PLDT, Globe among world’s most valuable telco brands

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April 12, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Six Philippine telco brands made it to this year’s list of the most valuable connectivity providers, lifted by their efforts to bridge the digital gap in a country separated by islands.

London-based consultancy Brand Finance listed Philippine providers Globe Telecom Inc., PLDT Inc., Smart Communications Inc., Converge ICT Solutions Inc., TM Tambayan and TNT as part of the Telecoms 150’s 2026 edition.

Globe climbed two notches to reach 72nd, while PLDT gained five places to rank 83rd, showing the consistency of the long-time rivals in Philippine telco.

Smart jumped 12 levels to land at 114th, as the mobile arm of PLDT expanded its network base to attract more subscribers. Converge, unranked in 2025, placed 138th to overtake Globe affiliate TM at 139th, while TNT went down to 148th.

Deutsche Telekom returned as the most valuable telco globally, growing its worth by 13 percent to $96.24 billion. US-based Verizon and AT&T came second and third with respective valuations of $72.96 billion and $53.89 billion.

Likewise, Globe ranked as the 10th strongest telco brand in 2026 with a score of 86.4 out of 100, climbing from a 2025 placing of 15th.

Brand Finance managing director for Asia and the Pacific Alex Haigh said Philippine telcos led by Globe are showing that they can move around traditional and new networks, from broadband and mobile, to digital services.

Haigh cited Globe’s rise in brand strength as a proof that Philippine telcos are starting to find the right balance between infrastructure buildup and value creation. He said if this momentum goes on, the Philippines could emerge as a leader in Southeast Asia’s digital economy.