Philippines operators PLDT revealed a surge in mobile download speeds since 2017, with more plans to invest and bolster its networks in the pipeline.
In a statement, PLDT said its tested more than 120 million connections in the Philippines in 2020, and testing was to measure the company’s success in enhancing network performance for customers under lockdown measures.
The tests showed average mobile speeds increased by 62%, from 9.68Mbps to 15.72 Mbps over the period. Fixed broadband speeds surged 86% between 2017 and 2020, improving from 14.36Mbps to 26Mbps over the three years.
PLDT said it heeded government call to action to elevate the country’s telecommunications industry, by preparing to invest between PHP88 billion ($1.8 billion) and PHP92 billion this year to meet the requirements of customers.
"Providing good customer experience remains to be our 'North Star', as we aim to elevate PLDT and Smart to the level of global operators,” said Alfredo Panlilio, Smart Communications President and CEO and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer.
In October, the company announced it secured permission to double its tower presence in the Philippines from 600 to 1,200, as the government announced a relaxing of rules to boost deployments.
The company noted its fibre infrastructure comprised of 429,000km of cables, which supported mobile brand Smart Communications to gaining 96% population coverage.
Smart increased the number of its base stations to over 59,000 at the end of 2020 and rolled out additional 5G sites as it accelerates its 5G commercial services nationwide.