Old Goats And The Philippine Internet

Most Old Goats have run into an image similar to the one above while residing in the Philippine pasture . How frequently such events occur will of course depend upon your service provider , the stability of your electrical connection , whether the locals have stolen the fibre optic wiring , current sunspot activity , phase of the moon , etc.    :-)

In reality , these kinds of issues have quite a bit to do with the current status of Philippine internet connectivity in a broader sense . So , in this post this Old Goat will just throw out some information regarding Internet usage in the Philippines of a general nature with a look at some specific elements relative to this culture .

Internet Usage In The Philippines  

As of Feb. 2013 the Philippines  internet penetration rate stood at 35 % . What is perhaps more interesting is that the majority of Filipinos connecting to the internet are doing so by way of the image below as only 20 % of Philippine households have a computer and only 47 % of cities have  broadband.

In Southeast Asia the Philippines compares with Vietnam and Indonesia in terms of average connection speeds but trails the entire region when it comes to broadband penetration .  The fact that the Philippines is an archipelago  was stated as the reason for it's poor broadband connectivity but that may no longer be true as Indonesia is also a nation of islands with better results .

So , how does one  explain the discrepancy ? Wireless technology is the answer of course as it eliminates the need for establishing fixed line networks . In Indonesia 95 % of the subscriber base is via wireless so obviously that is the best way for the Philippines to go . In the Philippines the SMART/PLDT group is installing fiber - optic but is a long way from heavy penetration on a home basis .

Wireless technologies hold promise for  the Philippines in a couple of different ways . TVWS technology is one option being promoted by the Department of Science and Technology . This technology uses underutilized television frequencies in the VHF and UHF bands which travel over water and through thick foliage better than what is currently being used .

 Smart phone usage will increase but only as  prices drop on the devices themselves as well as bundled options being offered by Philippine Telcos . Faster internet speeds come at a price but with Smart's lowest cost plan being 1,500 peso and Globe's at 1,800 peso access may still be out of reach for many .

So , fair to say i suppose that the present state of the Telecommunications industry in the Philippines will not suddenly thrust the Philippines into first world status but the future does look brighter . On that note i will end this post before tackling the Philippines Internet Darling - Facebook , next time around .

Stay Tuned