Satellite Internet in Philippines

Satellite Internet Access Service

The archipelago of the Philippines lies in southeast Asia between the Philippine and South China seas, east of Vietnam and is home to just over 106 million people. The archipelago comprises around 7,641 islands which are mountainous with coastal lowlands. This area of the world is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and cyclones. Despite this, the Philippines in the 8th most populous country in Asia. It is rich in natural resources, including timber, petroleum, silves, gold, salt and copper. The Filipino population tends to be concentrated in areas of good farmland and in the capital, Manila, which is home to an eighth of the overall population. Travel and tourism has become an important sector for the Philippines as its great biodiversity attracts many visitors. The service industry is the largest employer.

Telecoms across the Philippines are of a good standard and the country is rolling out 4G services and also preparing for the advent of 5G. Broadband access has been boosted by mobile services. With fixed line penetration in decline, this is where the growth is set to continue. The mobile subscriber market is growing strongly and this is important to note as mobile services can more easily adapt to the Philippine’s geography. In 2018, 67 million people across the Philippines are connected to the Internet. The government recognises the inextricable link between economic and social development and ICT and e-commerce, mobile money, e-health.

Filipinos are avid users of social media and the country is the fastest growing app market in southeast Asia. In fact, the Philippines topped a recent study of social media usage. On average, Filipinos spend 3 hours 57 minutes on social media each day. The median age of users is 24 and these young people have grown up as digital natives. Filipinos like to stay in firm contact with their communities and mostly use social media and access videos on YouTube.

Opportunities for VSAT Services

This insatiable hunger for mobile Internet leaves a big opportunity for satellite solutions. Even though growth in the Philippines mobile broadband market has been significant, there is still a large portion of the population that is not currently connected to the Internet. This means that Mobile Network Operators still need to reach many parts of the rural population. BusinessCom Networks can provide the ideal solution to the operators to enable them to expand beyond urban regions and tap into lucrative rural markets. Using VSAT technology, BusinessCom provides a highly reliable, affordable and scalable satellite-based solution enabling these MNOs to penetrate into new markets. Microwave and fibre optic solutions are simply too expensive to consider, but satellite links can deliver all IP requirements at a fraction of the cost. Businesscom can work with you to design a solution that reduces bandwidth use and optimises your network.

For a country like the Philippines, where a young population is fully engaged in the digital revolution, access to mobile broadband networks and the applications they allow is more critical than ever, even in rural areas. Satellite will also play a critical role in the delivery of 5G services to rural areas in the future. BusinessCom can assist Philippine-based MNOs to reach these valuable customers no matter where they are.