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NTC allows capping of broadband data

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Tech News
By Calvin / December 28, 2010
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In a revised draft Memorandum Order on Minimum Speed of Broadband Connections, The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) allowed broadband service providers to cap the daily volume data allowed per subscriber. With this move, NTC hopes that internet providers will finally improve their service reliability which is often the main complaint from consumers.

width="150"The revise MO mandates broadband service providers to disclose the minimum connection speed and service reliability on their advertisements, flyers, brochures, etc. as well as the maximum volume of data allowed per user per day.

I’m getting mixed reactions here. I kinda get the idea of bandwidth capping to improve service reliability but how would our telco strike a balance on what’s enough? Globe prepaid broadband via Supersurf already has a maximum cap of 800MB per day and I often use that up just from watching videos online. What if the connection is shared to multiple users like in a household? If one’s into watching YouTube videos, the other’s into online gaming, the other’s into downloading.. uhh.. Linux distros.. well you get the idea. And Smart’s mobile broadband is capped at 1.5GB per month! This will most probably kill P2P sharing.

That’s mobile broadband and now the capping will crawl into our homes. I’m happy with my PLDT DSL, it’s not speedy but it serves my needs well with little to no interruptions. However, I do share it with 3-4 other people and with this capping, I wonder how often I’d get disconnected for the rest of the day just when I have to turn something in late at night.

I guess there’s no such thing as unlimited now when it comes to broadband internet. Not unless you’re on those business plans which I’m sure shouldn’t be capped at all. For us home users, better have another broadband service as back up when this pushes through.

Thoughts?

[via Manila Times]

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  • Good-bye, cat videos 🙂 Seriously, I’m a little concerned here, because I wouldn’t know if I’m hitting my download limit. I don’t do much P2P. I do download ISOs and other large files now and then. And I do watch some streaming videos or download them. Still, if I hit my download limit and find I can’t submit an assignment (or heaven forbid, even access it — I use mainly Google Docs), I guess I’ll have to use my phone’s 3G. That might work, but it’s not optimal.

  • If cloud computing is the future even for consumers. This is a step backwards.

  • this have pros and cons…

    pros – network congestion will be limited or minimized, and this should lead to surfing and browsing being bearable to fast. and telcos should be held accountable for downtimes and slow lines.

    cons – streaming video, downloading, the works. the more tech-savvy will suffer (or pay more), and might stifle the net/tech adoption of the country since you put limits to what services you can use and what you can and can’t do. It might widen the digital divide more since Filipinos would be “bandwidth”-cautious, just like what they do with cellphone calls (make sure they hang up before the minute is up since most telcos charge by the minute).

    If capping is made a standard, the least the telcos could do is to provide an app that would show how much bandwidth has been used, or provide a means to check it, just like what you have with prepaid loads.

  • guest

    While other countries are talking about net neutrality making their connections faster, The Philippines is trying to limit the usage of internet.

    • Bangon Kali

      I believe there are a lot of American network providers that are also capping the daily volume data allowed per subscriber.

  • cy

    for me i think its fine, my broadband currently is capped @ 12gb for 2mbps constant speed in a month (except for off-peak as its excluded on the computation). After reaching the cap the speed is throttled to 1mbps, but still you’ll have unlimited surfing… As long this provision is maintained, it’s fair to both the consumers and providers.

  • ang daming magsusuffer dito…

    ni hindi ka na nga makakuha ng reliable na connection, tapos babawasan pa nila once na nareach mo na yung cap…

    Then paano yung mga nagaaccess at nagttransfer ng files (LEGALLY) — “CLOUD COMPUTING”? (marami sa mga residential users nagaaccess sa cloud)

  • Sucks

    capping huh, that really sucks, and the companies are blaming the consumers?

    nakakainis nmn, sila nga ung accept ng accept ng mga bagong magpapakabit kahit di na kaya ng mga servers nila, like nung nagsmart ako, inamin sken nung tech na 20 users lang ang maximum kinabitan pa ng 10 kya 10kbps lng un speed ko…

  • internetuser

    TelCos will abuse this one.

  • As long as there is full disclosure to the customer, I think it is fair. I would actually rather get a contract from a ISP that has a cap than one without. A cap allows than some measure of maintaining quality of service.

  • Lezuric

    Shit this capping.. 5th generation na nga ang pinas pagdating sa internet dinagdagan pa ng pasakit. Maliban sa mahal ang internet service compare in other countries, napakabagal and unreliable.. I won’t doubt kung maabuso ito ng telcos. Ano kaya magandang kapanipaniwalang dahilan ng NTC dito?

  • yanderelicious

    This is bullshit they are providing lame DL/UL speed and they will add a cap? We are not cashcows NTC.

  • Naru

    Your DSL / Cable is already capped/throttled you just don’t know it. NTC just wanted to have the consumers informed of these caps that already existed.

    Think before you pirate.

  • merky

    imbes na lagyan ng cap, bakit hindi sila magdagdag ng speed? sa SG nga pinakamabagal na atang speed pang-residential ay 8mbps. eh dito 2mbps pa lang ata.

    pera-pera na lang talaga.

  • Richard

    This is really stupid, it will kill most of the online business in the Philippines, what they want to happen in the philippines? stone age? hahaha.

  • Homer Navarro

    marami talaga magsusufer dito lalo na ako na mahilig mag download ng kung ano ano mga bobo talag tong mga taga ntc na to paurong hindi pasulong!!

  • HomerNavarro

    mga tarantadong mga taga ntc hindi mga nag iisip!! hindi na ako makakapag download ng kung ano ano neto!!

  • odzk

    Binayaran ata ng mga telco ang NTC nato, wala tau magawa. anti consumer kac tong mga taga NTC eh.

  • IMO, telecommunication companies should do their services right – improve your network instead of limiting the services to compensate for more subscribers. I don’t believe that you’re gonna lose a lot of revenue because of such since improving your facilities is an investment – please don’t take the easy way out.

    I wonder when the public consultation would be – I’m really interested to attend and voice out my opinion on the matter.

    • @satori, opinions are fine but they alone won’t do the job. You have to cite *similar* markets, i.e., developing countries with Internet penetration close to ours. Then see if the Internet providers there are also capping downloads. Unfortunately, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise, but you’ll never know.

      See, the Internet providers are sure to throw statistics to anti-cappers — e.g., Bayantel claims that only 2% of their subscribers go over 100GB. Therefore, their monthly cap of 100GB will affect only 2% of their subscribers. I may not be getting the exact statistics but you get the picture.

      And as an aside, you’ll likely find broadband providers even in the *US* imposing download caps. Sure AT&T may be sucky, and they should really be improving their network instead of limiting their subscribers’ downloads but there you have it. Hmm, come to think of it, you can cite AT&T’s profits over the last few years, and state that they were making enough to improve the network but they wanted instead to please their stockholders. Might you apply the same argument to our local Internet providers?

  • jackrabbit

    the main reason why internet is unreliable is because of OVER-SUBSCRIPTION. telcos accept more subscribers than what their servers can handle, para mas malaki ang return on investment nila, so the subscribers suffer already.
    ngayon, instead of telling the telcos to upgrade their equipment, the NTC will force the subscribers to pay more for using the internet. i can see the next thing happening – subscription packages based on GB usage. if it would be P0.05 per KB on your home computer, magiinternet ka pa ba? this would roughly translate to: a 45min avi file which is about 375MB would cost you about P18,750.00

  • zha

    worked with a broadband service from Australia and they have this capping thing going on.. and I don’t think it is a good thing.. The reason why we know so much about technology and the net is because we have unlimited access to it without the worry of the amount of data that we use every day. If this happens the majority of our population will opt to not go access the net anymore thus reducing us to the likes of the majority of people from other countries wherein they have to call in for technical help for simple no browse issues and doesn’t even know what a browser looks like..

  • David Z

    Yugatech blogged that NTC will hold a public consultation:

    http://www.yugatech.com/blog/telecoms/ntc-holds-public-hearing-consultation-on-broadband/

    What: Proposed Memorandum Order on “Minimum Speed of Broadband Connection”

    When: January 11, 2011 – Tuesday, 2:00pm

    Where: NTC Executive Conference Rm., 3rd Floor, NTC Building, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City

  • gerald dimacuha

    Hearing at NTC went pretty well. Government, telcos and consumers were much represented. Let’s hope the NTC and PNoy’s initiatives will bear fruit for the consumers in the long run. Good luck to all of us!

  • telcos should have a resilient and robust network infrastructure to cater huge demands and needs of users, capping data is like imposing speed limit on slow turtles.. telcos in the philippines lags behind countries like korea and japan and yet their internet is cheap, the ncc has not define the proper protocols and definitions of internet usage

  • Arc Aldrin Tolentino

    THE CAP HAS BEEN REMOVED BY NTC!!! THEY HAVE LISTENED TO THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES! I agree with NTC. This is a good step for progress where everyone will benefit. I am sure that NTC will act fairly, take measures, and will continue to improve services to satisfy the needs of the public. They will not regress development; moreover, they will make Philippine services more competitive in comparison to other foreign countries. Let us show our support for this advocacy.

  • are the limits here updated?

  • Dong Badong

    No capping on business plans not true. My corporate Globe Tattoo was caped the other day after almost 1 whole day of being online and working.

  • “uhh.. Linux distros.. well you get the idea”

    what does “linux distros” got to do with bandwidth capping? or do u just have to include it to establish a ground of being tech-savvy?

  • epiquestions

    How about downloading LEGAL games you bought from STEAM? How about downloading LINUX distributions? Software updates and freeware or other PAID software that you bought online? We are moving towards going all digital on software and games. How do you expect users to be able to download stuff they bought online? Video streaming uses up a lot of bandwidth too. Instead of forcing the ISPs to improve their service, they let the users suffer by capping bandwidth. Idiots.

  • Banna

    Telecommunication in Philippines has been completely monopolized by PLDT and Globe. In order for fair usage Govt should force these companies to split up. Instead the Govt is allowing them to get bigger and more dominating. PLDT swallowed Digitel, Sun and many others whereas Globe had eaten Innove, Bayan and others.

    I don't hear any comment from any Govt representative on how these companies are bad for the countries growth.

    Mobile Tariff in Philippines is one of the highest in the world. Its the same equipment (most of which are made in China) are used in developing/under-developed worlds but many countries are able to bring down mobile/internet tariffs by making the market competitive. Instead in Philippines Govt has given away its ability to generate competitiveness in the market.

    I see lot of dynamic and bright filipinos around but they are limited by the ability to connect to the rest of the world and explore their potential. Internet is one such thing that can enable speedy growth in Philippines but it needs to be taken out of the capitalistic control of business houses and made more accessible to the people

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