PHL internet download, upload speeds improve

Ookla said that based on the data gathered from its web service Speedtest.net, the Philippines is one of the top 12 countries in the world with the highest average download and upload speeds this year. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – The Philippines is making a significant headway when it comes to internet connection speed, according to the latest report by international internet speed testing company Ookla.

Ookla said that based on the data gathered from its web service Speedtest.net, the Philippines is one of the top 12 countries in the world with the highest average download and upload speeds this year.

With 43.82 megabit per second (Mbps) during the first months of 2016, the Philippines ranked 11th in terms of average download speed worldwide. The country has the same ranking in terms of average upload speed at 28.22 Mbps, ahead of Canada’s 26.82 Mbps which is at No. 12.

It was a huge improvement for the Philippines, having been consistently placed at the bottom in average internet speed rankings, especially among Asian countries, in recent years.

Singapore has the fastest average download and upload speeds at 120.02 Mbps and 100.84 Mbps, respectively, followed by Hong Kong and Japan.

Speedtest.net is a web service that provides free analysis of internet access performance metrics, such as connection data rate and latency. It was founded by Ookla in 2006, and is based in Seattle, Washington.

The service measures the bandwidth and latency of a visitor’s internet connection against 4,759 geographically dispersed servers (as of August 2016) located around the world.

Each test measures the data rate for the download direction, i.e. from the server to the user computer, and the upload data rate, i.e. from the user’s computer to the server. The tests are performed within the user’s web browser or within applications.

This year, over 8.7 billion speed tests have been completed by Speedtest.net.

The Ookla speedtest results came two months after President Rodrigo Duterte warned telecommunications companies to improve internet services in the country or face competition from foreign players.

Less than a month before he assumed office on June 30, Duterte said he was not satisfied with the connectivity services in the country.

Last year, the Ookla Speedtest showed that download speeds in the Philippines ranked 176th out of 202 countries. The company also noted that the cost per Mbps in the Philippines is one of the most expensive with an average value of $ 18.18, as against the global average of .21.

Ookla is the global leader in broadband testing, network diagnostic applications and data.