Globelines Vs PLDT myDSL bandwith test: Which is better?

Tonight were switching from PLDT myDSL to Globelines after 3 weeks of horrific intermittent connection. To those who experienced the same problem then let me share you why we finally decide to change ISP after 4 years of being a loyal PLDT subscriber.

I made a speed test of both connection, it's a rare opportunity since both ADSL routers will be tested with almost zero load (web browser only, with fully loaded flash UI) from the same location using the same machine, and with the same bandwidth plan. My target machine is located on Melbourne Australia, a place I will visit soon so I thought It would be nice if can connection to my office PC here in Manila, here is the unbiased and uncensored:





Surprisingly it's a close race but this result doesn't show some facts that differentiate the two.

PLDT (at least the JrBiz plan) has a committed bit rate around which means there is no bandwidth shaping so I got 309kbps all the way during the test while Globelines has an unspecified bit rate so the actual speed started at 128kbps then rose until the 303kbps limit.

Notice the difference between the upload speed, on PLDT I can only max up to 117kbps, lower than my CBR which was indicated on my plan! Hmmm, not nice since I paid specifically for 128 and up CBR for that -- and Melbourne ain't too far nor the network is congested on that area (unlike US East Cost). Compared to the Globelines I maxed at 154kbps which fits my plan's CBR at 128kbps.

So what does these means, surely PLDT with its constant 309kbps is the winner?

Well it depends.

If you're connected to a single machine using PLDT, downloads will be faster, but that's not how real Internet works. When surfing a website, there are multiple connections to multiple servers which means more requests. That's where the upload speed is important, the faster It is means the faster the sites receives your request to download pages and images. It will also be useful for users who download a lot via *ahem* P2P since seeders will prioritize users with faster uploads too (the ratio is like 1:10 in favor of the user).

I'm not totally putting PLDT down, a large fixed bandwidth means the connection is best suited for server type connections like VOIP or gateways (in our case we have mobile gateways running 100% via PLDT).

To sum it all up.

I would recommend Globelines for surfing use, yes your office slacker will definitely be able to surf favorite social sites like Myspace, Friendster, YouTube and Dailymotion at top speed while I would recommend PLDT for server use like what most call centers have.