Webinars rely on technology most especially on bandwidth. Without it you can’t attend or host one. If it’s too slow you’ll be disconnected several times.
Unlike our first world counterparts, our bandwidth is shared and not guaranteed. Broadband providers here offer a fast download rate but we know that we don’t get the “stated” speed in our plans.
So, the question is: What Internet provider can I rely on to successfully host or attend a webinar?
We’ve managed to test the huge broadband players with several webinar tools prior to us launching and still constantly testing on every session we’ve hosted. For this post, I’ll focus on the residential service and not the wireless broadband products. Here are the results:
SMART BRO
The 999 Unlimited plan that has a speed of 1mbps. This should be good to go but because the connection isn’t stable, it’s not recommended. The “transformers” experience was born when we used it. I realized, in hindsight, that I should’ve counted the number of times I said “You sound like the Transformers!” during our meetings.
An attendee would be able to connect to a session but might encounter some difficulty hearing the speaker at some point. For speakers, I would say don’t even dare to use it, not unless you want a catastrophe in your hands.
BAYANTEL DSL
The 384kbps plan just won’t cut it. Yes, it may be enough to cover the minimum speed, but remember it isn’t guaranteed. The 1699 plan is workable. We’ve had a few successful sessions under this plan, mostly on the hosting side. Just a few tips before you go and subscribe.
If you are presenting and hosting, it’s better to do a speed test at certain times of the day. It’s still not as reliable as you would expect. Though you won’t get disconnected as much, the lag time is huge!
As an attendee, this plan is suffice to attend webinars. Just don’t expect sessions that offer video streaming to work as well. The host or speaker has to be ready for any unexpected lag times, so those who don’t rely too much on slides, this could work for you.
SKY BROADBAND
So far, we’ve managed to successfully host webinars through this service. But, we subscribed to a plan that has a high download and upstream speed.
Their 1.5 mbps plan would be good for attendees and speakers, having an upload burst speed of 512 kbps. I will recommend them for your webinar sessions. If you could get a static IP address, which is an additional P200.00 then get it. This will make sure your connection is stable.
PLDT DSL
This is a tricky one. Their 999 plan is suffice and has worked well with our sessions. Though they can’t promise the upload speed at this point. They say it’s the same as the download speed, but based on experience, it isn’t as reliable. Getting a static IP address is not recommended since they charge an arm and a leg to get one.
The trick here is to request for the installer to connect your line to the “new lines”. It’s more stable and faster.
The last two would be my recommendation. Just take note that there are different factors to consider to ensure a successful webinar session. Bandwidth is just one of them.
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Expert Speaker Easton Ellsworth is a blogging and new media strategy consultant who advises companies and individuals on how to use blogs and social media more effectively. From 2005 to 2008, Easton worked as an editor for the 
