Philippines mobile users still heavy on 3G

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June 2, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — It will be challenging for local telco providers to migrate subscribers to 4G and 5G networks this year, with seven in 10 Filipinos still relying on handsets that connect only to 3G.

Based on a study by network analyst Ookla, the Philippines remains one of the slowest in the world on voice over LTE (VoLTE) migration with a 30.9-percent penetration in 2025.

VoLTE is the next generation of mobile connection after 3G, which will be disconnected by telcos by the end of 2026 as ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

This means that at least 69 percent of Filipinos have yet to connect to VoLTE to date, the gap that telcos have to bridge ahead of the 3G shutdown.

Further, Ookla said telco giants Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. have catching up to do.

Youngest telco Dito Telecommunity Corp. posted the highest VoLTE connections at 41.9 percent among operators. Ookla attributed this to Dito’s requirement to put up a standalone 5G network to be able to enter the telco industry.

However, Smart’s VoLTE rate reached only 31.7 percent, while Globe plunged to the lowest with 27.4 percent, exposing the hardship of telcos managing legacy assets.

“In contrast, Smart and Globe manage massive subscriber bases that still include users with older devices,” Ookla said.

“While both operators process nearly all of their active 4G voice traffic through a mature VoLTE architecture, migrating the remaining legacy 3G devices ahead of the 2026 NTC deadline would depend on regulatory support, since consumers’ device upgrades are constrained by affordability and cannot be driven by operators alone,” it added.

Ookla also said the Philippines trails its Southeast Asian peers on VoLTE penetration. Malaysia recorded a VoLTE rate of 96.1 percent, followed by Singapore’s 94.9 percent and Thailand’s 65.2 percent.

Globally, the average VoLTE connection is at 57.7 percent. Ookla said the Philippines has taken a longer time than other countries on VoLTE deployment, with Smart rolling out nationally only in 2020, and Globe doing the same the year after.

Citing estimates from GSMA Intelligence, VoLTE connections in the Philippines will rise to 43.2 percent this year, 53.7 percent in 2027 and 61.6 percent in 2028.

Ookla assessed the country’s VoLTE capabilities in February by using the latest Samsung handset, testing VoLTE connections across 1,200 kilometers in Metro Manila.