Broadband Internet and San Miguel

Does this mean we can expect a significant increase in broadband internet subscribers in the coming year?

I read over at Yugatech.com about the possibility of San Miguel offering broadband internet services, not to mention mobile telecom packages. And you know what? That's an exciting bit of news.

You know what happens when there are "new" players, right? Internet access will become more affordable, because the newcomer ISP will most likely offer promos and massive discounts on their internet subscription packages. Don't be surprised if people end up getting more than one broadband account, because most of the internet providers here do not provide 100% worry-free internet access.

Remember what happened in the case of cell phones? People did not dump their old providers when new players entered the market offering fantastically affordable rates. They simply got an extra cellular phone service. I've seen many people carry at least two cell phones, because they want to keep in touch with both their old and new friends.

The same thing will happen in the Philippine broadband internet scene. As more homes gain access to the internet, more people (within the same household) will be competing for computer time. Given that it is easy to set-up wireless routers, plus netbooks are quite affordable, the remaining bottleneck in this entire system would be the internet connection.

The solution? Get an extra ISP.

More internet providers, more people using DSL and gaining broadband access... all this translates to more eyeballs on the web. Say goodbye to kids asking their parents if they may access the internet. Say good riddance to parents responding with: "You can use the computer... when I'm done."

Welcome to a world where as many as four people in a household surf the web simultaneously. The question is, what are you going to do about this coming development in the Philippine broadband internet market?

[ First posted on 12/11/2008 by Manuel Viloria ]