Infra gaps hold back PH broadband access – ADB

GAPS in infrastructure, utilities and financing are holding back fixed broadband access in the Philippines, Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director Andrew Jeffries said.

Only 28 percent of Philippine households have access to fixed broadband, according to a previous World Bank report, compared with 54 percent in Malaysia, 55 percent in Thailand, and 79 percent in Vietnam.

Speaking at the Arangkada Philippines Forum 2026 at the Manila Marriott Hotel on Friday, Jeffries said discussions about connectivity often focus on data centers, but overlook the infrastructure and services needed to support them.

The ADB examines these underlying building blocks, including data centers, telecommunications towers, reliable electricity and water supplies.

Fixed broadband requires stable power, while data centers use water for evaporative cooling.

The Philippines’ archipelagic geography also raises the cost of connectivity, making fiber networks and undersea cables essential but expensive to build, Jeffries said.

He noted that Filipinos rely more on mobile phones than computers or laptops, particularly in rural areas and among lower-income households.

Addressing these challenges requires investment and a financing environment that supports technological development, he said.

Jeffries called for deeper Philippine capital markets, citing the United States as an example of how financing can support advances in technology and artificial intelligence.

He also stressed the need to strengthen education and workforce training to develop the skills required to build, operate and maintain broadband infrastructure.