Internet providers told to disclose minimum speeds

The Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has told communications firms to disclose their minimum broadband speed and reliability to consumers. Memorandum Order No. 07-07-2011 requires operators to specify minimum broadband speeds, service rates and the reliability of the service in advertisements, flyers, brochures, and service agreements, the Manila Times reports. The regulator also said the minimum service reliability should be 80 percent. The service reliability is measured over a month and is found by dividing the number of hours used in a month that are at or above the minimum connection speed into the number of hours used in a month. Currently, operators only disclose the maximum speed of the service. According to the Memorandum, services also have to comply with Memorandum Circular No. 12-19-2004 which stipulates that operators have to provide at least 98.5 percent of the advertised speed, for dial-up access this is 80 percent and for leased lines this is 99 percent.