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photo credit: www.pinoytechnoguide.com |
Filipinos are no doubt active netizens'. We utilize almost all social media platforms there is, day in and day out and use the internet in our daily activities so much as if it is a basic need. We are not the selfie capital of the world for nothing, but that is beside the point. Despite the Philippine's active presence on the world wide web, it is sad to know that we are at the bottom of list in terms of internet speed among our Southeast Asian neighbors. However, as talks about this concern in the senate have been initiated by Sen. Bam Aquino, we might just have the good news at the end of the tunnel.
Recently, Globe Telecom asks PLDT to make good its claim of
supporting IP peering by connecting to Philippine Open Internet Exchange
(PHOpenIX), the only internet exchange facility operated by a neutral organization,
in this case, the government.
An internet exchange, such as the PHOpenIX, which is operated
by the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology
Institute, allows the exchanges of Internet traffic among internet and data
service providers.
Globe Telecom currently has a 10Gbps
port with Vitro Internet Exchange (VIX), which is hosted by PLDT. However, Globe
does not have any Internet traffic to any PLDT subscribers through VIX but only
with other ISPs. “We are open anytime to peer with PLDT, as this will enhance
both our customers’ web experience", a Globe representative said.
Following 3 years of opposing the National
Telecommunication’s proposed mandatory IP peering policy, PLDT recently said it
now supports regulator initiatives to implement IP peering, but emphasized such
arrangements must be voluntary, in line with generally accepted international
practice.
Under an IP peering arrangement, the internet traffic is
freely exchanged between the Tier 1 ISP and each ISP provides the other partner
with access to its own customers and vice versa but not to the entire Internet.
Contrary to PLDT’s opposition to IP peering in the past, Globe
Telecom strongly supports the NTC’s position that a mandatory IP peering among
carriers should be put in place to improve internet services in the
country. It is emphasized that
an effective and reliable IP peering policy would greatly improve internet
speeds in the country as it would give local ISPs like Globe a direct route to
access local content for faster data interchange. Facts show that around 15%
to 30% of all internet traffic in the Philippines is domestic. This means that domestic traffic
originates in the Philippines and terminates in the Philippines. The origin and
destination may be as far away as across the country or as close as across the
street from each other.
However, instead of remaining local, traffic is being routed
externally, such as in Hong Kong and the U.S., before returning to the
Philippines. This means that instead of getting routed directly between origin
and destination, data is routed outwards through large ISPs that sell transit
before the data is routed back to its target destination, thus causing delay in
data transmission and effectively slowing internet connectivity. Thus, a direct
route among local ISPs through a mandatory IP peering would greatly improve throughput
and latency performance of ISPs, enhance bandwidth utilization and provide faster
internet speeds.
At a recent joint hearing of the Senate committees on trade
and public services, the NTC cited the lack of IP peering among local ISPs as
one of factors that contribute to slower internet speeds in the country. The
regulatory body pointed out that in the case of Singapore and South Korea, for
instance, internet content are mostly generated internally, as a result of an
effective IP peering policy, which in turn enhances internet speed.
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