By Mario Casayuran
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SENATOR Manuel “Lito” Lapid sought Tuesday a Senate investigation, in aid of legislation, on the status of the country’s internet connectivity, speed, bandwidth capacity and relevant parameters in
light of the “new normal” that would be observed as the country faces the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Lapid has filed Senate Resolution 414 seeking the inquiry as the government
relaxes quarantine protocols starting this week, placing majority of the areas in the country under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
He noted that many of the offices would still rely on work-from-home arrangements to limit the movement of the employees.
“Even the upcoming resumption of classes will rely heavily on distant or
online learning,’’ he said.
Lapid said the shift in the mode of work and education including our day-to-day
transactions like banking and online shopping would rely on stable and fast internet connectivity.
The Philippines has not fared well, historically, in terms of internet speed as compared to other countries.
“Based on the April 2020 Speed Test Global Index, the Philippines ranks 121st out of 139 countries in terms of mobile internet speed. While on the aspect of fixed broadband connection speed, we are placed at 110 out of 174
countries,’’ Lapid said.
Based on the 2019 data compiled by Tower Xchange, there are only at least 17, 850 cell sites in our country, in comparison to the over 90,000 cell sites in Vietnam, which is also big as Philippine land area.
Lapid pointed out that even in Senate sessions, hearings and meetings where they adopt hybrid virtual mode, there have been times when they experienced erratic and slow internet connection.
He said he believes that it is imperative to determined the actual state of internet connectivity in our country in order to properly re-calibrate our laws and policies in response to the possible skyrocketing of demand and number of users in the coming months.
