SINGAPORE–As usual, being in Singapore has reminded me how unfortunate we Filipinos are when it comes to our information technology infrastructure.
Frankly, I don’t know how our telcos do it. I don’t how, year after year, they can get away with providing us with lousy service while still raking in money. While the availability and affordability of broadband has, to be fair, improved over the years, it doesn’t change the fact that what passes for broadband in the Philippines is laughable by the standards of other countries, such as Singapore. And forget quality of service — if all the horror stories we hear about the quality of broadband in certain areas are anything to go by, even when we part with our hard-earned money, we’re never really sure just what kind of service we’ll get, depending on which area we happen to reside.
So why do telcos get away with providing broadband services that are sometimes much slower than dial-up connections? Why are we consumers expected to grin and bear it if the service in our area is horrible due to some technical problem or lack of adequate coverage?
And to think of all the money they spend on glowing ads that tout how cutting-edge their technology is and how much they’re improving the lives of Filipinos. How many Smart Bro users out there feel like puking whenever they see those ads claiming that this service is the “broadband ng bayan”? Where exactly are these areas where Smart Bro actually has speeds that qualify as broadband? And if you’re one of those users who doesn’t get to enjoy these speeds, sorry ka na lang ba. tiis na lang?
You hear horror stories about all broadband services in the Philippines, whether it’s from PLDT, Globe, Destiny, whatever, that you start wondering if availing of these services in the Philippines is a crapshoot, a game of chance, only we keep ending up with crap.
So what’s the solution to finally ensuring that Filipinos won’t have to put up with shitty service? Is it finally time to get rid of the service area scheme, because quite frankly, I’d like to have as many choices as I can — if only to get the lesser evil. How much are telcos actually investing in their infrastructure?
It’s a pity, because we Filipinos do have world-class talents and skills. We can compete with the best of them when it comes to creativity. But unlike Singapore and countries more blessed than we are, we’re held back by private companies that keep dropping the ball when it comes to infrastructure — and a government that keeps letting them get away with it.
So tell me, who’s your broadband provider, and what’s your horror story?
June 24th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Looking at Joey’s video footages and those feedbacks of other Filipinos here reflects what typical Filipinos “become” when they emigrate out of their own country and become “planted” in other countries. They will brag what their host countries have what their own country doesn’t have. Filipinos are best at “killing their own kind” otherwise known as “crab mentality.”
To the Filipinos working and planted in Singapore, clean up your acts, stop whining about your country, and help to make it better. Comparing Singapore to your country in terms of physical wealth will do your country no good and bespeak of unprofessionalism about yourselves.
June 24th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Stop comparing the Philippines to Singapore. First, what is an archipelago compared to a single island?
Such lousy service is there for the Filipinos because they subscribe to it. Just like the politicians, they are up there because the Filipinos themselves are choosing them, either by hook or by crook. And who cares? Walk the talk, baby! Stop writing and show some action instead!
June 24th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Hello,
Telcos in the Philippines still uses twisted pair line in providing broadband service, which I believe is inferior versus fiber to the home (FTTH). Twisted pair is used to carry analog signal and even if telcos employ DSL regardless of the speed without changing the network configuration, it will still result in poor performance. Huge investment is required to meet the broadband standard i.e. 10 Mbps or greater, and I don’t think that the Phil telcos are ready for that.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
And then there is Globe “Invisibility”. The Globe website claims that 3.5G HSDPA is available in Baguio and La Trinidad. But where? - even the service centre at SM Baguio can only get EDGE. I cannot even get EDGE. Globe tie you in for two years but then do not provide the 3.5G service that you subscribe for. When are DTI and DOTC going to jointly ensure that Globe provide the service that it advertises and we pay for? Why are DTI not providing proper consumer protection and forcing Globe to issue refunds when they do not provide the 3.5G that has been paid for? Why did DTO give Globe a permit for its Visibility advertising campaign if the infrastruture to provide the 3.5G service was not yet up and running? Broadband in the Philippines is a joke!
June 24th, 2007 at 2:22 am
hi forbes, thanks for visiting. your comment wasn’t deleted. all the comments on our blogs are queued for moderation, as explained in the comment form. i had a backlog of comments and wasn’t able to approve the comments sooner. sorry for the delay but i have to moderate comments for most of the blogs on our network