A

ccess to ICT, especially the

internet, is as important a
statistic
as
any
development indicator in
todays
hyperconnected

world.

The Internet World Stats ranked the

Philippines no. 7 among Asias top
internet countries, with 30 million
online citizens to boast. But does this
figure mean anything? Although 30
million sounds like a lot, it roughly
translates to 29% online Filipinos out
of 102 million. This is 10% less than
the internet penetration rate of a lowincome country like Kyrgyzstan (39%)
a paradox considering that the
Philippines is a lower-middle income
nation and two stages higher than
Kyrgyzstan in terms of digitization.
Internet laggard the Philippines is also
marred by poor connection quality. In
Akamais State of the Internet Report
for the fourth quarter of 2011, internet
in the Philippines was found to be
among the slowest in the Asia Pacific
region, with an average speed of 1.1
Mbps. This falls below Akamai's
definition of broadband connection
speeds of above 2 Mbps.
The report pointed out that only a
privileged few (7.1%) actually enjoy
broadband-speed connectivity, a stark
contrast to that of neighbors like
Malaysia (22%), Singapore (67%), and
Thailand (70%). If Philippine ISPs do
not feel the need to catch up with
their Asian counterparts, they ought to
improve service for their clients.
Filipino consumers feel that internet
service in the country leaves much to
be desired. And they are willing to
shell out more money for better
service quality, depending on how
they use broadband and for particular
circumstances, a recent survey by

Ericssons ConsumerLab revealed. This

begs the question: Arent consumers
already paying enough for broadband?
Or is slow internet caused by poor
infrastructure combined with the
telcos
business
practice
of
oversubscription?
In a broader context, this top Facebook
user-country (ranked 8th in the world)
has sadly remained a straggler in
exploiting ICTs full potential. The
latest Networked Readiness Index
(NRI) ranked the Philippines at no. 86
(out of 142 countries)its worst
performance in five years, starting
from no. 69 (out of 122) in 2006. The
NRIs sub-indices point to some
national issues that give a clearer
picture of why and how the Philippines
has failed to leverage ICT to boost its
competitiveness.
Under the environment subindex
(quality of political and regulatory
environment, as well as business and
innovation
environment),
the
Philippines scored lower than most of
its Southeast Asian neighbors and
even a few low-income African and
Latin American nations.
This poor ranking could mean the
absence of a policy framework that
helps expand ICT access and allows
the best possible use technology. This
is not surprising given the absence of
a central government agency to
oversee ICT development in the
country. It also suggests that doing
business could be tough, with
problems like excessive red tape and
uncertain
intellectual
property
protection, among others.
In terms of readiness (infrastructure
and digital content, affordability, and
skills), the Philippines scored better
globally, but still lower than Indonesia
and Thailand. This may partly explain

why these countries continue to

attract
investments
far
more
successfully than the Philippines.
The
Philippines
fell
behind
its
Southeast Asian neighbors when it
came to ICT usage. How is ICT being
utilized for meaningful everyday use
by
individuals,
business,
and
government? Does ICT usage end in
sending an average of 1.8 billion text
messages
a
day
or
immense
fascination
with
virtual
social

networking? To what extent are

business entities utilizing ICT? Does
the government prioritize ICT? How
many online government services are
being offered?
If the Philippines internet and ICT
were to ever catch up with the rest of
the world, many questions need to be
addressed. The answers may not
come easy, but it is important to never
stop asking.