Regulation

Philippines regulator fines three mobile operators over broadband quality

Philippines regulator fines three mobile operators over broadband quality

The Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has fined Globe Telecom, Smart Communications and DITO Telecommunity PHP100,000 (US$1,600) each per day until they meet required mobile broadband quality-of-service standards.

The penalties were issued through separate show-cause orders following repeated concerns over poor or unavailable mobile broadband services in affected areas, reported ABS-CBN.

The NTC said it had previously instructed the three operators to improve services in areas with weak or no signal through memoranda issued in May, August and November 2025.

The regulator has also ordered the operators to submit corrective action plans setting out the technical measures they will take, planned infrastructure upgrades and implementation timelines.

The NTC said it will conduct testing every two weeks in affected areas to verify network improvements, while continuing to monitor mobile broadband quality and availability elsewhere.

The companies have indicated they are reviewing the orders. Smart parent PLDT said on September 28 that it had not yet received the show-cause order, while DITO said it was discussing the contents of its order with the NTC. Globe said it was studying the matter and would respond within the specified period.

Globe also pointed to a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) scorecard that rated its overall performance as "Good" in August. The scorecard recorded average speeds of 45.9Mbps, coverage of 45.13% and service consistency of 86.75%.

The penalties come as the Philippines' mobile broadband performance continues to improve. According to Ookla data cited by ABS-CBN, the country's median mobile download speed reached 66.3Mbps in August, with upload speeds of 8.49Mbps and latency of 20 milliseconds.

Metro Manila recorded higher median download speeds of 95.2Mbps, with upload speeds of 10.47Mbps and latency of 15 milliseconds.

The NTC's action highlights the gap that can exist between national or city-level broadband performance and service quality in specific areas. The regulator said its repeated testing will focus on the affected locations to establish whether operators have addressed the identified deficiencies.



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