Smartphone Penetration in PH Expected to Rise at 40 Percent by End of 2015

Mature markets such as Australia and Singapore, where LTE is widely available, have a very high mobile broadband penetration, already exceeding 90 percent. Developing markets on the other hand, still have a long way to go, which offers a unique opportunity for mobile operators to enhance the mobile broadband experience for users.

The Ericsson Mobility Report, presented by one of the world leaders in communications technology and services, shares forecast data, analysis and insight into mobile traffic, subscriptions, and consumer behavior to provide insight into current traffic and market trends in today’s Networked Society, provides us with the following information:

According to the report, smartphone penetration in the Philippines at the end of 2014 was around 30 percent and is expected to be at around 40 percent at the end of 2015. Users consume more data through newer and faster devices so this is an exceptional growth opportunity for service providers and device manufacturers.

“The increasing availability of affordable smartphones, Internet access and mobility is enabling more consumers to access the benefits of the Networked Society. In fact, in the Philippines smartphones are the primary way of getting online” says Afrizal Abdul Rahim, Ericsson Head of ConsumerLab for Region South East Asia and Oceania. 

Mandatory Free Peering to Speed Up Internet Access in the Philippines

"Mandatory 'Free Peering' is another way to speed up Philippine Internet service. Its like allowing separate Internet network whether government-owned or private to interconnect with major telecommunication companies to facilitate faster exchange of data. Globe and PLDT have done it with voice. Let them do it this time with data. Government should step in and never take this issue lightly. Investing on ICT is not an EXPENSE but a necessary tool for economic development and job creation" - Rodge Tonacao

Under the memo circular of the National Telecommunications Communications (NTC), all ISPs are required to connect with the IP exchange of the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) with respect to their domestic Internet traffic.

Proponents of IP peering such as Globe Telecom have said to be erroneously comparing this to interconnection for voice calls and SMS between phone carriers, except that in this case interconnection applies to Internet traffic.

“That is comparing apples and oranges," said PLDT technology group head Roland G. Pena. “IP peering is much more complex than conventional interconnection."

Pena argues that "Unlike conventional phone systems where calls are handled using carefully planned routing tables downloaded into switching systems, the routers of Internet use a self-discovery process to determine the connectivity of the network and decide themselves where to send traffic. Rather than use direct high-usage peering or redundancy throughout the network which is the rule for telephone systems, the Internet achieves reliability via a mesh network rich in alternate routes."

Strengthening ICT Education in the Philippines

The private-public partnership the government has taken to fully utilize benefits presented by ICT in the education sector aims to build global competitiveness.

Modernizing education through uptake of the latest technology would be a win-win situation for both parties.

This move is very effective in increasing access and quality of education from primary to university level.

There are numerous areas where the private sector can come in, from infrastructure development to development of digital content to be used for training of teachers.

Private sector opportunities are not limited to multinationals alone because there are many opportunities that can be pursued by local businesses.

“Studies show that students whose teachers received training in computers performed better than others. Schools that provide teachers with professional development in computers also enjoyed higher staff morale and lower absenteeism” - Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago