Philippines, Fixed Broadband Experience, July 2023

Simon Lumb (Data Analyst), Sam Fenwick (Principal Analyst)

In this report — Opensignal's first analysis of the fixed broadband experience in the Philippines, we have analyzed real-world data from our users across the country and in three cities: Metropolitan Manila, Cebu City and Davao City. We examine six key measures of the broadband user experience: Broadband Download Speed, Peak Download Speed, Upload Speed, Video Experience, Success Rate and Consistent Quality. We have only included the largest fixed broadband providers by market share in each area — those that serve at least 5% of our user base. And for the national results, we consider the four providers with over 5% market share.

​​Broadband subscription plan characteristics — for example, speed tiers or data caps — vary greatly by provider and the dispersion of the plan mix will affect the average experience result. Opensignal’s measurements capture users’ experience, regardless of the plan that they have purchased from their provider. This report analyzes the end-to-end real-world situation across all users’ plans which includes transport over a provider’s core network and connectivity onto the sites and content delivery networks that host popular services, apps and websites. We have not included connections to Piso Wi-Fi vending machines in this analysis.

Providers in the Philippines have been investing heavily in fiber in recent years. For example, Converge announced that at the end of September 2022 it had expanded its fiber footprint to close to 600,000km, while Globe rolled out 1.4 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections in 2021. At the same time, fixed wireless access (FWA) continues to play an important role, given the challenges and costs associated with deploying fiber across the Philippines’ archipelago.

Key findings:

Converge users see the fastest broadband download and upload speeds in the Philippines    
Converge comes top nationally for Broadband Download Speed, with our users seeing average speeds of 52.8Mbps — 6.7Mbps (14.6%) faster than second-placed PLDT. In addition, Converge is in first place for Broadband Upload Speed, as our Converge users observe average upload speeds of 35.9Mbps — 12.5Mbps ahead of PLDT users and more than double third-placed Globe’s 15.2Mbps.

Globe and PLDT users have the most consistent broadband experience nationally    
Globe and PLDT share first place for Broadband Consistent Quality in the Philippines with statistically tied scores of 50.7-51.7%. This means that 50.7-51.7% of our Globe and PLDT users’ tests meet the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch high definition (HD) video, complete group video conference calls and play games. Converge places third with 47.7%, while Smart brings up the rear with 31.3%. By contrast, our Globe users have the most consistent fixed broadband experience during the peak hours of 5-11 p.m., with a score of 48.6%, followed by Converge with 44.3%.    

Converge and PLDT pick up most of the accolades in Metro Manila    
In Metropolitan Manila, our Converge users have the best available Broadband Video Experience, Broadband Success Rate and Broadband Upload Speed. However, Converge ties with PLDT for Broadband Download Speed and PLDT comes top for Broadband Peak Download Speed. Meanwhile, our Globe users have the most consistent fixed broadband experience in Metropolitan Manila as their score of 59.9% gives Globe a lead of 3.7 percentage points over second-placed PLDT.

Converge dominates the fixed broadband experience in Cebu City    
In Cebu City, our Converge users observe the highest scores for Broadband Video Experience, Broadband Download Speed and Broadband Upload Speed. In addition, Converge shares first place for Broadband Peak Download Speed with PLDT and is part of a four-way tie for Broadband Success Rate. The only measure where Converge doesn’t come at least joint top in Cebu is for Broadband Consistent Quality, as PLDT and Globe share first place with statistically tied scores of 55.2-59%.

In Davao City, Converge is the operator to beat    
Converge places first either outright or jointly across five out of six key measures of the fixed broadband experience in Davao City. It comes top for Broadband Video Experience, Broadband Download Speed and Broadband Upload Speed, while sharing first place with PLDT for Broadband Peak Download Speed and Broadband Success Rate as part of a four-way tie. Converge comes top for Broadband Download Speed and Broadband Upload Speed by impressive margins. Its average download speeds are 20.8Mbps (45.3%) faster than the speeds seen on second-placed PLDT. For Broadband Upload Speed, Converge’s score of 38.4Mbps is around double those of the two providers that tie for second place — PLDT and Globe with scores of 19.4-21.2Mbps.

Fixed Broadband Experience in the Philippines

Our Converge users see the fastest average download speeds — 52.8Mbps or 6.7Mbps (14.6%) faster than second-placed PLDT. Globe and Smart follow at a distance with scores of 26.4Mbps and 15.1Mbps, respectively.

Converge is also the sole operator on the winner’s podium for Broadband Upload Speed, as our Converge users observe average upload speeds of 35.9Mbps — 12.5Mbps ahead of PLDT users and more than double third-placed Globe’s 15.2Mbps. Smart brings up the rear with 4.8Mbps.

However, it’s PLDT that places first for Broadband Peak Download Speed, doing so with a score of 262.1Mbps and a lead of 32.8Mbps over second-placed Converge’s 229.3Mbps. Globe is in third place with 208.3Mbps, while Smart is in last place with 102.8Mbps. PLDT’s score is 2.5 times higher than Smart’s.

Globe and PLDT share first place for Broadband Consistent Quality with statistically tied scores of 50.7-51.7%. Converge places third with 47.7%, while Smart brings up the rear with 31.3%, respectively. Across all five providers, our users report significantly lower scores during peak hours of the day (5-11 p.m.) than for Broadband Consistent Quality measured across all of the day. Our PLDT and Smart users see the largest drop in scores during peak hours — with falls of 12.7 and 11.2 percentage points respectively. In comparison, Converge and Globe users report smaller declines of 3.1-3.4 percentage points. Globe users have the most consistent fixed broadband experience during peak hours of 5-11 p.m. with a score of 48.6%, followed by Converge with 44.3%.

Our Converge users have the best experience on average when streaming video over fixed broadband — the operator scores 68.6 points on a 100-point scale, making it the outright winner for Broadband Video Experience. PLDT is in second place with 64.7 points, while Globe is third with 60.1 points. Smart is firmly in last place with 52.2 points, 16.5 points behind Converge.

Converge is also in first place for Broadband Success Rate — nationally on average 98.1% of Converge users’ tests successfully complete relative to all the tests executed for each unique Wi-Fi network provided by Converge. Converge’s lead is slender, being 0.6 percentage points higher than second-placed PLDT’s 97.5%, Globe places third with a score of 96.5%, while Smart is in last place with 94%.

Fixed Broadband Experience in Metropolitan Manila

In Metropolitan Manila, Globe users see the most consistent fixed broadband experience, as 59.9% of their tests meet the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch HD video, complete group video conference calls and play games. PLDT comes second, 3.7 percentage points behind the leader, while Converge and Sky Cable follow in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 50.1% and 45.5%. Smart is in last place with 39.5%, more than 20 percentage points behind first-placed Globe. For our Globe and Sky Cable users, there is not a statistically significant difference between their average and peak time scores. However, our Smart, PLDT and Converge users see declines of 12.6, 12.4 and 3.3 percentage points, respectively, when comparing Broadband Consistent Quality during the peak hours of 5-11 p.m. to the all-day scores.

Converge comes top for three measures of the fixed broadband experience in Manila: Broadband Video Experience, Broadband Success Rate and Broadband Upload Speed.

Starting with Broadband Video Experience, Converge with its score of 69 points on a 100-point scale leads by 1.6-1.9 points over Sky Cable, PLDT and Globe which have statistically tied scores of 67.2-67.4 points. Smart is further behind with a score of 58.8 points. While Converge’s lead is relatively modest, it is the only provider to place in the Very Good (68-78) category, while its rivals in Manila place one category lower — Good (58-68). A Very Good rating means that our Converge users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.

For Broadband Success Rate, Converge leads with a score of 98.2%, beating second-placed PLDT by a mere 0.3 percentage points. Globe and Smart follow with statistically tied scores of 96.7-97%, while Sky Cable is in last place with 96%.

Our Converge users report average upload speeds of 37.9Mbps — 8Mbps faster than those seen with second-placed PLDT. Globe is in third place with 26Mbps, while Smart and Sky Cable are much further behind with 6.4 and 4.9Mbps, respectively.

It is PLDT’s turn to shine when we look at Broadband Peak Download Speed in Manila, with our PLDT users racking up an impressive 291.7Mbps — 35.5 Mbps (13.8%) faster than second–placed Globe’s 256.2Mbps. Converge is in third place with 236Mbps, while Smart and Sky Cable share last place with statistically tied scores of 167.2-175Mbps.

PLDT and Converge share the top spot for Broadband Download Speed in Manila, with statistically tied scores of 55.9-57.2Mbps. Globe follows in third place at some distance behind the two front-runners with 43.8Mbps, while Sky Cable and Smart are in fourth and fifth place, respectively, with scores of 39.5Mbps and 19.3Mbps.

 Fixed Broadband Experience in Cebu City

Converge is clearly the provider to beat in Cebu as it places first either outright or jointly across five out of six key measures of the fixed broadband experience. It comes top for Broadband Video Experience, Broadband Download Speed and Broadband Upload Speed, while sharing first place with PLDT for Broadband Peak Download Speed and Broadband Success Rate as part of a four-way tie.

However, Globe and PLDT share the top spot for Broadband Consistent Quality with statistically tied scores of 55.2-59%. Smart and Converge trail behind with tied scores of 33.5-41.1%.

Converge is the only provider to place in the Very Good (68-78) category for Broadband Video Experience, doing so with a score of 68.7 points on a 100-point scale, while PLDT and Globe share second place with tied scores of 65.6-66.3 points and place one category lower — Good (58-68). Smart brings up the rear with a score of 56.9 points, placing it in the Fair (48-58) category.

Our Converge users observe average download speeds of 64.2Mbps, 9.2Mbps (16.7%) and 25.2Mbps (64.4%) faster, respectively, than PLDT’s and Globe’s scores of 55Mbps and 39Mbps. Smart is last placed with 19.5Mbps.

Looking at the average upload speeds observed by our users in Cebu, Converge comes top with 41.5Mbps, while PLDT and Globe are in second and third place, respectively, with scores of 24.8 and 21.9Mbps. Smart follows at a distance with 6.3Mbps. This means that Converge users’ upload speeds are 16.8Mbps (67.6%) faster than PLDT users’, nearly double Globe’s score and 6.6 times faster than Smart’s.

PLDT and Converge share first place for Broadband Peak Download Speed with statistically tied scores of 260.1-284.8Mbps, while Globe with its score of 232.6Mbps is around 39.8Mbps behind the two front-runners and Smart is in last place with 155.1Mbps.

Our users in Cebu see no statistically significant difference in Broadband Success Rate between Converge, PLDT, Globe and Smart, with scores of 96.2-98%.

Fixed Broadband Experience in Davao City

Converge also performs strongly in Davao City — coming top for Broadband Video Experience, Broadband Download Speed and Broadband Upload Speed, while sharing first place with PLDT and Globe for Broadband Peak Download Speed and being part of a four-way statistical tie for Broadband Success Rate.

As is the case in Cebu City, Globe and PLDT statistically tie for first place for Broadband Consistent Quality, doing so with scores of 54-58.2%. Converge and Sky Cable share last place with scores of 30.5-33.7%.

Our Converge users have the best experience when streaming on-demand video in Davao City, with a score of 69.3 points on a 100-point scale for Broadband Video Experience. As is the case in Cebu City, Converge is the only provider to place in the Very Good (68-78) category, as users on PLDT, Globe and Sky Cable have a Good (58-68) experience instead. Sky Cable is in second place, 2.4 points behind Converge, while Globe and PLDT share last place with statistically tied scores of 64.2-64.5 points.

Converge places top for Broadband Download Speed and does so by an impressive margin. Our Converge users’ average speeds of 66.7Mbps are 20.8Mbps (45.3%) faster than those seen on second-placed PLDT. Globe and Sky Cable are further behind, sharing last place with statistically tied scores of 35.9-37.3Mbps.

Switching to Broadband Upload Speed, Converge also impresses with a score of 38.4Mbps, approximately double the average upload speeds seen by our users on PLDT and Globe — which statistically tie for second place with scores of 19.4-21.2Mbps. Sky Cable is much further behind with 4.3Mbps.

Our users see a three-way tie at the top for Broadband Peak Download Speed — PLDT, Converge and Globe share first place with statistically tied scores of 236.2-261.1Mbps. Sky Cable follows at a distance with 164.1Mbps.

Our users in Davao City do not observe any statistically significant differences in Broadband Success Rate — on average 96.8-98% of tests successfully complete relative to all the tests executed for each unique Wi-Fi network on each provider.

Methodology and definitions:

Broadband Success Rate    
Measures the average proportion of successfully completed tests relative to all the tests executed for each unique Wi-Fi network on each provider.

Broadband Consistent Quality    
Measures how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. Broadband Consistent Quality uses six key performance indicators, including download and upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss and time to first byte. Metrics are represented as a percentage of users’ tests that have met the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch HD video, complete group video conference calls and play games.

Average — Consistent quality is measured across all users in all hours of the day.

Peak — By analyzing all tests, across all carriers nationally we can see that, on average, the 6-hour period between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m is the busiest. In this period, we see the highest amount of device activity and the largest drops in users’ experience relative to the 24-hour average. We have selected these hours to benchmark a ‘peak experience’.

Broadband Video Experience    
Opensignal’s adaptive video experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's network. The metric measures users’ adaptive video experience using a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) approach inspired by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters of adaptive bitrate video streaming and the perceived video experience as reported by real people.

The videos tested are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers and include a wide selection of resolutions that dynamically match the network conditions, available bandwidth and device performance. Resolutions range from 144p to 2160p, which is also called 4K or UHD (Ultra High Definition). The model calculates a MOS score on a 0 to 100 scale by evaluating a number of parameters, including: the time to start playing the video, the quality of the video, the time playing each resolution, and the time spent re-buffering.

Broadband Download Speed    
Measured in Mbps, Broadband Download Speed represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across a provider’s network.

Broadband Peak Download Speed    
Measured in Mbps, Broadband Peak Download Speed represents the 98th percentile of the user speed distribution. i.e. this is what the users with the highest speeds within the footprint experience.

Broadband Upload Speed    
Measured in Mbps, Broadband Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds for each internet service provider observed by our users across their fixed networks. Typically, upload speeds are slower than download speeds, but this often depends on the technology used for broadband connections.