Smart tops internet mobile speed in 2023

MANILA, Philippines — Wireless leader Smart Communications Inc. bested all telcos in the Philippines by posting the fastest mobile internet speed in 2023, a global web performance survey showed.

According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, Smart recorded the best median speed for mobile connectivity at 37.64 Mbps last year to retain its title as the operator to beat.

Smart bested Globe Telecom Inc. and newcomer Dito Telecommunity Corp., which registered average speeds of 26.44 Mbps and 19.74 Mbps, respectively.

However, all mobile operators managed to improve their service quality compared to the prior year. In 2022, Smart clocked in a download speed of 32.16 Mbps, topping Globe’s 21.3 Mbps and Dito’s 17.66 Mbps.

Ookla also noted that the Philippines enhanced its mobile internet speed by 12 percent to 28.12 Mbps in December 2023, from 25.12 Mbps in December 2022. Globally, the country ranked 86th in a list of 146 economies led by the United Arab Emirates’ 303.21 Mbps, Qatar’s 244.44 Mbps and Kuwait’s 183.83 Mbps.

Among all smartphones, Ookla said iPhone 15 Pro Max provided the fastest internet speed in the Philippines at 95.14 Mbps, followed by Xiaomi Poco F5’s 93.06 Mbps and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 85.85 Mbps.

Likewise, Ookla said iPhone devices posted the best median speed in the country at 51.19 Mbps, while Samsung came next with 37.76 Mbps, as Xiaomi placed third with 30.66 Mbps.

“We examined combined performance by major cellphone manufacturers and found that devices from Apple had the fastest median download speed in the Philippines during the fourth quarter of 2023 at 51.19 Mbps,” Ookla said.

Meanwhile, Ookla reported that the fixed broadband speed in the Philippines increased by seven percent to 92.92 Mbps in 2023 from 87.13 Mbps in 2022. Worldwide, the country landed 49th in an index of 178 economies, headed by Singapore’s 270.62 Mbps, Hong Kong’s 266.63 Mbps and Monaco’s 264.97 Mbps.

The Philippines suffered a decline in the density of mobile users last year as regulators tightened their oversight against digital fraud. The government required Filipinos to register their SIMs in an effort to curb the proliferation of spam messages.

As such, wireless operators Smart, Globe and Dito lost millions of subscribers who failed to sign up their mobile numbers within the deadline.

In return, telcos increased their average revenue per user after erasing inactive subscribers from the picture, allowing them to gauge their customer base with more clarity.