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Welcome to Team Sustainable Development Goals #9: Industry, Infrastructure, and Innovation from Grade 11 Section Kisai of Ateneo de Davao University-Senior High School!

In this Padlet, you may discover the following :

1. How does Internet Connection exist in the Philippines?

2. Is the Internet Connectivity here in the Philippines fast together with developing countries?

3. How does Mindanao struggle with Slow Internet Connectivity, particularly in Rural Areas?

We would like to give the credit to the Researchers who made this Position Statement possible. Thank you for your dedication in seeking possible solutions to this ongoing problem with Internet Connectivity in the country. You may check the sources provided on each grid.

If you have questions, you may reach us out via our E-mail addresses. Thank you and Keep safe!

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Felicia, Justin Tomale
Sustainable Development Goals #9
jtfelicia@addu.edu.ph

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Bayotas, Ysha Louise Danielle A.
Sustainable Development Goals #9
yldabayotas@addu.edu.ph

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Padua, Cleo Marie Therese
Sustainable Development Goals #9
cmtnpadua@addu.edu.ph

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DAVAO

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TAGUM

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DUBAI

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A DLSU Research entitled: “Technology and Automation as Sources of 21st Century Firm Productivity: The Economics of the Slow Internet Connectivity in the Philippines'' states that the Philippines has been connected to the internet since 1994, but the state of the internet continues to be riddled with problems (Ascarraga & Peña, 2019). A few decades ago, most people didn’t have the benefit of the internet and the way of life was more traditional. Then, people had to pump water from nearby wells and contact each other through letters. Now, as technology evolves, our needs and priorities vary; we are shifting towards a new age of online communities. Instead of carrying pails and buckets, we pay water bills through our phones. We don’t have to go to the nearby post office to contact a distant friend, and all you need now is a push of a button. The majority of the younger generations are exposed to the internet through Social Media platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., and apps like Grab and Foodpanda have become staples to everyday life. This newfound accessibility has made life much easier than before. However, the more people use the internet in our country, the more it weakens. The propagation of online services has made many reliant on the internet for many of our modern needs, but the more Filipinos that try to tap into the internet, the clearer our lack of technological resources becomes. That is why our team came up with discussing how we are upset with the Slow Internet Connectivity in the country, particularly here in Mindanao. Also, our team worked hard to research possible recommendations for the telecommunication companies to further enhance their services.

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PHOTO | Batangas City teachers climb on roof for Internet signal | via msn.com

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SLOW INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

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SLOW INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

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As per the Department of Information and Technology (DICT), the state of the Internet in the country has been improving (DICT, 2020). Now, Is it truly improving? It has been said that DICT and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) have a vision of a connected Philippines by 2024 (Ascarraga & Peña, 2019). In our view, especially as we experienced a global crisis — a pandemic that has disrupted and claimed lives — the targeted year for a connected Philippines is impossible. Let us go back to the warning of President Rodrigo Duterte, which urges telcos to improve internet service with online classes set to start, or else there’s a possibility of shutting down their companies (Inquirer.net, 2020). We couldn’t help but be saddened that we are already behind on the improvement with regards to the internet. Still, Ookla (2021) reported that The Philippines moved up the Global Mobile Internet Speed ranking to the 86th spot with an average download speed of 32.73 Mbps from the previous rank of 111th. According to internet user penetration Philippines 2017-2025, by 2025, it is estimated that there would be 77.1 percent of the population using the internet (Internet User Penetration, 2021). So before the slow internet connection worsens, big telecommunication companies must plan, act, invest and add more cell sites all around the country.

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Internet Inequality in the Philippines | The ASEAN Post

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Are we content with the internet connection we are experiencing these days? Did the status of our internet connectivity help us in our everyday life without interruptions? The year 2020 was indeed a challenging one; the unemployment rate rose, suspension of traditional face-to-face classes, and continued sufferings of poor people particularly in rural areas. As the pandemic continues to reinforce the need for social distancing and continued lockdowns, the need for QUALITY ACCESS AND CONNECTIVITY that is EFFICIENT, INCLUSIVE, AND SUSTAINABLE - where users including the poor and marginalized have access to sufficient internet connection even from the remote areas. This digital landscape has made productivity a privilege and those without access to connection are left behind, losing out on opportunities from basic amenities and quality education, to decent work and reskilling. We couldn’t afford to experience a shrinking internet connection for a lifetime, specifically in rural areas, there should always be a solution to every problem, and knowing that this is not just a problem in Mindanao but a national conflict. Certain places in rural Davao can only access 4G 55.3% of the time, or 25.6% less than urban areas (Nedescu, 2019). People behind these internet services must once again calibrate their minds on how we can resolve this long due problem. They must ask themselves why other countries made it to have the fastest internet connectivity in the world. Mindanaoan people deserve a better quality of internet connection.

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To further enhance the situation of Internet Access in the country, Accessnow, a non-government organization that defends and extends the digital rights of users at risk around the world, bring forth its recommendations for telcos and government entitled: ”Expanding Connectivity to Fight COVID-19: Recommendations for Governments and Telcos”.

Please see attached Recommendations below :

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YCuP5oQsabY9_DPf-kUzOrp-dr95rVN1?usp=sharing

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This digital age is our start to a brighter future, but the state of the Philippines’s internet connectivity continues to be a problem with growing impacts on the community. This lack of connectivity creates a large technological gap, leading to weak economic growth, poor education, and a stunt of societal development. These negative effects are heavily apparent in the many rural areas of Mindanao. As the rest of the world steadily develops through the efficient use of technology, these communities are left behind. The gap grows and catching up becomes much harder than before. Many of our modern-day necessities are only accessible through the use of the internet, and the weak connection caused by the flux of internet users trying to access these services worsens the situation greatly.

With this advocacy, we hope to bring to light the many problems Mindanaoans face in regards to a lack of proper internet connectivity. We aim to encourage various service providers to provide aid and improve the overall quality of Mindanao’s access to the internet. This country has much to offer, and it is through the growth of each member of the community that we can make the most out of our resources. With better connectivity, we can make Mindanao a better place.

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Ascarraga, A.& Peña, P. (2019, June 19). Technology and Automation as Sources of 21st Century Firm Productivity: The Economics of the Slow Internet Connectivity in the Philippines.
https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/pdf/conferences/research-congress-proceedings/2019/see-II-030.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1XdDEy9vI5p9MH

Broom, D. (2020, April 22). Coronavirus has exposed the digital divide like never before. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-digital-divide-internet-data-broadband-mobbile/?fbclid=IwAR2bDYtrN2Vpfi4I-UhEBotNhRf9-6lILDkKJ31fRAtr5zprnl_PH4LLF5k

PH moves up in mobile internet speed global rankings

https://dict.gov.ph/ph-moves-up-in-mobile-internet-speed-global-rankings/?fbclid=IwAR3s4pzoRxkvzdh3Lc4p9WtClo3-OJ1ANEdWt2Jx5cgEenwdGpPoBFeT2kg

Statista Research Department. (2021, June 21). Internet user penetration Philippines 2017-2025

https://www.statista.com/statistics/975072/internet-penetration-rate-in-the-philippines/?fbclid=IwAR2JNN1yZDZTlkryWnwaa2Prya5pUS_2ObE55oQqYOnPGxu5SALSBvhC_JM

Null, E. (2020, April). Expanding Connectivity to Fight COVID-19: Recommendations for Government and Telcos. Access Now.
https://www.accessnow.org/cms/assets/uploads/2020/04/Expanding-connectivity-to-fight-COVID19-Recommendations-for-govs-and-telcos.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2V05-BZw8T32NjTVBpevafExiOVwT2xfcbwoM38kU81gop9zLCIhcqEMg

Nedescu, D. (2019, October 29). In the Philippines, the urban-rural 4G Availability divide varies by region. Open Signal. https://www.opensignal.com/2019/10/29/in-the-philippines-the-urban-rural-4g-availability-divide-varies-by-region

PHOTO REFERENCES
https://theaseanpost.com/article/internet-inequality-philippines?amp

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/batangas-city-teachers-climb-on-roof-for-internet-signal/ar-BB19HVvc

https://www.savethechildren.org.ph/our-work/program/health-and-nutrition/

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Being an archipelago comprised of over 7,000 islands whose topography is mostly mountainous, the Philippines can pose a challenge to mobile network operators looking to expand into its rural regions. When adding to the equation a monsoon season that lasts for five months and can cause devastating disruption, it becomes clear why providing rural coverage is easier said than done.

Infrastructure development aside, the remoteness of some of the rural areas makes it difficult to even maintain a reliable network in those places. For example, after Typhoon Ferdie hit the northernmost islands of Batanes, internet became inaccessible for a year and a half.
The urban-rural 4G Availability divide varies by region
Using definitions from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), along with Opensignal data, we analyzed which regions have the biggest urban-rural divide when it comes to 4G Availability and Download Speed Experience. We found that on average, the difference in 4G Availability between urban and rural locales within any given region was around 14 percentage points, but that varied considerably.

While our users in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) on average spent around 68% of their time on 4G networks both in urban and rural areas - marking no real difference in the two locale types - our smartphone users in the Davao region experienced the largest gap. Our urban users in Davao enjoyed a 4G Availability of 80.9%, but our rural users in the region were able to connect to 4G networks just 55.3% of their time - which meant a 25.6 percentage points lower 4G Availability than their peers in the urban areas.

Opensignal rural users in the Philippines spent the highest amount of time connected to 4G networks - 70.2% - in Central Luzon, and the lowest - just 50% - in the region of Bicol. However, in five more regions, our rural users experienced a 4G Availability lower than 60%: MIMAROPA, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), SOCCSKSARGEN, Davao and Northern Mindanao.

Our urban users had a considerably higher 4G Availability, with no region falling below the 60% mark and just three regions below the 70% mark. Opensignal users in the urban areas of the BARMM region experienced the lower 4G Availability among the urban users of the 17 regions: in fact they were able to connect to 4G networks 65.1% of the time. On the other hand, our users in the National Capital Region - which is classified in its entirety as urban areas - were able to connect to 4G networks the highest amount of time, having an 86.5% 4G Availability. However, two more regions showed an urban 4G Availability above the 80% mark: Central Visayas and Davao, where our urban users could connect to 4G networks respectively 81.2% and 80.9% of their time.
Download Speed Experience is slower in rural areas because users spend more time on 3G networks
Opensignal analyzed our users' download speeds in urban and rural areas. We observed limited differences, in absolute terms, across the two locales in both 4G Download Speed and 3G Download Speed, but 1.8 Mbps difference in Download Speed Experience.

Normally we expect 4G Download Speed to be much faster in urban areas, because mobile operators usually focus their investments in deploying and upgrading networks in more densely populated zones. However, this was not the case for the Philippines, as our urban and rural users on average experienced similar 4G Download Speeds of 10.7 Mbps and 10 Mbps respectively.

While 3G download speeds were, on average, approximately three times slower compared to the measurements taken on 4G networks, the difference in absolute terms between the 3G Download Speed that our urban and rural users experienced was just 0.7 Mbps. But our users in rural Philippines spent as much as 50% of time connected to 3G in some regions. This meant that their overall Download Speed Experience was dramatically influenced by their 3G speeds, making 3G a far more relevant factor for rural users than for urban users who spend much more time connected to 4G.

While topography can make it more difficult for operators to deploy mobile networks in a region, for some countries like the Philippines where 53% of its population of over 108 million live in rural areas, that is all the more relevant. And for many of those 57 million rural residents with no fixed broadband, wireless connectivity is their only means of accessing the internet, meaning that closing the urban-rural divide becomes critical. In fact, while on average our rural users had a 6.8 Mbps Download Speed Experience, they still spent up to half of their time connected to 3G networks, where their average speed dropped to 2.6 Mbps.

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In the Philippines, the urban-rural 4G Availability divide varies by region

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Being an archipelago comprised of over 7,000 islands whose topography is mostly mountainous, the Philippines can pose a challenge to mobile network operators looking to expand into its rural regions.