(UPDATE) Senator seeks investigation into Internet service

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino today called for an investigation into the Internet service being provided by local telecommunication companies.

"There are constant complaints about (a) provider's failure to deliver on its promised connection speed, which usually leads to slow Internet link," said Aquino, who chairs the Philippine Senate 's Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

He made the statement after it was revealed in a report that the Philippines lags behind its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of Internet speed.

According to a report of ASEAN DNA, Internet speed in the Philippines averages 3.6 megabytes per second (Mbps), behind Laos with 4 Mbps, Indonesia with 4.1 Mbps, Myanmar and Brunei with 4.9 Mbps each, Malaysia with 5.5 Mbps, and Cambodia with 5.7 Mbps.

ASEAN DNA is a "site to promote a better understanding and appreciation of shared values and common characteristics of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."

Aquino said he wants to find out why some neighboring countries in Southeast Asia enjoy faster Internet speed at a much cheaper price while consumers in the Philippines have to contend with slow connection.

Philippine consumers pay an average of P1,000 ($22.7) a month for Internet service with speeds of up to 2 Mbps. Some local telecommunication firms offer Internet service of 5 Mbps for P2,000 ($45.4) a month.

"This is expensive compared to Singapore and Thailand where we can find some of the fastest Internet connections in the world," he said.

Aquino said SingTel, the largest telecommunications company in Singapore, offers 15 Mbps of Internet speed for P1,312 ($29.81) a month while Thailand's True Internet offers 12 Mbps of connection for about P1,100 ($25) a month.

He said the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission should offer a "logical explanation" for allowing companies to offer unreliable Internet connection at prohibitive prices.

Aquino said the investigation should also focus on how poor Internet connection in the Philippines could be improved to ensure the competitiveness of the country's economy in light of the upcoming ASEAN regional economic integration.