The Philippines fell to 75th place in Opensignal’s Global Network Excellence Index, dropping four spots from the previous ranking as the country showed slower progress in mobile network quality.
Opensignal, an independent mobile analytics company, measures real-world mobile user experience across three key areas: 4G/5G availability, excellent consistent quality (ECQ), and download speed. The latest report placed South Korea, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands in the top five globally.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore ranked highest at 10th place, followed by Thailand. The Philippines still ranked ahead of Laos and Myanmar, which landed in the 92nd and 93rd spots, respectively.
Slowdown in consistent network quality
The Philippines saw a drop in its ECQ performance, ranking 87th — two spots lower than the previous review. ECQ reflects how well mobile networks support high-demand apps such as video calls and gaming. The country posted a 51.3% score, down from last year by 2.7 percentage points.
In 4G/5G availability, the Philippines slipped to 59th. This metric shows how often users can connect to modern mobile networks.
Mixed results for download speeds
The country’s 5G download speed rank dropped to 58th, down from 56th, with a speed decline of 9.3 megabits per second. On the other hand, the Philippines moved up six places to 90th for 4G download speed, which increased by 1.5 Mbps.
“Data shows that while 4G speeds are improving in many countries, 5G download speeds are declining — even in advanced markets,” Opensignal said in the report. “This shift reflects how operators are managing network resources, sometimes prioritizing stable 4G performance over newer 5G services.”
Challenges in mobile network rollout
Opensignal also pointed out that lower-income markets, including many in Southeast Asia, continue to face barriers in rolling out and optimizing 5G networks. The decrease in 4G/5G availability may indicate users are falling back on older 2G or 3G networks due to infrastructure gaps or growing network congestion.
“Availability is improving globally, but the benefits are not evenly distributed. Many users in emerging markets still struggle with reliable access to modern mobile networks,” the report added.