PH is the most ‘internet poor’ country in SEA, says study
In this day and age, having access to the internet is a basic necessity. But not every Filipino household has the luxury to afford it, more so can they afford mobile data as well. According to data enterprise World Data Lab’s Internet Poverty Index, the Philippines was one of the countries with the largest “internet poor” population.
The study states that over 58 million Filipinos are “internet poor” since they can’t afford a minimum package of mobile internet. “Internet poverty” is based on three considered pillars: Affordability, “where up to 10% of total individual spending is assumed”, Quantity, “where 1GB per month is assumed”, and Quality, “where 10Mbps download speed is assumed”.
Out of the 169 countries included in the index, the Philippines ranked as the seventh-highest population when it comes to the number of “internet poor” worldwide. But when it comes to internet poverty as a percentage of the population, the country lands slightly better at the 38th spot.
The World Data Lab’s report shows that the most “internet poor” countries were Nigeria, India, China, Congo, Brazil, and Pakistan. While 51.6% of Filipinos have limited access to quality internet, Valenzuela has it worse at 92%. But the Philippines is still the lowest ranking Southeast Asian country in the study.
According to the latest internet user penetration report from Statista, about 75% of the population in the Philippines uses the internet in 2022, but this only counts Filipinos connecting to the internet. It doesn’t examine if their internet provider offers 1GB of data per month or a 10Mbps download speed at an affordable rate.
The lack of internet access in the country could possibly lead to the spread of fake news. A Pulse Asia survey showed that 48% of Filipino adults get their news online. Their top choice is Facebook Messenger, an app where misinformation often spreads.
Facebook has been offering ‘Free Mode’ for mobile users, who can still message their friends and family even if they have 0MB of data. However, users can’t load videos, photos, and audio clips. Rappler explained that the platform is harder to fact-check since it’s a private space.
While there was a previous study stated that the internet quality in the PH has improved, there’s still so much to be carried out to provide access to all Filipinos.
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Source: we the pvblic
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