Smart, Globe LTE Speeds Not Beyond Global Average

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TECHNOLOGY | March 16, 2017

(Image Source; DugomPinoy.com)

Internet services in the Philippines continues to be lagging behind many countries in different parts of the globe despite improvements and efforts made by the local telecommunications industry. But, looking at the results of the performance of our local telcos in terms of 4G LTE speed and coverage may not only be interesting, but also give you a view of what internet activities will you recommend to do throughout the year.

According to OpenSignal's recently released State of Mobile Networks report, Smart has the fastest LTE speed measure with an average of 9.87 Mbps, which is 2 Mbps more than Globe's 7.42 Mbps. These measurements seem to be considered an improvement compared to last year's over-all average internet speed of 7.27 Mbps in the Philippines, but beyond the global average LTE speed.

Meanwhile, Globe was ahead of Smart in terms of LTE availability where the proportion of time that the user has a 4G signal over the total time once connected to his or her carrier's network is measured. It is also revealed that the two telcos almost tied in measuring 3G speeds and even over-all speeds between 3G and 4G LTE. The results released by OpenSignal gives subscribers an idea on the expected performance of their own respective carriers. In my case, however, although their 4G speeds look promising, the results of measuring 3G speeds look to be a disappointing matter.

The good news for Filipino mobile internet users like us is that Smart and Globe will continue to improve their own network and coverage through expanding their own respective cell sites across different parts of the country and tapping into more frequency bands as part of their aggressive $G LTE network expansion plan. Despite the efforts, it will all depend on the users that are tend to complain about their own carrier's internet speeds and question the reliability of their services.

NOTE: OpenSignal drew on 512 million measurements taken by about 29,000 internet users in the Philippines from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 to compare the 3G and 4G experience of users on Globe and Smart networks.