Telcotroll primer on slow internet speed in the Philippines

Faster and cheaper internet access for progress

Philippines, Household with slow internet speed
October 10, 2015

Primer by Telcotroll on slow internet speed

The site has simplified the complex situation on why internet is slow and expensive in the Philippines. (This post has explained this elsewhere in this site but Telcotroll has done a good job of explaining.

1.  The best practice if for the State to run a neutral IX so that the dominant telco would not bully the ISP or other telcos

2. It is best to have transit to a third party (to outsource) for internet traffic through a real backbone like PACNET which has massive investment in submarine cables and other communication facilities.  This is similar to BPO.  If others can do it better, why have your own facilities

3.  Peering. Local traffic can be accessed directly by local exchanges without paying revenues (true peering) and the rest of traffic which has international  content can be through the backbone. 70 to 80% of the traffic has intl content, 20 to 30% can be peered locally

4. Open competition. consumer protection act and anti trust law.

As it is this is what is happening in the country:

1.  PLDT, the dominant telco thinks it is the back bone. It has openly stated that it does not want a unified IX (although lately it has peered with one port.  All other Telcos and ISP connect to the PHOpen IX.   PLDT before did not connect.

2. Instead data is routed to HK Internet Exchange via the privately owned Vitro Internet Exchange (VIX) of PLDT. Thus  you we experience a data hops.   All our local chats and email still goes to HK and this makes data transfer:   slower because the data reroute is via HK (vs direct) and hefty premium has to be paid as transit fee to PLDT.

3. NTC which is supposed to enforce telco regulations in the PHL is helpless to compel to regulate PLDT to operate in the best interest of the public?  Nasa batas na ipagtanggol ng NTC ang consumer at labanan and monopolyong pamamamalakad ng telco. NTC is not exercising this mandate - afraid or it is not aware?

So what is next?  We just pray and hope that PLDT give its profit objectives (massive at that) and be a good citizen.  As of now, MAGTIIS TAYO IROG.?

We may support the next Congress:

1.  Legislate stricter consumer protection act;  ( eh may Bill of Rights and consumer sa RA 7925 baka execution na lang ang kailangan

2.  Anti trust law (just like what US did to ATT ).   NTC should not have allowed PLDT SMART and Sun cellular and VIX be under one roof or have limitations in control of telecom business (so even buying GMA should be a no no were it not for these abuses in the name of more money) Nasa mandate ng NTC not to have allowed that to happen.  May insubordination or negligence ba ang NTC not to have followed its mandate?)