By CNN Philippines
February 14, 2023
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 14) — The state of the country’s fixed broadband internet recorded improvements last month, with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) expecting faster speeds once US billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink enters the Philippine market.
Data from the Ookla Speedtest Global Index report showed that the local fixed broadband median speed jumped to 88.13 Megabits per second (Mbps) in January, faster than the 87.13 Mbps logged in December 2022.
The latest download speed data also represents a 26.39% increase since the Marcos administration began.
The NTC attributed the boost in internet speed to the easier permit procedures for towers, where there was a “significant increase” in permits granted to telco players from July 2020 to December 2022.
NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez said the agency would further pursue boosting the internet speed, seeing this as a crucial part of advancing the country’s digital connectivity.
“We look forward to Starlink’s commercial availability this year to further improve internet speeds in the country,” Lopez said in a statement Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the NTC said it expedited Starlink’s commercial rollout as it approved the company’s request that its user terminals be classified as customer premise equipment and not subject to the same procedures as radio station licensing.
Source: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/business/2023/2/14/January-internet-speed-Ookla-Starlink.html