Technology on Samal

When I tell people about the property we’re buying on Samal Island usually one of the first questions they ask, “is there electricity”?  I answer, “yes, and water lines”. But what if we were to live there today, what else is available at this time?

Phone: As is the case with most places, cell phones are prevalent. There should be no problem finding a carrier to use. Smart, Globe, and Sun are three popular service providers. A lot of people in the Philippines don’t have a landline, or a need for one. If a landline is needed, PLDT Landline Plus, a fixed wireless landline, is available in the area.

Internet: SmartBro, Globe Visibility, Sun Wireless Broandband, and PLDT WeRoam all offer some form of wireless internet. Which of these work well on Samal, I don’t know. How well each of these services works seems to depend upon your location, so it would be something that would need to be tested. All these services are much slower (384Kbps – 1.8Mbps down) than what I’m used to (8 down/2 up Mbps here with Comcast), but that should continue to improve. Internet cafes are also around, as is the case throughout the Philippines.

Televsion: Dream satellite (think Dish, DirectTV) is popular throughout the Philippines mainly because it works in remote areas. The cost seems pretty reasonable (P890 for the most expensive plan) compared to what I’m used to here, but the number of channels is lower than what you might see in the States. There is no HDTV (yet?) but Blu-Ray players can be found at the nicer appliance stores, as are HDTV television sets. I’m not sure how common Blu-Ray movies are in stores, though they could be ordered online through the normal outlets.

So all in all, not a bad situation at all. By the time I’m ready to put down there for good I shouldn’t have any concerns in this regard.