Philippines Internet Connection is Hopeless
As much as I want to travel around the Philippines with my laptop, the only frustration that I have is the internet connection. Both Globe and Smart suck. The reason I prefer more traveling to other countries as I can find a place with a faster internet connection. After 5 months of being away from home which I spent my 2 months in Taiwan, I have the best time in the said country full of dumplings and bubble milk tea.
The Philippines is an Expensive Country
This is my point of view as a local as I am also traveling in and out. Traveling around is expensive from bus rides to ferry rides and is very inconvenient. Unless you are for adventure and doesn’t mind about work then go for it. But I know several people who travel on the weekends so it’s not a problem for them. I prefer long-term travel.
Globe and Smart Give You 800 MB to 1 GB Limit Per Day of Internet Usage
As of this writing, I registered my SuperSurf subscription at 8 AM. At 12:44 PM, I received a text message that my data usage has been high so they need to slow down my connection. I am just updating this blog and checking other travel blogs for inspiration. I decided to register another surfing promo which is the GoSurf.
LTE Mobile Wi-Fi is for Facebook and Instagram Use Only
I found out that I can only use my mobile Wi-Fi for apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and other messaging apps. But I had trouble browsing for different websites as it automatically slows down. When I was in Taiwan, I rented iVideo pocket Wi-Fi there and I had no problem as I was able to work on my laptop with a decent internet connection.
I Can’t-Do Facebook Live and Instagram Stories
With this slowpoke mobile wi-fi connection that I have, I won’t dare myself doing Facebook live videos as it is a waste of time and data. I only did my first live video in Taiwan during a hike to the waterfall and hot spring.
Broadband Internet Connection is Expensive
Before traveling, I’ve been working at home and I even lost a $6 per hour job because I had a hard time uploading high-quality photos. The client was disappointed which he thought I was wasting my time not doing anything. I was connected with Globe Broadband. Decided to cut off the internet connection and switched on to mobile Wi-Fi then it is still the same. I returned to Globe Broadband with a new number but still the same. I’m trapped. I decided to travel.
LTE Smart Was Awesome and then Boo!
I switched to LTE Smart Prepaid Wi-Fi as they were proud of its LTE connection in Cebu. One time, I experienced the upload/download speed of 20 Mbps. I even blogged about it from my previous blog. When 2014 ended, it became slowpoke. I cannot even stream videos anymore.
The Reason Why Filipinos Prefer Working Abroad
Admit it but it’s true Filipinos prefer working abroad. To be honest, I attempted to work abroad even though it was not related to my current work. I’ll take a cleaning job if it has a good pay.
Some People Suggested I Should Use a Co-Working Space
What is the purpose of the term location independent if I spent my commute time to go the city just to use the co-working space? I’d rather spend my commute time to travel in different places and use other free time to explore. In Taiwan, I was able to work in a school library or in a cafe either using their wi-fi or my iVideo pocket wi-fi. It was easy to get around in Taipei with a bike so the transportation was not a problem.
A Call-Out to Globe and Smart/PLDT
A news is written by Forbes – How The Philippines Got Asia’s Worst Internet Service. This has been my dilemma for several years. One of the reasons why the Philippines is not a progressive country as it is not helping fellow Filipinos to earn money in their own country. That’s why Filipinos have to leave and find jobs in other countries because income is better there.
This post – I can COMPLETELY relate to it! From your title, I don’t need to read all through your entry because that is one of the downside of my work. It’s true, we can work everywhere, virtually any where we want, but we also have to be online for that matter. Most of my work involves web so being online is necessary. I have a pocket wifi too, which is most of the time, very slow or no speed at all. So I turn on my phone’s data but in the end, it racks up my phone bill 5x times. Yes our internet infrastructure is not the best considering that we have the most expensive internet utility if not in Asia, probably in the world. Well is there anything we can do about it? So instead of thinking of that, whenever I leave home for out of town trips that are longer than a couple of days, I make sure to tell my clients that I will be going out of town and that I may not be online at the moment, so expect some delays in responses or delivery of work, something like that.
On the post, I compared when I was in Taiwan. Their pocket wifi is so reliable. 😂