A digital nomad planning remote work from the Philippines raised a concern that veteran nomads know all too well: paper specs mean nothing if the connection keeps dropping.
"I recently spent few weeks in Vietnam (Da Nang and Hoi An). Although internet on paper was good and have high speed it constantly lost connection for few seconds," they wrote on r/digitalnomad. "This was huge problem for me during calls."
Now considering the Philippines for an extended stay, they're worried about repeating the experience - and with good reason. Multiple nomads confirmed that the Philippines has notoriously unreliable internet despite marketed speeds.
"I've been in Philippines 3 years ago, internet was terrible," the original poster noted. "Both wifi in hotels and mobile, basically webpages didn't want to load."
Recent reports suggest things have improved marginally - but not enough for work that requires stable video calls.
"Manila and some parts of Cebu have decent internet now, but it's still not on par with Thailand or Vietnam," one experienced Philippines nomad reported. "And the islands? Forget about it for anything mission-critical."
The solution several nomads recommended: Starlink.
"Starlink is becoming essential for Philippines nomads," one long-term resident explained. "You can set it up on a balcony or in a room - doesn't need to be fully outside. Just needs clear sky view."
But Starlink adds to living costs, significantly impacting budget calculations. For nomads choosing the specifically for its low cost of living, that's a major expense.
