Satellite technology to connect more Filipinos

DUE to the Philippines being an archipelagic country, a scientist said utilizing satellite
technology will allow better connectivity for the Philippines.

During the 6th Mindanao Policy Research Forum, Dr. x said 40 percent of Filipinos do not have
internet access. He also said 52 percent of 47,013 public schools are not connected to the
internet.

He also pointed out that based on the speed test data from Ookla, the Philippines has an average
fixed broadband speed of 22.31 Mbps and an average mobile broadband speed of 14.23 Mpbs.
The average internet speed in the country is lower compared to the global average speed of 76.94
Mbps for fixed broadband and 33.71 Mbps for mobile broadband.

"The main issue here is infrastructure. The severe lack of broadband infrastructure has a huge
implication to economic growth at the macro level as well as peoples' welfare," said Grace
Mirandilla-Santos, Better Broadband Alliance lead convenor.

She added for more Filipinos to be connected, there is a need to use emerging technologies like
the use of satellite technology, to complement existing technologies.

"Unlike other countries wherein they have a huge land area that is contiguous, here is a little bit
more challenging to connect our more than 7,000 islands using ground-based infrastructure," x
said.

Satellites also do not require extensive local infrastructure. But x said providers using satellite
technology will still be required to get a congressional franchise and a license from the National
Telecommunications Commission.

x also said satellite technology will benefit different sectors like education, health and
agriculture.

"It can be an interim solution for those that will not yet benefit from terrestrial networks.
Thailand is using satellite to connect 30,000 schools for its e-learning program," Mirandilla-
Santos said.

However, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary

Alan A. Silor said while the use of satellite-based communications technology is part of the
National Broadband Plan "advance coverage and augment internet connectivity," there are also
barriers hindering it from being fully utilized.

"Comparative cost of deployment is a major hindering factor for full enablement of satellite use
and deployment," Silor said.

He added that "satellite operations and relative subscriptions rates are still high compared to
other fixed deployments."

Silor said while satellite technology has a broader coverage and higher latency compared to a
wireless mobile network and wired data infrastructure, it also has low capacity, low data rate,
low reliability, and high cost.

Meanwhile, Mirandilla-Santos said the existing laws in the country on information and
communication technology are mostly outdated.

"The Philippines needs to upgrade its policies and regulation so that it will be appropriate for the
digital age," she said.

x said Republic Act 7925, also known as the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the
Philippines, and Executive Order 467 (1998) only allows telecommunication entities with a
congressional franchise to access satellites and provide services. He describes the current laws as
"analog" in a time of digital technology.

He added that "Internet service providers (ISPs) are not allowed to access satellite for
broadband."

"Dominant telcos are heavily invested in mobile cellular technology, hence negligible
commercial use of satellite for broadband," x said.