InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines - An international broadband speed study ranks the Philippines 133rd out of 170 surveyed countries, with an average Internet speed of 1.73 Mbps, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said Sunday.
Neighboring Asian countries ranked much higher with South Korea coming in at second with 30.33 Mbps, Singapore at 10th with 18.83 Mbps, and Japan at 14th with 17.80 Mbps.
“This has serious implications (for the) business sector, particularly for the developing business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the country,” he said.
Cayetano said the government should fast-track the advancement of broadband technology in the country.
He stressed that the government should make broadband affordable through regulation and market forces so that it amounts to less than 5 per cent of average monthly income.
The minority leader said while legislative and regulatory frameworks will be established to make broadband technology more accessible, particularly in many hard to reach places of the archipelagic Philippines, government should take drastic measures to address the country’s consistent low rating in the area of broadband services.
The UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Broadband Commission for Digital Development led world CEOs, senior policy makers, and stakeholders in a leadership summit, "The Broadband Challenge," in Geneva early this week.
The summit is pushing all countries to have a national broadband plan by 2015.
