Internet in the Philippines
Encyclopedia
Internet in the Philippines has been undergoing development since it was made available in 1994. As of 2010, 29,750,000 people use the internet in the country accounting for 29.7% of the total population. The top-level domain
of the country is .ph
on March 1994. On that date the Philippine Network Foundation (PHNet) connected the country & its people to Sprint
in the United States
via a 64 kbps link.
A year after the connection, The Public Telecommunications Act of the Philippines was made into law. Securing a Franchise
is now optional for value-added service
providers. This law enabled many other organizations to establish connections to the Internet, such as to create Web sites and having their own Internet services or providing Internet service and access to other groups and individuals. These developments are very significant for the country's internet sector.
However the growth of the internet in the Philippines was hindered by many obstacles including unequal distribution of the internet infrastructure throughout the country, its cost and corruption in the government. But these obstacles did not altogether halt all the developments. More connection types were made available to more Filipinos. Increasing bandwidth and a growing number of Filipino internet users as years passed were proof of the continuing development of the internet in the country.
, broadband Internet
is usually available to consumers through 2 methods: cable and DSL. Cable Internet is offered through companies such as ZPDee Cable, Global Destiny Cable
and Parasat "Cable21", Caceres "C3", Skyline "Cheetah", USATV1, Viacomm, Aeronet, KwikNET (Los Baños, Laguna
) usually starting at 64 kbit/s. ComClark (Pampanga) usually starting at 384 kbit/s. PLDT, BayanTel, Globe Telecom
and Eastern Telecom (ETPI) offer DSL starting at 128 kbit/s up to 5 Mbit/s. Broadband Internet is also widely available at public Internet cafes and offices, especially in major
cities. Wireless (WiFi) broadband Internet is progressively being rolled out in coffee shops, malls and major airports around the country.
In 2005, Smart Communications
launched "Smart Wi-Fi", which, contrary to its name
, does not make use of WiFi
but wireless Internet connection via its cellular infrastructure. The service offers wireless fixed broadband through the use of Motorola's Canopy equipment. The service was later rebranded as "Smart BRO" on April 2006.
Providers:
Top-level domain
A top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
of the country is .ph
.ph
-Introduction:The official domain registry of the .ph domain is dotPH Domains Inc. dotPH holds and maintains the database of PH domain names, specifically .ph, .com.ph, .net.ph, .org.ph, and .i.ph...
History
The Internet first made its connection to the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on March 1994. On that date the Philippine Network Foundation (PHNet) connected the country & its people to Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
via a 64 kbps link.
A year after the connection, The Public Telecommunications Act of the Philippines was made into law. Securing a Franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
is now optional for value-added service
Value-added service
A value-added service is popular as a telecommunications industry term for non-core services, or in short, all services beyond standard voice calls and fax transmissions. However, it can be used in any service industry, for services available at little or no cost, to promote their primary business...
providers. This law enabled many other organizations to establish connections to the Internet, such as to create Web sites and having their own Internet services or providing Internet service and access to other groups and individuals. These developments are very significant for the country's internet sector.
However the growth of the internet in the Philippines was hindered by many obstacles including unequal distribution of the internet infrastructure throughout the country, its cost and corruption in the government. But these obstacles did not altogether halt all the developments. More connection types were made available to more Filipinos. Increasing bandwidth and a growing number of Filipino internet users as years passed were proof of the continuing development of the internet in the country.
Availability
In the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, broadband Internet
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
is usually available to consumers through 2 methods: cable and DSL. Cable Internet is offered through companies such as ZPDee Cable, Global Destiny Cable
Global Destiny Cable
Global Destiny Cable is a direct-to-home cable TV subscription service. Global Destiny Cable is the 2nd largest cable TV company in the Philippines.- History :...
and Parasat "Cable21", Caceres "C3", Skyline "Cheetah", USATV1, Viacomm, Aeronet, KwikNET (Los Baños, Laguna
Los Baños, Laguna
The Nature and Science City of Los Baños is a 1st class urban city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 98,631 inhabitants in 17,030 households...
) usually starting at 64 kbit/s. ComClark (Pampanga) usually starting at 384 kbit/s. PLDT, BayanTel, Globe Telecom
Globe Telecom
Globe Telecom , commonly known as Globe, is a telecommunications company in the Philippines. Globe provides mobile, fixed line, and broadband Internet services.- History :In 1928, Congress passed Act No...
and Eastern Telecom (ETPI) offer DSL starting at 128 kbit/s up to 5 Mbit/s. Broadband Internet is also widely available at public Internet cafes and offices, especially in major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
cities. Wireless (WiFi) broadband Internet is progressively being rolled out in coffee shops, malls and major airports around the country.
In 2005, Smart Communications
Smart Communications
Smart Communications is a wholly owned mobile phone and Internet service subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company .On June 30, 2010 the company reported that it had over 45 million cellular subscribers.-Brands:...
launched "Smart Wi-Fi", which, contrary to its name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
, does not make use of WiFi
WIFI
WIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...
but wireless Internet connection via its cellular infrastructure. The service offers wireless fixed broadband through the use of Motorola's Canopy equipment. The service was later rebranded as "Smart BRO" on April 2006.
Providers:
- Solid Broadband CorporationGlobal Destiny CableGlobal Destiny Cable is a direct-to-home cable TV subscription service. Global Destiny Cable is the 2nd largest cable TV company in the Philippines.- History :...
, is the first to offer residential broadband through its Cable InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. They also offer sDSL services of up to 1.5 Mbit/s on hi-rise buildings. http://www.mydestiny.net/ - Bayan TelecommunicationsBayan TelecommunicationsBayan Telecommunications, Inc. is a telecommunications company serving areas in Metro Manila, Bicol and local exchange service areas in the Visayas and Mindanao regions combined cover a population of over 25 million, nearly 33% of the population of the Philippines.Its operating units in the...
, through BayanDSL (formerly SkyDSL), offers ADSL from 768 kbit/s to 2.5 Mbit/s. http://www.bayandsl.com.ph/ They also offer cable Internet from 64 kbit/s to 1 Mbit/s through ZPDee. http://www.zpdee.net/ Sky Broadband cable also offers speeds up to 112 Mbit/s. http://www.skybroadband.com.ph/ - ETPI offers SDSL from 256 kbit/s to 2 Mbit/s. http://www.easterntelecom.com.ph/
- Globe TelecomGlobe TelecomGlobe Telecom , commonly known as Globe, is a telecommunications company in the Philippines. Globe provides mobile, fixed line, and broadband Internet services.- History :In 1928, Congress passed Act No...
, through its subsidiary Innove offers ADSL from 512 kbit/s to 4 Mbit/s. http://www.innove.com.ph/ - PLDT offers ADSL from 384 kbit/s to 5 Mbit/s. http://www.myworldmydsl.com
- PT&T offers ADSL and SDSL from 384 kbit/s to 2 Mbit/s. http://www.ptt.net.ph
- Smart CommunicationsSmart CommunicationsSmart Communications is a wholly owned mobile phone and Internet service subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company .On June 30, 2010 the company reported that it had over 45 million cellular subscribers.-Brands:...
offers wireless fixed broadband at 384 kbit/s 512 kbit/s and 4 Mbit/s for corporate lines. In 2008, it has become available in prepaid through the use of a USB modem where users can purchase load/credit at different handphone loading centres. - ComClark Network and Technology Corp offers Cable Internet known as Surestream, Wireless (WiFi) known as Wireless Anywhere Metro, Wireless fixed broadband known as Extreme Wireless, Instanet Prepaid Cards Pampanga Only and Fiber Optics http://www.comclark.com/
- Mozcom Communications offers a variety of dial-up services such as Nitro cards.
- USATV1 Inc. Has a 1Mbit/s service for only 900 pesos a month.
- Sun CellularSun CellularDigitel Mobile Philippines, Inc., is a mobile telecommunication service provider in the Philippines doing business as Sun Cellular. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Telecommunications Philippines, or Digitel. Digitel is in turn owned by the JG Summit Group with a minority stake...
offers 3.5G-enabled wireless Internet up to 2 Mbit/s. This also uses USB modem and can be used nationwide. - Wi-Tribe offers Wi-Max Internet up to 1Mbit/s for 995/month(now, 998/month), & 2Mbit/s for 1998/month.