PHL internet speed up in August global rankings

The Philippines' fixed broadband median download speed moved up two notches, while mobile median download speed moved up three notches in Ookla's latest Speedtest Global Index rankings.

The country's fixed broadband median speed increased to 78.33Mbps from 75.62Mbps registered the month before, while mobile median speed clocked in at 22.35Mbps from 22.56Mbps the month before.

The Philippines now ranks 45th out of 182 countries for fixed broadband and 82nd out of 140 countries for mobile. Out of 50 Asian countries, the Philippines ranks 14th in fixed broadband and 29th in mobile. In the Asia Pacific, the country ranks 12th in fixed broadband and 17th in mobile.

Improvement on internet speed is largely attributed to the streamlining and speeding up of the issuance of LGU permits as telcos are able to fast-track building infrastructure (cellular towers and fiber optic network) necessary in boosting services and connectivity.

Elon Musk's satellite-based Starlink internet service is also expected to improve internet speeds further.

The service is expected to be available in the next six months. Starlink offers high speed low latency satellite internet service with download speed between 100Mbps to 200Mbps.

Using advanced satellites in a low orbit, the service will enable video calls, online gaming, streaming and other high data activities that historically have not been possible with satellite internet.