Japan Achieves Record Internet Speed. How Does PH Compare?

Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) recently reported achieving the fastest internet speed recorded so far—a whopping 420,000,000 Mbps (megabits per second) or 420 Tbps (terabits per second), which is millions of times faster than the global average speed of 46.8 Mbps. The peak rate was approximately 25 percent higher than the previous record which was set last October.

The surprising thing highlighted in the report was that the NICT achieved these speeds using fiber technology that was already available in their country.

ALSO READ

NAIA’s Internet Is One of the Worst in Southeast Asia, a Report Says

Kabosu: The Shiba Inu Who Became an Internet Legend

Take note though that this was an experiment; the actual average internet speed in Japan is 46.7 Mbps, placing it sixth in the Asia-Pacific region according to a ranking by analytics company Opensignal. South Korea topped the list with 140.2 Mbps, followed by Singapore at 71.1 Mbps, and Australia at 58.5 Mbps.

How did the Philippines fare in this comparison? It logged only 23.1 Mbps, placing it on the lower half of the index. Taiwan ranked fourth with 55.7 Mbps, followed by India at 51.5 Mbps, China at 50.5 Mbps, Brunei Darussalam at 47.2 Mbps, and Japan at 46.7 Mbps. New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Maldives, and Vietnam occupied the 9th to 13th positions, all surpassing the Philippines.

Today, slow internet is as predictable as your skyrocketing utility bills — inevitable and exasperating. Home-based workers feel a new wrinkle forming each time they try to download an 'urgent' file, their productivity halting as they watch the loading bar crawl. Office workers aren't immune to this agony either; they share tales of frustration, especially when the boss, in a bid to cut costs, opted for the 'frugal' internet package that seems more suited for the dial-up era. 

On video sites like YouTube, we have to deal with choppy videos and watch if the red progress bar can catch up to the white loading bar. Businesses relying on online transactions suffer when their internet fluctuates, leading to transaction errors. It’s a frustrating state of affairs that leaves some of us yelling at internet service provider (ISP) customer service representatives (poor representatives).

This may make us wonder: why is Japan’s Internet so fast and ours so slow?

First, it’s important to know where the Philippines’ internet service comes from. If you remember the December 2006 Taiwan earthquake, you might also recall how internet service in the Philippines significantly slowed. Articles explained that the Philippines’ internet services are supplied through several undersea cables linking to other countries. Some of those cables are connected to Taiwan and were damaged by the earthquake.

In other cases, cables can suffer periodic damage from other reasons such as simple wear and tear, being chewed on by undersea animals, or being crushed by ship anchors. One of these reasons could explain why PLDT experienced a slowdown in June 2023. The company stated they had problems with a submarine cable that supplies their internet services. Even today, cable technology remains the main method by which the Philippines gets its internet access. Given the nature of the technology, it seems that internet outages will have to be accepted as a part of life from time to time.

Another reason for slow internet speeds is that the Philippine legal environment is not conducive to fast internet. Current legislation requires telecommunications companies to install 400,000 phone lines to be granted a license. Such requirements are so stringent that it is almost impossible for new entrants to establish themselves in the telecommunications industry.

Some suspect that legislation and regulations deliberately block potential competition. An online article described this as “regulatory capture.” In addition, government red tape hampers the entry of other providers into the industry. This ensures certain companies maintain a monopoly or shared monopoly, leading to stifled development, limited progress, and higher prices compared to our Asian neighbors.

The third reason is inadequate infrastructure. Remember when certain residential villages in Metro Manila blocked telecommunications companies from installing cellular towers in their area because they thought the energy from these will fry their brains? Belief in this misconception is yet another reason internet speeds remain slow in the Philippines. It goes with other reasons, such as insurgents destroying or damaging facilities in the provinces and red tape hampering the setup of a tower, that prevent needed infrastructure from being set up. Thus, it’s an apparent irony when people complain about weak internet speeds and yet refuse to have vital infrastructure for this installed near them.

Solutions for the slow internet problem in the country is mostly the responsibility of the Internet Service Providers. For example, GlobeTelecom earlier this year laid a new undersea cable between Metro Manila and some provinces in the Visayas to provide the latter more internet access. More infrastructure is gradually being installed, though the question remains on whether this can keep up with demand. Reform in legislation may also need to be done to untie the hands of both existing and potential ISPs and allow them to both develop infrastructure and provide more competition on the playing field, leading to lower prices.

Solutions for the slow internet problem in the country are mostly the responsibility of internet service providers. For example, Globe Telecom earlier this year laid a new undersea cable between Metro Manila and some provinces in the Visayas to provide the latter with more internet access. More infrastructure is gradually being installed, though the question remains whether this can keep up with demand. Legislative reform may also be needed to untie the hands of both existing and potential ISPs and allow them to develop infrastructure and provide more competition on the playing field, leading to lower prices.