A telecommunications provider will look for ways to make connectivity accessible to more people amid the inflation in the country.
PLDT Alfredo Panlilio expressed this in an interview with reporters on April 26 after the telco firm won an award for being the fastest internet provider in the Philippines.
Panlilio was asked about the company’s expansion plans for broadband under tough times.
In his response, the PLDT exec said that there is still demand for broadband internet but not as much as before.
This, he noted, is the main challenge for the business.
“Affordability becomes an issue,” Panlilio said.
“We’re trying to be sensitive on what the market can afford. There’s demand on connectivity…it’s a matter of us thinking of a product that will suit them,” he continued.
PLDT won big at the Ookla Speedtest Awards, besting other telecommunication providers in the Philippines and in other countries.
Ookla is an international speed-testing company.
This achievement also marks the first time PLDT has topped the other telco players for the fifth consecutive year since 2018.
It got a top speed score of 86.52 in 2022 from Ookla.
In a separate statement, Panlilio emphasized PLDT’s commitment to providing “world-class digital services” to Filipinos.
“PLDT’s commitment is to help build and empower the nation by setting the bar high in providing world-class digital services for Filipinos,” Panlilio said.
“For the past five years, PLDT has made big strides to elevate our customers’ experience by delivering the best-fixed network services. We intend to keep this momentum and to go above and beyond in ensuring that our customers get the best digital experience wherever they need it – at home, school, or the office,” he added.
Ookla’s chief technology officer Luke Deryckx explained that a staggering 18 million consumer-initiated tests were taken daily among telecommunication companies to determine the fastest network speed.
“The Ookla data paints a clear picture of the performance, quality, and availability of virtually every network in the world. We are proud to recognize PLDT’s hard work in providing the fastest Internet experience in the Philippines and celebrate their achievements in superior network performance over the last 5 years,” Deryckx said.
PLDT runs a fiber network in the Philippines that spans 1.1 million kilometers. This covers at least 17.2 million homes and 68% of the country’s cities and municipalities.
In 2022, meanwhile, the company recorded a total of 6.08 million fiber-powered ports. They covered around 17,700 barangays across the country.
By the end of 2022, PLDT logged a total of 1.1 million new fiber subscribers, thus achieving a 59% growth in the fiber customer industry.
This also brings the total number of fiber subscribers of the telco firm to 2.9 million.