth in terms of available speeds either slow or non-existent,” he added.
Broadband prices in the Philippines are seen to become more competitive this year in anticipation of the commercial launch of the country’s third major telco player, DITO Telecommunity, this March.
Its entry is said to cause incumbent telco giants Globe and Smart to significantly increase their respective capital expenditures this year.
READ: PLDT, Globe capex to remain high in 2021 as competition heats up
(Forex as of December 26, 2020 was at P48.149 per $1)
