Poor PLDT Internet Connection (with or without storms)

A close friend voiced his frustration about his diminishing internet service here in the PI.  I also shared my issues with PLDT that I have experienced from February this year to the present. As a follow-up to posts over a year ago, I am sharing my views here in mid-2025:

"The shell game continues..... Problem # 1 - Misleading speed results: All connections are routed through Singapore to double the traffic to enhance country demand figures. Singapore is a key connection point for PLDT to link the Philippines to Singapore, by using the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) and the Apricot cable system. With poor weather, the signals via fiber are cut in half. PLDT programs all speedtest.net checks to default to a location in the Philippines (less the user signs up with their own account and controls the country/server they wish to test).  

Therefore, since this practice is called an "Intranet" test, the customer is led to believe they are receiving true "internet" speeds. Proof: Run a speed test anywhere in the Philippines and observe the server location where the system runs the test. It will be a location PLDT controls in the Philippines. When the test is forced to check globally, the true result for "WWW" (i.e., World Wide Web) speeds will seldom be 10% of what is falsely advertised by PLDT as "interest service".  

Problem # 2 - Outdated equipment usage: With fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks in the past, both GPON and EPON are technologies that have been used. GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) and EPON (Ethernet Passive Optical Network).  PLDT uses GPON exclusively, resulting in older/slower data sets. Newer technologies used in the USA, used circa 2015-2018, like XPON ONUs and XGS-PON ONUs, replaced GPON.  

In the past 5-8 years in the USA, the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) has been provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), in order to support 2-7 GIG speeds to the home.  

Example: In my home in California, my Eero Max 7 router does not include an Optical Network Unit (ONU), as it is an external modem or an internet connection that is already connected to my ISP's Optical Network Terminal (ONT), it only acts as a router and mesh Wi-Fi system to deliver my flawless 5 GIG home service.

Note: It handles up to 10 GIG (10,000 Mbps) wired.  

Until these uses of very old technologies are resolved and PLDT provides the Optical Network Terminal (ONT), there will be zero times when internet speeds are not negatively affected by weather, and the senior executive's decision to implement very old IT infrastructure that produces false demands/performance levels."

I hope this may shed greater light on the ongoing internet issues we face here in the PI.