MANILA - President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has warned telecommunications companies anew to improve internet services in the country or face competition from foreign players.

In a press briefing late Thursday, Duterte said he is "not satisfied" with the connectivity services in the country.

"I am quite not satisfied because of the connectivity problem. If you cannot improve on the services, that’s what I said, I would really agree to the coming in of foreign players, also with energy," he said when asked about the mega deal between Globe Telecom and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

Globe and PLDT said they would jointly roll out San Miguel's assets after each acquired a 50-percent stake in the business worth P70 billion.

READ: PLDT, Globe to acquire San Miguel's telecom business

He said that according to engineers he talked to, the purchase of the assets will improve connectivity.

The country's internet speed is the second slowest in Asia, next only to Afghanistan. Internet services in the Philippines is also among the most expensive.

A 2015 Ookla Speedtest showed that consumer download speeds in the Philippines ranked 176th out of 202 countries. The cost per megabit per second in the Philippines is also one of the most expensive with an average value of $18.18, versus the global average of $5.21.

READ: Duterte tells telco firms to shape up