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There are many posts here over the years on this topic and I will just add/restate that a person needs to understand how to set up the Speedtest.net so you don't get the false high speed results.  PLDT by default selects the nearest Philippine server and that causes the test to give a false high on speeds and false low on Ping.  I force my account to test between Tagaytay and Los Angeles to get a true internet speed.  PLDT seldom meets those speeds when testing that way.  Yet they charge for world internet speeds by only testing within the PLDT infrastructures.  The meaning of "www" is world wide and you can't get world speed results only testing within one country.  PLDT claims the test between your location and Makati or Imus is only intended to show internet speeds in the Philippines.  They won't print this but instruct the techs to say this, if you are knowledgable enough to press them on this.

^ Great idea!

The only fast speed PLDT has, is the cashiers who can take your money 80 times faster than PLDT broadband or fibre

Kiwi Forever wrote:

The only fast speed PLDT has, is the cashiers who can take your money 80 times faster than PLDT broadband or fibre

You for got to mention the PLDT cashiers take your money 80 times faster than customer service. PLDT cashiers no longer get my money.

How was I to know?

For those that may want to fact check and/or take PLDT to task on this..... here are some facts!

Over 98% of the internet is delivered to counties via ocean submarine communications cables and these corridors have names.  The Asia-America Gateway (AAG) has over 15 fiber-backed communications cables connecting America to Asia.  Once each country connects to that system, the internet is brought to shore of each country via cable landing stations.  The main landing station networks in the Philippines used by PLDT include: AAG, ASE, APRICOT and  EAC-C2C.   

The main point are: 

1.  There is more than enough speed to give the faster internet here based on the fact that the speed capability of the AAG between the USA and Asia is 2.88 Tbit/s [Terabits/Second] (2.88e+12) or 2.88 Tbps × 0.125 = 0.36 TBps.  This conversion of 2.88 Tbps results in 23,040,000 Megabits/Second (twenty-three million forty thousand Megabits/Second) speeds at the landing sights. 

Proof:  During my MSIT studies (1999 - 2002), my research included AT&T’s Application for Cable landing License linking Asia to the USA... as referenced under:  SCL-LIC-20070824-00015, which involved the 2001 IB Docket No. 00-106, Report and Order, 16 FCC Red 22167, 22192-93.

2. Since part of the fee structure includes bandwidth, the sharp demands here have resulted in PLDT slowing the normal speeds to accommodate more customers.  More customers, at lower/slower speeds, results in longer online usage where profits are maximized by this ISP.

Proof:  Exceed your data plan usage/day and watch your speed reduce to near zero during the balance of that 24hr period.  Is the UNLI truly unlimited?

wow... ya can't argue that!

Ok.. so Calif-Native... let's have the skinny!  What service do you use for internet in PH? or, your suggestions would be appreciated.  Thank you

Calif-Native wrote:

For those that may want to fact check and/or take PLDT to task on this..... here are some facts!

All is well with your post. . . .

My problem I had no connection for three weeks and kept getting excuses and unfulfilled promises of service. I finally emailed the licensing commission and they contacted PLDT and sent me a copy of their email to PLDT.

Then PLDT finally showed up and they parked behind the truck from Sky who was installing my new cable service. From the time I called Sky, it took only several days for them to install my new service.

All this happened way before Covid.

What do I use?  PLDT remains the dominant ISP in the PI, for the present.  So, I have PLDT but remain in a status as not having a fully installed circuit along with technical exchanges regarding their speeds and services.  As of this past week, my bill has been adjusted down by over P75K but the process is very long and frustrating; as they won't give written answers or performance comments and just attempt to force their views (i.e., trying to blame the connection to my Gigabit ISP in California as the reason for slow speeds).  I provided the speedtest.net data in support of my position.

Calif-Native wrote:

Proof:  Exceed your data plan usage/day and watch your speed reduce to near zero during the balance of that 24hr period.  Is the UNLI truly unlimited?

Yes. "unlimited" is BS...

coach53 wrote:

Calif-Native wrote:

Proof:  Exceed your data plan usage/day and watch your speed reduce to near zero during the balance of that 24hr period.  Is the UNLI truly unlimited?

Yes. "unlimited" is BS...

I have Sky, with two smart tv's and maybe four smart phones and two laptops  all linked to through my router, we have no slow down or buffering.

Hey Spence... is Sky Internet available in Cebu / Mactan?  and.. how much a month if you don't mind me asking... I take it that it is Fiber.. right?    Thanks Tony

tpiro wrote:

Hey Spence... is Sky Internet available in Cebu / Mactan?  and.. how much a month if you don't mind me asking... I take it that it is Fiber.. right?    Thanks Tony

Hi Tony,

I'm in Metro Manila so I don't know if Sky is available in Cebu / Mactan. Probably there are companies offering fiber in that area.

Here is a breakdown of my cable bill:

Sky Cable (TV)      899 php
Additional outlet 250 php
Broadband        2499 php

Advertised Speed 120 mps, speed as this writing 82 mps download 23 mps upload.

It's fiber cable but we should not be misled by that term, I'm sure the main trunk is fiber and maybe the distribution points, but from my home to the connection on the pole is not fiber.

Many people are dissatisfied with their cable company, the product, price or customer service.
I'm satisfied with Sky as I have not had any problems.

The best service I've ever had was Cox in Las Vegas. They will make an appoint with you which has a two hour window. Many time they could fix the problem remotely from the office.

yes.. I'm sure the PH internet services are not like Cox or ATT, etc.. and agreed that from station to station and trunks are probably fiber but from the poles inwards are just copper... 1/2 a loaf of bread is better then none.. right.. LOL  however, I wil try to hunt down a service when I get to Cebu in a couple of weeks... I've heard not good things about PLDT so I will look further.. thanks for the come back... tony

BTW.. those are decent prices for that speed.. not too bad.

We have been using Globe fiber in CDO for about 18 months. It's P1699 for about 40Mbps up/down. It has been very reliable. My daughter needs it for her 8th grade school work.
If we do have an outage (rare), I can use my dual-sim smartphone as a hotspot. We have 5G coverage here with Globe & Smart. It is incredibly fast.
I have also used a Globe LTE mobile wifi hotspot. I see that Smart now has a 5G mobile hotspot (battery). It may be a good backup as well.

Billy

This post is acronym intense but it is needed for accuracy and for those that may want to research what has been presented.

Just a general clarification:   

Copper-/coax-based technologies vs. full-fiber technologies

1.  Older systems that use copper lines (i.e., DSL, etc.) are part of the old POTS systems (POTS = Plain Old Telephone System), and have tons of wires spliced between small cards that continues the signals over the copper, to the exchanges. 

2. Fiber systems use a cable distribution system (DSLAM) and signals are sent via the fiber to the exchange using what is called Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (GPON).  When you check your PLDT modem/router label, you will see this acronym "GPON".  This means that the equipment is using this "Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (GPON)" to enable the fiber circuit to your home.  Most PLDT routers of the last 3 years are provisioned for GPON. 

Summary - There is no copper between the DSLAM to the customer (unlike DSL). 

It would be counter-productive to land the fiber signal from the ocean cable, then convert that signal  for copper transmission to the ISP, then convert it back to fiber, to input into the the DSLAM. 

Therefore, once a fiber circuit originates from the provider's landing structures, it is processed thru the various traffic processing devices (including BRAS or Broadband Remote Access Servers), and on to the DSLAM, the fiber optic cables are laid from the exchange to the cable distribution system (DSLAM), then to the end user. 

Both PLDT & GLOBE are under pressure to improve as we saw back in 2020, when President Duterte threatened to seize their assets if they failed to improve service by the end of that year. Source: 

Note:  Off-topic but linked - Some are concerned about security with Huawei phones but few may understand that the more serious "leaks" of data come from units like the Huawei and ZTE networking equipment/DSLAMs (where their models like the UA5000, was reported as far back as 2009, to have many " telnet" backdoors that auto route info back to it's motherland - China).  Source:

Thus, we see the US FCC's $1.9 billion "rip and replace" program, which is designed to remove equipment from US networks that's been deemed a threat to national security.  Source: 

This is a completely different topic/path to venture down with greater details.

PS.  To understand the massive capabilities internet infrastructures  have on our lives, we learn that all of this is based on "boolean algebra"; which now includes a measure of digital data speed, in binary form. 

When first introduced to this at a military school in early 1970's, it was fascinating to learn that these concepts originated in 1854.

Nonetheless, here in 2022, just understand the following.....  internet data is processed in 1's and 0's.   The binary digit is a logic signal which is either off or on, representing 0 or 1, where 1 ("true") or 0 ("false").

To understand the Bit vs. the Byte, understand that 1 Megabit = 1 million '1's and '0's.  Whereas, 1 Megabyte = 8 million '1's and '0's.   

The same principle applies to the GB vs. Gb..... A Gigabit (Gb) is ten to the ninth power (1,000,000,000) bits where a Gigabytes (MB) is eight times larger than the Gigabit.   

Why do we always see multiples of 8?  It is because computers use binary numbers, and those numbers are powers of two.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

coach53 wrote:

Calif-Native wrote:

Proof:  Exceed your data plan usage/day and watch your speed reduce to near zero during the balance of that 24hr period.  Is the UNLI truly unlimited?

Yes. "unlimited" is BS...

I have Sky, with two smart tv's and maybe four smart phones and two laptops  all linked to through my router, we have no slow down or buffering.

I suppouse you have fiber. 
Most of the Philippines dont have fiber option.

Wow...i signed up for Skycable internet services at my condo near Ayala..........unreliable......goes on and off several times every day.....not just for moments, but for hours. I have complained many times, had their technicians check the equipment...they always say that its working fine. Others tell me that PLDT is better......but after reading above stories....I dont know what to think now......but i definitely dont like skycable anymore

Please be aware that  Sky is using cable based connections (HFC) that tie into a combination of fiber optics and cables.  They will never get a clean/reliable circuit with such a hybrid system compared to pure fiber connections.  Your differences between up/down speeds will be enormous with such a system since it forces the less efficient asymmetrical circuit configuration.  One could argue that claiming a "fiber-powered" internet service is false advertising. 

If questioned, you may get coded words (that most will not have a clue as to what they mean).  Here is a small sample of the word-smithing that ISPs use to hide the truth when the term "fiber" is being used to make the sale to the customer:

FTTX (Fiber to the X)
FTTN (Fiber to the Node)
FTTB (Fiber to the Building/Basement)
HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coaxial)

Sky is HFC, where PLDT is FTTP (Fiber to the Premises).  Few ISP's will tell you that as soon as you opt for TV/cable services here in Asia, you will get a hybrid system/slower speeds via one of your LAN ports.

Imagine planning a trip by car that advertises a 4-lane, 160 km/h toll road driving experience (with a guaranteed min. 80% average of the 160km/h speed).  You pay your fees and plan your trip time based on the advert.   However, during the trip and without any warnings, the road is forced into a single lane road with a speed limit of 40 km/h. 

This is what the ISPs do here in Asia and continue to get away with it. 

No matter our language base, a "fiber-powered" vs. "Pure Fiber" should not leave us guessing which one is "end-to-end" pure fiber optics.

Pldt General trias cavite

Calif-Native

So what are you saying here with a plethora of information- unbeknownst to most however, to some; understandable.  I can appreciate that.  My question is... which one of these are better.. PLDT or SKY or, do you have another suggestion without detailing.  Preferably Cebu/Mactan area and hopefully packaging (Internet and Channels).  I know it may depend on location and how many splitters are in the equation but mainly interested in (up-time rating/%), reliability and customer service/satisfaction.. if there is such a thing.

Thank you in advance.

tpiro wrote:

Calif-Native

My question is... which one of these are better.. PLDT or SKY or, do you have another suggestion without detailing.   
Thank you in advance.

PLDT remains the best option for the moment.  Except for Globe, most of the others have some lease relationship with PLDT/SMART for their tie into the fiber system as they deliver hybrid packages to the customers.

Suggestion (step-by-step): 
1. Attempt to get a pure fiber account,
2. Set up your registered Speedtest.net account for all testing,
3. Select the server in your home country or any major US City and monitor the PINGS/Test results only to that location, 
4. Test your speed at least 4 times in 7 days,
5. Collect/share the summary of the tests for that month/billing period and email to PLDT,
6. Insist that PLDT responds to actual testing based on the real world testing of the your circuit.
7. Request (in writing) that PLDT adjust the billing or increase the speed to match true internet testing.
8. Do not accept any testing from your Philippine home to another location in the Philippines as a true test.

Note:  With your registered Speedtest.net account, each speed test automatically connects to your selected server where all results are recorded in your account.   You can use that running history to prove if your circuit is performing at a minimum of 80% of the advertised speed you selected.

Appreciate that... will check them out when I get there... Thank you again...

Globe fiber is as good as a scam, I have 150 Mbps subscription, yet my speed barely reaches above 50 Mbps. When I talk to the Globe representative over the phone, the guaranteed speed for 30Mbps is 30% of 150 which is 45 Mbps

- @denz DT

@tigerboy12 I wrote about our experience with high speed Internet in Greater Manila Area and an earlier article about cable TV near Angeles City [link under review]

Btw  If someone dont know. Look up with the difference between MegaBIT, which is only 1/8 of MegaBYTE. Perhaps some suppliers prefer to tell in bits to make it sound better than it is   

- @coach53