A Filipina Mom Blogger

I’ve run through quite a few different ISPs myself — at the moment I’ve got (1) PLDT MyDSL at home in Eastwood, (2) Globe Visibility, (3) Smart 3G and (4) Airborne Access (technically not an ISP) on the road, and (5) Globe DSL at my office in Makati.

Interestingly, my experience has been the exact opposite of yours, and our homes are only a few kilometers away from each other. My PLDT MyDSL is a 2mbps connection, and consistently hits that ceiling. A 10mb download from iTunes takes about 45-60 seconds to complete, for example. It’s been down thrice in 2 years, and all three times it came back within an hour or so.

Of my two on-the-road connections, Visibility is of course the faster connection since it’s HSDPA, but Smart 3G is a lot more consistently available. Visibility hits its high notes when you’re inside the CBD mostly, but this is paradoxical because the CBD is also where the largest number of HSDPA phones exist. It’s very similar to cable internet, where multiple users try to grab as much of the available bandwidth as possible. I can usually do anywhere from 512kbps to 1.5mbps depending on network congestion with the Visibility modem. Smart 3G meanwhile feels somewhere in between 128kbps to 384kbps, although I’ve never used it to check anything other than email, so I don’t know how accurate those numbers are.

The Globe DSL connection at the office is disappointing for its price range. It’s also supposedly 2mbps, but it’s never hit higher numbers than 1mbps, or maybe 1280kbps on a good day.

I guess the only conclusion we can really come to from these wildly disparate experiences is that our local infrastructure is incredibly uneven. It may be because we’re building out new infrastructure while slowly trying to upgrade the old ones (e.g., my building in Eastwood was less than a year old when I moved in), or it may be other things like the network congestion in our specific areas. The expression “your mileage may vary” is never more true than when used to describe internet connection speeds in the Philippines.

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I should also do that “threatening” thing, my mother recently switched to PLDT MyDSL Plan 999 (Bundle) the one with the phone and internet connection. Since my mother don’t know anything about the internet blah she didn’t even try to run the PC and test the phone after installation to found out that the “splitter” is defective I have to switch like crazy if I have to use the phone or the internet and connect it directly to the small box-like thing. The internet connection is okay for the rest of the week but after that it started to dropped connection for a day or so good thing we still have the SmartBro connection (the one I’m using now) I reported the non-existing internet connection and they insisted that the line is broken of sort but I the phone line is completely okay oh except for the splitter they said they would call to schedule the technician but after two days….

NINAKAW YUNG CABLE NG PHONE NAMIN…lol so most of the PLDT phone here is busted…I can’t imagine the day when they’ll fix the whole line in our area.

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i have a friend who is a subscriber of smartbro. ganyan din, the technicians went over to her place for so many times to replace antennas. since she is not blogger, she went to cs and got mad there. ayon, naayos na.
but it’s so exasperating isn’t it, that some of these companies feels like they wait for you to lose your temper and make threats before they really, really act on your complaints.

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We use SmartBro for our business. While we mainly use it for emailing and downloading freeware whenever I need to format one of our PCs, I don’t really have any complaints with regard to speed. I do however hate calling their tech support with a vengeance. Like you said, I do need to use a speakerphone when dialing them just so I can call them while working.

At our home in Eastwood, we have no choice because our building has an exclusive agreement with Destiny. When it comes to the speed, it pretty much delivers its advertised speed. Torrents reach 180-200 Kbps which gets no complaints from me.

Unfortunately I would say that their tech support number is much much worse than Smart Bro. At least Smart Bro doesn’t drop your connection when they’ve got a lot of callers in queue.

Yes they still have the SMS system, but you only get a callback 40% of the time.

In my first year as a subscriber, we experience problems almost every single week.

Lately Destiny’s been stable, but because of their crappy tech support, and their exclusivity clause with our building (why is this legal in the Philippines?), I can’t find it in my heart to give them a rating above 5/10.

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@Luis- PLDT has been good lately though. Yes I have heard of Globe’s dismal performance in Makati.

@PS365- Oh they have this remote testing and all but it does not work when there is a physical problem. Gosh I was duped for a year only because I had a defective modem.

@ladycess- they try to “make bola” about this and that just so they don’t look bad. And when you don’t buy it, that’s when they start to move.

@pau- ask NTC? maybe they have the exclusivity agreement because they shouldered the cable wire pipes? that’s certainly illegal. As consumers we should be free to choose our ISPs.

Damn LOCK in Period too. That should be illegal especially if services were NON-existent.

I think they shouldered the cable wire pipes. Because Destiny’s here every week and one of their reasons for their presence is to tinker with the cable wire pipe thingamajig.

But if they did shoulder it, does that make it legal?

Also, one more thing about their tech support: Destiny’s field personnel can only visit our unit on Tuesdays. They will accept no other day.

I can’t count the number of Tuesdays which I had to rush home from the office just to let the technician in. We don’t have a maid, I have no other choice but to cut down on work hours just to make sure we get back our connection at home.

But I’ve since made friends with their field technician so I can arrange for him to visit is even on non-Tuesdays.

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Hi Noemi! I’ve just subscribed to SmartBro Plan 999 and I also protested the lock-in period. Maybe we consumers can complain to the Dept of Trade and Industry? Or should it be the NTC?

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So far, I seem to be in the minority here. I’ve been a satisfied BayanDSL subscriber since 2005. They’re not perfect; it sometimes takes several tried before you get to actually talk to somebody when you call their hotline. However, when you finally are able to connect, the person who answers can reset your connection if needed. If his/her solution doesn’t work, they file a report and if your connection isn’t back within 24 hours of the filing, you get a Php500-rebate. Because of this 24-hour guarantee, you can expect a technician to show up at your house the following day.

My connection is pretty good, though sometimes it can get spotty (but heavy rain factors in, as well as road/electrical repairs). But whenever my connection falters, I just call and it’s resolved within 24-hours.

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Thank you for doing your ISP reviews again. We are about to move next month and have the daunting task of choosing a new internet provider. Currently we have SmartBro (which was the only one we could get in Tondo, Manila) and are planning to switch to (I think), Bayantel when we move to QC).

I abhor SmartBro. The trick I have learned is to complain constantly, take the names of the customer service reps I talk to, and track what day I spoke to which person. During the course of our ~18 months with them, we received four months free because of lack of connections, slow speeds, etc.

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thanks for sharing Noems, it’s so timely because i am now about to take a 3rd connection. my primary connection is bayantel, which drops and connects like every 15 minutes now, and pldt as my second line, which sometimes also disconnects.

sometimes i even have to go to McDonald’s or Treats along Katipunan in the middle of the night, so as to have connection.

3g for emergency connection perhaps?

btw–every now and then i see you connections drop then reconnect.

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@Pau- after being a destiny customer for 9 years in my previous residence, it helped to know the tech guys in charge of my locality.

@Jenny- I don’t mind the lock-in period as long as internet connection is consistent. What is bad is if we want to terminate the service but are told we can’t.

I believe we can contest the lock-in period to NTC if we can show proof of the non-existent connection. Document well.

@nina- Yes I heard of their satisfaction guarantee. THe thing is Bayantel is not available here. I heard it gets spotty too as MOST of our ISPs do. What’s new?

@Dine- yes get the smart 3g but before that check if the smart3g signal is good in your area. One time I was in the UP campus, and I got a really good signal of over 1 mbps using my HSDPA phone.

The most common thing with all three ISPs is that they really do their jobs right after you threaten to the file a complaint against them at the NTC.

It all means that these ISPs really don’t give a damn about us customers, all they want is our money. Greedy capitalists.

Government hearings should focus on the telcos and the ISPs after looking into the power sector. It’s about time we paying customers get what we deserve for our hard earned money.

Lastly, yes, Globe/Innove Broadband still sucks in Cavite.

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@jhay- I am so aware of your Globe internet woes. I remember how you were interviewed for a TV segment and it was never shown. Globe pressures?

i keep on telling people that filing customer complaints (with basis, of course), is in the end constructive.

here’s an idea — since MSM keeps on ignoring such complaints, and sometimes government bureaus are persuaded to sit on them, why don’t we use cyberspace as our sounding board, such that complaints get higher SEO and SERPS scores than the websites of the companies?

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ako pag nawala yung smart bro ko hihintayin ko nalang bumalik doing nothing after 2 to 3 days without internet kusa namang bumabalik kasi pag tatawag ka sa smart bro wala ding mangyayari. so dapat mag hintay … hehe

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I have tried both PLDT and Smart Bro. PLDT was ok in our area but had to remove it since it was so expensive (plan 1999), had Smart Bro in our house. I agree tech support really takes time to answer. And if it rains hard, I would occasionally loose connection

Smrt 3G is good. Even if smart bro is out, I just attach or BT my phone if I needed connection.

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Wow this is very informative. I honestly love using Smart 3G as well. Unfortunately, we don’t have 3G in Antipolo Huhuhu. So I have to settle with Digitel - which intermittently disconnects. On regular days though, it’s pretty good.

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Thanks also for posting this. Hoped that you had Bayantel on your list. Been testing three lines the past few weeks, 1 residential and 2 business lines (yup, loyal kami sa Bayantel dito); comparing speeds simultaneously. It’s really weird coz it’s very inconsistent. Since the start of the rainy season, I couldn’t find a pattern to know which line was best. Speed stats vary from day to day. When the most recent business line was installed, it delivered at a download speed of 2mbs on the speedtest.net site, but 3 days after, it delivered only half and now, I can’t test it using the same server coz the QC server is missing on the speedtest.net site.

When I called bayantel before, they just reset it. I was about to call again when voila, power fluctuations started and all bayantel lines (even the phone) were disconnected. Bad timing talaga. Having a hard time testing it ever since the rains started.

How will you really know if they deliver on speeds they promised? I’ve been using 3 speedtest sites and they give different stats. Minsan baligtad pa (ex. auditmypc.com gives higher download speeds on line 1 than line 2, while speedtest.net gives higher speeds on line 2 than line1).

Hi guys!I think I am one of the minorities here. I have Smartbro connection since February last year, I did have problems during first month which I think was due to the incompatibility with my PC because it was a bit old na. But when I transferred my connection to a laptop, I can only think of 1 or 2 times when I had problems and it was resolved within 2hours at the most.

I use Globe Broadband. It’s good.

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Got a globelines 3mb internet only line installed a couple of days ago, after installation speeds top out at 300kb down and 110 kb up so not even close to what i am paying them for. This is supposed to be fixed in a week or 2 according to customer service.

how can check if in my area reach the hsdpa? can anyone link me a website to check please. thanks

i’ve been using PLDT DSL in manila for almosr a year now and i am quite satisfied. i never had technical issues with them. i was considering a globelines connection but globelines does not want to invest in additional capacity in our area.

i also have a smart prepaid sim on my Nokia E51 which i use as back-up when i am out and the service is also satisfactory.

i am currently experiencing problems with Globe Broadband Wired Service. Right now both our dial tone and internet connection is down for 5 days already (since sunday, May 25 until today May 30). I’ve been calling globe customer service since sunday and everyday thereafter but they cannot offer me any answer to all my questions on when the service will be restored. It is friday already. My service was only installed last May 13. I’ve also sent them an email to at least provide me feedback on what was actually happening and why restoration is taking this long but so far i only received one phone call from them and that was it. I am very frustrated by their service to say the least.

Thanks for the ranking. I knew it .. i have the worst connection — pldt dsl — which takes days and a lot of pressure to send a technical man, if at all.

Well, at least i have more experience-based to input into my decision making.

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I’m using Globe Broadband too, and so far it’s been pretty good. I’m subscribed to the 3mbps data-only plan.

Our speeds almost always reach 3mbps, and we RARELY experience downtime.

Hopefully the ISPs get better through competition.

This is an excellent informative post Noemi. I am quite aghast that with so many Internet users in the Philippines these ISPs, haven’t smartened up with their services with dropped connections, etc.. Achaka ano ba ‘yang lock-in period? That’s crazy. Imagine… your highest rating is only 7/10. Mabuti pa yata dito sa Cambodia. My ISP had terrible birth pains two years ago but I have no complaints now… except for the $65/month fee, of course. But then, there are much fewer Internet users here. I wonder what ISP I would use in Manila. Better check back on this post when I go home.

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These reviews are definitely helpful, in that they show how awful ISPs here could really get, and that we aren’t alone.

In my case, legacy PLDT MyDSL personal plans (2001) are far better than their business plans.
Can’t comment about other ISPs since I haven’t tried them. If you just use the internet for correspondence and file transfer of things such as articles, your own blog or website, or occasional browing, you’re better off writing at home and sticking to your good-old suking Internet cafe than getting a new PLDT plan.

Speedmeters have been unreliable for me, as it depends on the server location, congestion, etc. Connecting to a speedtest’s server in Singapore gets a faster ping time than the one in Quezon City, for one.

Anyway, the story:
Here in Las Pinas, we’ve had a legacy PLDT DSL Personal (the P2,500 one) plan since Dec. 2001 which came with a rock-solid Nokia M5122 4-port modem/router (!!!). For close to seven years, this connection rarely went down, say, thrice in one year. It was rather solid and predictable. Heck, I needed to call support only once, only to be correctly told (after walking me through the config windows) to check if my NIC was enabled (someone who tested his VOIP unit on my PC the day before inadvertently disabled my card -argh!). There would also be automatic speed upgrades once a year or so, and the connection performed close to that limit almost all the time. That was 2001-2006. The modem had not seen a replacement, so far so good……

In 2004, we signed up for a PLDT Small Biz lite plan (P4,000) when we put up an office right nextdoor. It was fraught with problems from the very start. We’d get disconnected every 10 or so minutes for days on end in certain months, and whenever this happens, technicians are unable to pinpoint the cause of the problem (routinely suggesting an overheated modem (currently, a Zyxel P-600), the fax, the filter, a physical chip on the line, or simply ignoring us), cabinet problems, etc. After a whole lot of calls, checks and fixes, we later see the problem resolve itself long after the visits, while we never figured out what really happened. It’s a recurring thing.

So ironically, whenever the connection is down and we’re pushing deadlines, we end up hooking up the office router to one of the ports of the home modem nextdoor. …To think that we were about to cut the home plan, because noone’s using it anymore (my sister has moved house). Now we’re completely frustrated over the business line…

Ah support: They outsource every single thing, from installation (CCNI Networks, in 2001), to call centers.

Good luck, fellow PLDT DSL folks in Las Pinas.

hi, would like to know if I can user torrents, limewires etc with globelines. a friend told me that globelines block some ports… thanks…

I am currently in California. My wife and i wanted intetrnet service so we applied to a local provider in Dasma proper in March. Big mistake! I left the PI to come back to the US on 1 April. I will be coming back to the Philippines soon and will need a reliable broadband connection in Trece Martirez Cavite.

Your blog was right on time. I will do the three service providers to see which one works best. We already found out that one “off the street” provider is junk. We got the service phone and landline installed and the service started on March 1st and by the 15th it was already out of service. My wife callled and got no reply from the sales reps or coustomer service on the contract she signed from that time (mid March up to this June), but she got a bill just this week of June. I just told her not to pay them. even though they have not responeded to my wifes calls or provided any service I think they will try to give us some legal problem.
We paid our rent there for a year (until 1 February, 09) and will move when i get back to a place closer to Manila, maybe in Cavite City, between Manila and Bocoor, Alabang, Laspinas, or Bocoor. Send me an email on any advice or suggestions.

hey, we just installed smartbro this june, upgraded our internet from vibe dial up unlimited to smartbro thinking this will give us the best broadband.. wala pang one month i get 56 kbps download and 52 uploads based on speedtest website… i made some complains on the phone about 9 times, all they thought i am a newbie to the pc but not, gave me all the troubleshooting procedures but its been two days now wala pa rin silang nagawa.. i reformat my pc thinking nagkainfect pc ko from virus but still got the same speed, i tried linux os (maybe this could help) still i get the same slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww speed.. i asked the tech support rep if i can disconnect my line immediately since i was not satisfied with what we paid for but he said “sorry you have one year contract with smart” with this i felt hopeless… now i was thinking to contact the DTI or NTC (not sure which one) but i dont know how, any one can email me the emails or something of both Gov’t Agencies that i can send info about this? i got proof, i print screen the result of the speedtest…

by the way we only have pldt and smart as an ISP in zamboanga city so there’s no other choice…

hoping for your replies…

I am currently using globe broadband, connection is good but im not able to access microsoft websites or download Microsoft updates. Windows and Router firewall is disable, set reouter to DMZ. The only way I can access Microsoft’s website or do an automatic update is to use a proxy server. I can download from other site’s without any problems. Two of my workmates also experience the same issue.any one got a solution?

I’ve been using smart bro plug it prepaid since March and since its totally dependent on signals (add to the fact that our house is not “smart” friendly) it can be slow and we usually experience dropped connections. I use that on my macbook and since I can take it anywhere, thats a big plus.
my second isp is pldt mydsl, i got the plan 1299 last May and i just got my first bill and i was shocked. since i’m on plan 1299, i expected to be billed at least around 1300 to 1500. But no, my bill reads 2435.18!! I’m actually calling them shortly to get someone to explain why my bill was that high. (from what i remember, its free installation, I just needed to pay for the modem which i did, and thats 1200 already)
anyway, the dsl connection is stable. so far, so good. the speeds are good even if we use the desktop and macbook at the same time (macbook on wifi ofcourse). I just hope i dont get those dsl horror stories!!

the tech guys has just visited a while a go, they didn’t do anything, just refresh refresh and refresh the desktop… i don’t know what to say next… but what i have in mind is a big question mark… what will i do next?

i’m talking about smartbrokeband!!!

i live in Makati and i’ve been using PLDT dsl since 2006 and i’ve got no problem with it. performance was superb and there was never a time that i called their hotline for tech support or whatever. But just last month, i moved to a new place where Globelines have this exclusivity thing…and guess what..just what some said, the connection is horrible! 1 day after the installation, i started complaining already. i even went through a lot of hassles through their hotline, their agents, and technicians. they always tell me the same things - problem with the server, prob with the main facility, wire is grounded, blah blah. and recently, they had an excuse - the typhoon and the rainy season. too bad, my connection is not yet stable until now and i’m still complaining. of course, i refuse to pay until i get a stable connection. case not yet closed and bill adjustments ongoing. *sigh*

Am from Cainta Greenland and using Smartbro. Never had a dc since 2 yrs even at the height of raging typhoons barring power outages none so rare at our area. Done various speed tests with various servers located in different countries and at various times of the day for the past months (hobby ko na yata ito!). Averaging them all out gives me a figure about 90% to 95% of my ISP’s “up to 384kbps” guarantee. No complaints here. Yap, it’s true! It’s faster to connect to the Singapore server than the one in Q.C. Anyway, I’d like to hear from anyone out there also from Cainta who is a Globe wired 1.5mbps data user. Happy with the service? Never mind the csrs. 90% of the time they suck! Heard enough horror stories.

Hmm about the SMART 3G stuff yeah it was cool until recently here in Pasig I got a problem most of the time I got no signal either 3G or GPRS. BTW what number do you call if you got a problem with 3G or GPRS?? And I waswondering if you tried GLOBE Visiblity plan most ppl say it sucked bad even worse for prepaid users . Thank you for the review I liked it now I know what ti get and where to complain LOL!!!

Hi, I’m from Laguna. Which one would be better? SmartBro or Globe Broadband?

Noemi,

Have you ever noticed that in your speed test summaries you switched the download speeds and the upload speeds? Look at the pics of the speed tests and then look at the text of your reviews immediately below the pics and you will know what I mean.

Anyway, you and all of those who gave their comments here are luckier than people in Binan, Laguna like myself who rely on DIGITEL for their phone and broadband bundles. DIGITEL service is totally lousy and after experiencing their service you will not only become nasty but close to criminal. Since the beginning of May 2008 when we had DIGITEL installed (or about 4 and 1/2 months til today), it has only been operational for less than a month. No matter how much we complain or how often we call customer service, repair takes too long.

Aside from being non-operational most of the time, speed is SLOOOOOOOOOOOW (no exaggeration). Promised download speed is 512 kbps but Speedtest download speed is only 99 kbps or less than 20%. That means that us paying subscribers are getting much much less than what we bargained for (99 kbps vs 512 kbps) and much much less than what we could get from PLDT or Globe for the same price of P’999 per month (512 kbps vs 1 mbps).

Why do we have to put up with them and not terminate their service? Because we don’t have a choice. PLDT and Globe are not licensed to operate in Binan.

I desire to spearhead a movement which will force DIGITEL to give up its franchise so that Globe and PLDT can come to Binan to save its poor citizens from being hostages of an incapable, inefficient and downright incompetent service provider which is DIGITEL.

Now, do you feel better?

i also have an internet connection issue, this time it is with Globe Visibility 3g with Hsdpa (wireless)..i don’t want to detail the problem anymore, i did that so many times when i escalate my issue from customer support, to technical personnels, to supervisors, and finally, to senior acct. manager..to tell it short, since i started using my GV last April, i already experienced its very slow connection, only 5kBps..and now is already 5 months after, but the Globe manager i talked to only said that they are sorry, they cannot promise immediate upgrade of my network coverage..and that they are ready for whatever decision i have to make..isn’t it MADDENING? they already did a visit to my place, changed my modem, but all to no avail..the problem maybe with my location..since i live here at Maligaya, Novaliches..just near SM Fairview..however, i have called Globe before i even subscribed, and it was they who said that the connection here should be good.. i’m already determined to terminate this service next week, and told the Sr. Account Mngr don’t they dare to ask me for a termination fee..

my only concern is after terminating GV, what ISP should i subscribe to then? guys, if anyone knows what really works here at my area, please tell..i don’t care if its wired or wireless..with my kind of job, internet speed is critical factor..however, no internet at all is not the choice..

the only thing that i can say here is GLOBELINES BROADBAND is the worse ISP here in La Union

your review is spot on ma’am ….

just so to share my ideas ….. the problem with Philippines is FALSE ADVERTISING IS THE NORM!

In the USA ….. they normally advertise the “guaranteed speed” of the internet. Meaning at any given time, you’re gonna get that speed. even in peak hours

In the Philippines ….. they advertise the “Burst Speed” or the fastest possible speed. it doersn’t guarantee that you’re gonna get that speed. This is where consumer must be educated also…. (in order to avoid being duped by these cheaters) Thus if, for example, you’re suscribewd to 512Kbps …. that is your burst speed …… your guaranteed (THE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS WONT TELL, PROMISE) speed may only be from 32 to 64KBps …..

They do the latter to be able to compete on providing low internet fares ….. Thus take a good look again on more expensive ISP …. probably you’re getting more value for your money with them

actually, clement, for the past 7 months i am experiencing the globe vis issue, don’t you think i didn’t become an expert on this network setting “solution”? that is the first “solution” the customer service will provide you..if that doesn’t work, they will say it could be your computer which is problematic..and a hundred more reasons/alibis..anyway, it is already confirmed that the issue is on the Network Coverage..what is only frustrating is that, after 6 months of waiting for the real solution, they will tell you they cannot promise an immediate fix because the site upgrades already have fixed schedules..

in the end, what i can only say to all..BEWARE of GLOBE Visibility with hsdpa..don’t just believe when they say it works OK in your place…once you are tricked, you will be bounded by a contract, and it will be too late to complain..