The Philippines continues to lag in 5G connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region, with sluggish download and upload speeds affecting consumers’ gaming and video experiences. According to Opensignal’s analysis, the country’s 5G download speed stood at 146.3 Mbps as of June, ranking fourth lowest among 13 economies. Even more concerning, the Philippines recorded the lowest 5G upload speed at 13.2 Mbps.
Benjamin Ives, Opensignal senior business analyst, emphasized the need for network improvements, noting that “the new technology helps improve experience scores for video, gaming, and voice applications,” yet Filipino users suffer from poor quality in these areas.
In contrast, South Korea leads the region with impressive 5G download and upload speeds of 427.5 Mbps and 52.2 Mbps, respectively. Ives attributed South Korea’s dominance to its early adoption of 5G in 2019, allowing ample time for technological advancements.
Additionally, the Philippines falls short in network availability, with only 11.4 percent of the population having access to 5G services, compared to India’s 52.1 percent and Singapore’s 35.9 percent. Ives pointed out the difficulties in expanding infrastructure in archipelagic countries like the Philippines.
Ericsson predicts that 5G subscriptions in the Philippines could grow fivefold by 2029, potentially boosting the economy as mobile adoption increases.
