PLDT Inc. on Tuesday said it remained the country’s fastest fixed and mobile internet networks last year based on analysis by Ookla 

Ookla reported that PLDT achieved a Speed Score of 27.28 in the second half of 2020, with top download speeds of 79.48 Mbps and top upload speeds of 92.18 Mbps. The fixed network award is based on 74,788,737 customer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest for third quarter and fourth quarter of 2020.

Meanwhile, Smart posted a Speed Score of 24.99, with average download speeds of 20.08 Mbps and average upload speeds of 7.42 Mbps, based on 3,915,679 user-initiated tests taken with Speedtest in the Philippines for the period Q3-Q4 2020.

These scores are an improvement from the previous period, when PLDT posted a Speed Score of 24.79 and Smart posted a Speed Score of 18.33.

Speed Score is a measure that takes into account both upload and download speeds.

“Over half a billion users rely on Speedtest to measure their internet performance every year. Ookla analyzes these test results to get an unparalleled view into mobile and fixed broadband metrics around the world. It is our pleasure to recognize PLDT and Smart as the Fastest Fixed and Mobile Network’s in the Philippines based on our rigorous analysis,”  Doug Suttles, chief executive at Ookla said.

“This award is a testament to PLDT and Smart’s exceptional performance, as experienced by their own customers, in Q3 and Q4,”  he added.

“These awards bear witness to the impact of the company’s sustained network investments over the past years, enabling us to provide our customers with the best data experience, despite the challenges of the pandemic,”  Mario G. Tamayo, head of Technology at PLDT-Smart said.

Initial data included in Ookla’s country reports showed that Smart is way ahead in key areas like Quezon City, Cebu City and Makati City, while PLDT is ahead in Quezon City, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City.

In Quezon City, Smart posted Download Speeds of 32.69 Mbps, double that of the competing network. This reflects the continuous network upgrade and expansion activities that Smart undertook in the city, including the deployment of LTE-Advanced and carrier aggregation.

For mobile, Speed Score incorporates a measure of each provider’s download and upload speed to rank network speed performance. Tests used to calculate Speed Score exclusively come from devices with ‘Modern Chipsets’, which are devices capable of connecting to the market’s fastest, generally available technology.

For fixed, Ookla assesses the fastest network speeds attained across a given network, accounting for tests that are taken on various Speedtest applications that connect to a fixed network, including tests taken on mobile phones over a Wi-Fi connection. Each top carrier accounts for at least 3% of the sample size in the geographic area.

PLDT recently announced that it was prepared to invest between P88 billion and P92 billion in capital expenditures this year.

The PLDT Group’s investments in capital expenditures totaled P260 billion from 2015 to 2019.