Here's an interesting article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer (taken from its website) that I would like to share with all of you:

Filipinos spending more time online

Updated 21:40:08 (Mla time) 2004-08-04

By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net

FILIPINOS are spending more time online these days as more content, such as online games, are becoming readily available.

Netopia president Raymond Ricafort said patrons of its Internet café spend an average of 44 minutes online nowadays compared to an average of 21 minutes two years ago.

More than 50 percent of Netopia’s revenues come from Internet access, while 20 percent comes from online gaming.

Netopia has 100 Internet cafe branches in the Philippines.

“Over the last few years, there have been more content available online,” said Scott Countryman, president and chief executive officer of local game publisher Mobius Online Games.

Countryman believes the growing popularity of online games in the Philippines has increased Internet usage in the country.

Taking its cue from the experience of South Korea, the executive said content drives Internet usage.

South Korea is the most wired country in the world due to the booming online gaming community, added Countryman.

"At the same time, online gaming increases the information technology IQ of people," he added.

According to Countryman, there are close to 6,000 "documented" local Internet cafes, 1.8 million Filipino Friendster (an online networking website) accounts, and 6 to 7 million Internet users in the Philippines.

On the other end, Countryman said there are about 100,000 Filipinos worldwide playing the online game MUOnline, a three-dimensional, multiplayer game.

Gil Edeza, Level-UP chief technology officer for global operations, added that there are about 250,000 "active" players of another online game called Ragnarok in the Philippines.

In 2003, the National Telecommunications Commission said Internet subscribers have reached 1,852,333, which translates to a 131-percent growth compared to 2002.

There were about 800,000 Internet users in 2002, the agency said.

The agency did not note the factors behind the increase but said the number of digital subscriber line (DSL) service subscribers have hit 16,165 as of the third quarter of 2003, with the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. controlling 80 percent of the local market.

DSL is a broadband technology that offers Internet speeds of 128 megabits per second (Mbps) up to 2Mbps.

The NTC also noted that the increase in the Internet subscribers was quite "significant" compared to the previous years since 2000.