Philippines lags in Southeast Asia internet ranking

MANILA, Philippines — While it has a strong infrastructure, the Philippines is behind most countries in Southeast Asia in terms of internet resilience.

The Philippines scored 46 percent in the recently released Pulse Internet Resilience Index (IRI) of the Internet Society, ranking seventh out of 11 countries in the region.

It scored behind Singapore with 72 percent; Vietnam, 52; Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand, 51 each, and Indonesia with 48 percent, but ahead of Myanmar, 45 percent; Cambodia, 43; Laos, 44, and Timor-Leste with 38 percent.

The regional average is 49 percent, higher than the entire Asia with 46 percent; Americas and Oceania, 45 each and Africa with 35 percent, but below Europe’s 60 percent.

Described as a first-of-its-kind tool, the IRI offers insights into the internet resilience of 170 countries.

It is based on four key metrics: infrastructure, performance, security and market readiness.

“A resilient internet connection is one that maintains an acceptable level of service in the face of faults and challenges to normal operation and is an increasing focus for policymakers and activists worldwide as internet infrastructure becomes essential for a nation’s economy and society,” said the Internet Society, a charitable non-profit that ensures internet is open, globally connected and secure.

“Decision-makers in the Philippines can use this snapshot to understand the strength and weaknesses in their internet ecosystem and make data-driven decisions regarding where to invest and improve the country’s overall resilience,” it said.

Per metric, the Philippines scored 48 percent in infrastructure, ranking third in the region; 48 percent in performance at sixth place; 54 percent in security, ninth, and 35 percent in market readiness, eighth.

The infrastructure score is based on the existence and availability of physical infrastructure that provides internet connectivity, while performance is the ability of the network to provide end-users with seamless and reliable access to internet services.

Security measures the ability of the network to resist intentional or unintentional disruptions through the adoption of security technologies and best practices, while market readiness is the ability of the market to self-regulate and provide affordable prices to end-users by maintaining a diverse and competitive market.

The Internet Society said the Philippines ranked particularly high in infrastructure in the region, noting the “good, fixed line coverage not often seen in island nations.”

“Reliable internet connectivity is vital for everyone, but many countries lack a reliable internet infrastructure to provide such access. Low-income countries often have under-provisioned networks and don’t have a robust cable infrastructure and redundant interconnection systems,” the Internet Society said.

“Further, in countries or regions where the likelihood of internet outages is higher, it is unlikely that neighboring countries can provide better interconnection and global providers are less likely to invest to improve existing infrastructure because the connection is unreliable. The cost of internet access for end users is also higher,” it said.