Will DITO Telecommunity Bring About Major Development in PH Internet?

As DITO Telecommunity recently announced that services will be available in certain parts of Cebu and Davao, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) welcomes the start of the service provider as a “major development” in an industry controlled mostly by two companies for decades.

READ MORE: DITO Telecom to Start VisMin Operations on March 8

PCC chair Arsenio Balisacan further added that that PCC, Philippines’ anti-trust body, expects that the new player in the internet service industry will bring about competition in the market that will ultimately benefit consumers as Globe and PLDT, the long-running internet service duopoly may have to adjust to DITO’s offered speeds and prices, and to further innovate to one-up the new player.

“Let competition run its course to see how the telco race will result in competitive pricing and raise the level of overall connectivity, quality, and coverage in the country,” Balisacan said.

Under Globe and PLDT’s helm, internet speeds in the Philippines have been rising in recent years for mobile internet speeds, albeit still in the lower half of the ranking.

Mobile internet speeds in the country climbed from 96th worldwide to 86th this year–a rise of ten spots–out of 140 countries, according to internet access performance metrics provider Ookla, via the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Average mobile internet speeds for the country currently sits at 22.50 Mbps as of January 2021, while average fixed broadband average download speed in the country currently sits at 32.73 Mbps (megabits per second), where the Philippines retains the 100th spot on Ookla’s ranking.

This is due to Globe and PLDT steadily improving infrastructure to ensure better internet speeds, reliability, and accessibility on a year-to-year basis.

President Duterte also mandated the duopoly to improve their services during his 2020 State of the Nation Address.

READ MORE: President Duterte’s 2020 SONA Key Points

How will DITO bring major development?

DITO Telecommunity’s entry to the industry will give consumers an added choice on internet service providers.

Moreover, with DITO offering faster internet speeds at lower prices, the public may expect innovation to come fast for the Philippines’ internet infrastructure as the arrival of a new player will push Globe and PLDT to continue to advance their technology and performance.

The public may also expect Globe and PLDT to either adjust the prices of their offerings to match those of DITO’s, or for the two service providers to offer more for the same prices.

DITO’s arrival in the internet service industry in the Philippines as a new competitor will put pressure for the duopoly do a better job in various aspects–from customer service, package offerings, internet speeds, and pricing–all to the benefit of consumers. (GFB)