My son butt dialed me today.
A butt dial!!!
Who knew that was still a thing in 2021.
Don’t we all have passwords on our phones?
Apparently his is glitching. While he rides his bike with his phone in his sweaty jersey pocket, I guess it unlocks and makes phone calls.
Ugh…technology issues we have to deal with.
At least the internet is really good. Reliable. Fast.
Unlike sometimes in the Philippines.
I hired my first OFS (actually, he was more of a VA, he wasn’t a specialist at anything) in 2005. Internet in the Philippines was like 256k still.
Really slow.
Things have changed a lot. Internet is much faster there.
More reliable.
More options.
Here’s generally how it works (from Julia, my online Filipino content specialist)
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*Information below updated as of December 2022
In the Philippines, we have three types of internet connection.
– Fiber ( Includes VDSL, FTTH, Cable Broadband)
– Direct Service Line (DSL – currently being phased out by Fiber)
– Wireless broadband. (Using mobile networks 3G, 4G, and 5G)
When working from home, land-based connections like Fiber and DSL are preferable. They’re more stable, faster, and provide more value.
Unfortunately, the Fiber and DSL connection for some areas is limited. In our neighborhood, for example, we had a limited number of Fiber connections allocated for our area. You have to apply early if you want to get one. The rest have to settle for wireless internet.
Or they’d have to wait for someone to end/cancel their subscription. Or wait for more lines to be made available.
But since the pandemic, more Fiber lines have been built all over the country. It is somewhat easier to get a land-based connection now, but it still depends on where you live. It’s easier if you live in the major metropolitan areas and harder in the provinces.
For those who can’t get DSL or Fiber internet, wireless broadband is available everywhere as long as there’s a cellular connection. Most of us use wireless internet as our backup internet when the land-based network is down. We can buy this anywhere, from convenience stores to malls.
You have the option of
– getting a data-only SIM card and using your phone as a router or
– get a wireless internet router like this one for a stronger signal.
Wireless internet is not good enough for some online work, though. In my experience, while download speeds are faster now (up to 50mbps), the upload speeds are much to be desired. It’s also not as stable or as reliable as Fiber. A strong enough storm is enough to slow down most wireless internet connections.
You can feel the connection slowing down when a lot of users are on the network at the same time.
But despite these disadvantages, wireless internet is a popular option because we can easily get prepaid plans. The lowest offering is 5GB of data for three days at $1. For $4, you can get up to 30GB of data for one week. Other packages offer higher data allowances, longer package expiration, or special packages depending on the apps used.
PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company)
PLDT is the Philippines’ first telecommunications company. A lot of our internet infrastructure uses the phone network established by this company. That’s why a lot of their plans come bundled with a landline.
These are their basic plans. The cheapest plan here (25Mbps) is around $23/month. Their highest plan at 1Gbps requires those interested in contacting their sales. The 400Mbps plan is the one we’re using here at home. So far, it’s been able to support me, my husband (who also works at home), and our daughter’s online classes.
Globe Communications
Globe is PLDT’s main competitor in providing wired and wireless internet.
Below are their Fiber plans. Like PLDT, they also provide landline services, but only for subscriptions Php 2499 ($45) and higher.
SkyCable
They’re a cable company that also offers Fiber over Cable Broadband. You can get it with or without a cable subscription. The ones shown below are the plans without cable.
Converge
Converge used to be a small player providing home and business Fiber connections in Metro Manila but has slowly grown and expanded to many places in the Philippines. Their speed offerings are comparable to what the bigger players have and are offered at a slightly cheaper rate.
They also offer special rates based on time and usage. If your OFS exclusively works nights, they can get “Night Plan” which has double the speed at night.
I can’t recommend which internet service provider is the best because the availability and strength of connection of these ISPs depend on the area. To find the best ISP, you really need to do your research and ask a lot of questions.
All over the Philippines are smaller ISPs like Rise, Infinivan, and DCTech. These smaller broadband ISPs used to only service businesses but have recently started creating plans for homes and individual users. Their service coverage is localized. You have to check their websites to see what cities they offer coverage.
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If your OFS is having internet problems, ask them what their options are. Usually they already know because their livelihood depends on it.
I don’t recommend you pay for their internet, but you might increase their salary a similar amount to how much upgraded internet costs.
John
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