An increased reliance on internet services and demand for better connectivity has prompted the Philippine government to further improve the country’s internet quality and affordability by facilitating providers to expand infrastructure throughout the country. This has caused internet speeds in the Philippines to rise in the last few years. Using data from Speedtest Intelligence®, we analyzed fixed broadband and mobile network performance in the Philippines and compared the top mobile network operators (MNOs) and fixed broadband providers (ISPs) during Q2-Q3 2020. We also compared provider performance to Speedtest Consumer Sentiment™ data on five-star ratings and Net Promoter Score (NPS) to understand how network performance impacts customer satisfaction.
Internet speeds have increased, but the Philippines still falls behind much of the world
Internet speeds in the Philippines have increased dramatically since Q3 2016, showing a 477.0% improvement in median download speed over fixed broadband during the last four years — from 3.18 Mbps in Q3 2016 to 18.35 Mbps in Q3 2020. Upload speeds over fixed broadband also increased.
Median speeds on all technologies over mobile have also improved, but at a much slower pace, showing a 99.1% increase in download speed over the last four years. In fact, median performance decreased between Q3 2019 and Q3 2020 for both download and upload speed when compared to the previous year.
Despite these overall improvements in network performance, the Philippines still lags behind most countries on the Speedtest Global Index™. The Philippines ranked 111th on mobile and 107th on fixed broadband as of October 2020. In an effort to improve mobile network performance and availability in the country, the current administration has helped in reducing red tape to allow new towers to be built. The Philippines will need to continue removing barriers to infrastructure enhancements and increasing connectivity across the country in order to improve these rankings.
Smart and PLDT were the fastest providers during Q2-Q3 2020
We compared Q2-Q3 2020 internet performance for top providers in the Philippines using Speed Score™. On mobile, results only consider devices that use modern chipsets.
Internet Performance of Top Mobile Operators in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Modern Chipsets in Q2-Q3 2020
| Provider | Speed ScoreTM |
|---|---|
| Smart | 19.97 |
| Globe | 13.47 |
Smart had the fastest Speed Score among top mobile operators in the Philippines at 19.97 during Q2-Q3 2020. Globe showed the second fastest Speed Score at 13.47.
Internet Performance of Top ISPs in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2-Q3 2020
| Provider | Speed ScoreTM |
|---|---|
| PLDT | 24.67 |
| Converge ICT | 22.44 |
| SKY | 18.25 |
| Globe | 9.74 |
| Smart | 7.60 |
PLDT was the fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2-Q3 2020 with a Speed Score of 24.76. Converge ICT was second, while SKY was third.
Smart was highest rated mobile network operator, PLDT highest rated fixed broadband provider
We compared five-star ratings and NPS data to providers’ performance to understand how speeds impacted customer perceptions of Philippine providers. Speedtest Consumer Sentiment data is gathered from single-question surveys presented to users at the end of a Speedtest®. This data set provides rich insights into customer satisfaction over time, as well as competitive benchmarking, by providing data on both Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customers’ overall satisfaction with their network providers.
Internet Performance and Five-Star Ratings of Top Mobile Operators in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Modern Chipsets in Q2-Q3 2020
| Provider | Speed ScoreTM | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Smart | 19.97 | 3.3 |
| Globe | 13.47 | 2.5 |
Ratings aligned with performance among top mobile operators in the country during Q2-Q3 2020. Smart was the fastest mobile operator and had the highest rating during this period at 3.3 stars. Globe was second with a rating of 2.5 stars.
Internet Performance and Five-Star Ratings of Top ISPs in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2-Q3 2020
| Provider | Speed ScoreTM | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| PLDT | 24.67 | 2.7 |
| Converge ICT | 22.44 | 3.1 |
| SKY | 18.25 | 2.4 |
| Globe | 9.74 | 2.3 |
| Smart | 7.60 | 2.7 |
Converge ICT showed the highest rating among users in the Philippines during Q2-Q3 2020. PLDT and Smart tied for second, followed by SKY and Globe.
Smart had highest NPS on mobile, Converge ICT on fixed broadband
Speedtest users are also asked how likely they are to recommend their provider to friends or family on a 0 to 10 scale. NPS ratings are categorized into Detractors (score 0-6), Passives (score 7-8), and Promoters (score 9-10). NPS is calculated as (% Promoters – % Detractors) x 100. Any NPS score above 0 indicates that a provider’s audience is more loyal than not. We compared the resulting Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Speed Score to see how performance relates to a user’s likelihood of recommending a provider.
Internet Performance and NPS of Top Mobile Operators in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Modern Chipsets in Q2-Q3 2020
| Provider | Speed ScoreTM | NPS |
|---|---|---|
| Smart | 19.97 | -20.79 |
| Globe | 13.47 | -61.63 |
Smart had the highest NPS during Q2-Q3 2020 in addition to being the fastest provider. Both Smart and Globe showed negative NPS during this period. This suggests that users are less likely to recommend these mobile operators to their friends and family.
Internet Performance and NPS of Top ISPs in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2-Q3 2020
| Provider | Speed ScoreTM | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| PLDT | 24.67 | -46.39 |
| Converge ICT | 22.44 | -16.51 |
| SKY | 18.25 | -60.87 |
| Globe | 9.74 | -65.52 |
| Smart | 7.60 | -49.18 |
Fixed broadband performance did not align with NPS during Q2-Q3 2020 in the Philippines. Converge ICT had the highest NPS at -16.51, followed by PLDT and Smart. PLDT was the fastest provider during this period, but showed a NPS that was much lower than that of Converge ICT. All providers had negative NPS during this period, which indicates that across networks in the Philippines, users are not likely to recommend their provider — and that performance and customer satisfaction do not always align.
We’re optimistic that continued infrastructure improvements will lead to better performance, and we’ll continue to evaluate whether those outcomes will lead to increased customer satisfaction. To measure your internet speeds and provide feedback on the performance of your provider, take a Speedtest.