Senator Imee Marcos appealed to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to ramp up efforts on infrastructure to support demand of reliable internet.
Based on the Ookla Net Index which measures internet performance and reliability, the Philippines is lagging behind smaller Asian neighbors like Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Given the increased demand for efficient internet connection, Sen. Marcos who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, called the attention of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to give equal importance to ICT infrastructure as businesses shift online to the new normal.
"Let's level up, DICT! The Philippines is Asia's laggard when it comes to internet speed, at only 3.5 mbps. Upgrading the country's digital capacity is urgent and long overdue," the senator said.
In passing, Sen. Marcos also inquired about the status of the entry of a third telco player. "Whatever happened to the entry of a third telco player? The public eagerly awaits an update on the timelines of DICT's programs," Sen. Marcos asked.
She also cited that government interventions addressing disruptions due to COVID-19 are reliant on the internet and connectivity such as contact tracing, online education, e-commerce, and work-from-home schemes.
"A robust digital economy is our hope for a post-COVID future. Slow internet speed plus limited online access equals a sluggish economy and a sorry standard of living, more so for local government units in more remote areas of the country," she added.
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