PLDT representative Atty. Ray Espinosa said some P746 billion worth of capital outlay would be needed to provide a minimum of 2mbps Internet speed for households all over the Philippines.
Espinosa said that while their company has made sizable investments in the past years, more needs to be done.
The telcos also insisted that there was currently no way to guarantee minimum Internet speed for mobile devices since this would depend on the demand in a particular area.
Globe representative Engr. Manny Estrada uses EDSA as an example of a "hotspot" that sees increased Internet demand during heavy traffic resulting in a connection slowdown.
Both Globe and PLDT said they see "100 percent" 3G coverage throughout the archipelago by the end of 2014.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said 3G connection in the country is currently at 60 percent.
Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, chairman of the Senate Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship Committee, believes that government should already step in and spend to improve telecommunications infrastructure.
He also zeroed in on the big gap between the minimum and maximum connection speeds advertising by ISPs. Aquino said this was disadvantageous to consumers since their service expectations may not be met.
"Ang sabi rin naman ng DTI na kahit may fine print na ito lang ang minimum speed, ang expectatation ng consumers doon sa advertised speed. We think that companies should only advertise the assured speed," he said.
According to the NTC, Internet is currently a value added service (VAS) as defined by law. As a result, they are unable to regulate the rates set by companies.
However, the Commission said it can regulate the quality of the service -if only they had the proper equipment to do so. The NTC is eyeing the purchase of a P14 million machine to monitor Internet speed in Metro Manila.
But beyond improvements in infrastructure, experts also discussed the need to develop "peering" between Internet networks administered by different groups.
Peering is a system wherein separate Internet networks become interconnected to facilitate a faster and more efficient exchange of data. It also makes for a more secure local Internet network since local data will remain internal to the Philippine network and won't need to be routed elsewhere.
Current network peering appears largely controlled by major telecommunications companies and certain fees are imposed on networks that want interconnection. However, mandatory "free peering" could be another way to speed up Internet service in the country.
PLDT's Espinosa and Globe's Estrada, however, said the fees are justified because of capital investments on their end.
Ultimately, Aquino believes that improving Internet service is a matter of national importance since it has a direct effect on the growth of the economy and the creation of jobs.
"The truth is, this would not happen if the service is already good. It's time that the government step in. This is a priority," he said.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
