With the rest of the world, including the Philippines, still trying to incorporate 5G internet services, a local telecommunications company is making it simpler for subscribers in the country to locate the nearest 5G site as it becomes the first Philippine telco to introduce 5G pins on a social navigation app.
The next evolution of wireless communications, 5G offers significantly faster speeds and ultra-low latency, making it possible to stream ultra-HD videos without buffering, download and upload heavy files in seconds, and play high-bandwidth games without lag. It also provides a new platform that will unlock possibilities for ground-breaking digital experiences and services.
These 5G pins will conveniently show up on the social navigation app so subscribers may know if they are on a 5G-covered area, or close to a 5G site where they can access the next-level speeds on their 5G-capable smartphone.
This feature is now available for users in Metro Manila and key areas in the provinces of Aklan, Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Iloilo, Laguna, and Pampanga, with more locations to be added soon.
As part of its ongoing nationwide rollout, the telco has fired up more than 1,400 5G sites across the country – the most extensive coverage in the Philippines. The company is also planning to grow its 5G base stations by over 3,800 this year. Its 5G sites also recently went live in the provinces of Benguet, Misamis Oriental, and Zamboanga Sibugay.
The company is at the forefront of the 5G revolution in the country as the first local telco to launch 5G services nationwide last July in Metro Manila, and strategic areas in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The 5G programme complements the company’s continuous expansion of its 4G/LTE network.
On the other hand, an independent mobile analytics firm, noted in its 2020 Mobile Network Experience Report for the Philippines, that the country recorded an average 5G download speeds of 117.2 Mbps. South Korea currently has the highest average 5G download speed at 354.4 Mbps followed by the United Arab Emirates (292.2 Mbps), Taiwan (272.2 Mbps), Saudi Arabia (264.7 Mbps) and Australia (250.5 Mbps).
Meanwhile, The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is optimistic of an improved state of Internet connectivity in the coming months with the strengthened implementation of government connectivity programmes and roll-out of telecommunications players.
DICT said that digital infrastructure and connectivity are central to the ability of the country to move forward, address social changes, and meet the challenges of the future. With the private sector investing in digital infrastructure to upgrade the competitiveness of the country, the Government hopes to attract more opportunities, create more jobs, and generally improve the lives of its countrymen amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, The Philippines is now in 6th place in mobile internet speed among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) according to a report from a global speed test. Globally, the country moves up to the 86th spot in the mobile internet speed rankings in January 2021. This is a marked improvement from its 111th rank in the same period last year.
For the first time, it surged on top of Myanmar (25.21 Mbps, 88th worldwide) and Malaysia (23.74 Mbps, 94th). It also stayed ahead of Cambodia (19.98 Mbps, 106th) and Indonesia (17.33 Mbps, 121st).
The five ASEAN members with faster mobile internet speeds than the Philippines are Singapore (66.44 Mbps, 22nd worldwide); Thailand (50.00 Mbps, 36th); Brunei (36.75 Mbps, 56th); Vietnam (34.68 Mbps, 62nd); and Laos (27.55 Mbps, 80th).
