Globe expands 5G, PLDT-DITO network-sharing deal signals end of price war

Globe Telecom added 408 new 5G sites in the first quarter of 2026, lifting its outdoor 5G coverage to more than 98 percent across Metro Manila and key cities in the Visayas and Mindanao, the company announced over the weekend. The expansion comes as mobile data consumption continues to climb: Globe's mobile business generated P30 billion in revenues in Q1, up 6 percent year on year, with data now accounting for 89 percent of total mobile service revenues, up from 85 percent a year earlier. Average monthly data consumption per subscriber reached roughly 16 gigabytes, and the company's subscriber base expanded to about 67 million. Globe also said it plans to deepen its fiber footprint and differentiate through digital technologies, including its recently launched direct-to-mobile satellite service with Starlink, aimed at reaching the remaining 4 percent of Filipinos beyond terrestrial network coverage.

Meanwhile, the broader industry narrative is shifting from competition to cooperation. A landmark network-sharing deal between PLDT, Smart, and DITO Telecommunity — announced in July 2026 — will see the three operators share towers, indoor network facilities, and submarine cable capacity. A tweet about the deal garnered 5,241 views and 24 likes, with the post describing it as "PH telcos put rivalry aside." A Japanese-language tweet from March 2026 noted that PLDT had signaled that intense price competition had passed its peak, suggesting the industry is moving toward stabilization after DITO's aggressive entry.

Consumer sentiment around DITO remains a mixed picture. On one hand, a detailed Reddit post from September 2023 warning about speed throttling on DITO Home 5G plans — where speeds drop to 10 Mbps after 500GB to 1TB of data usage — continues to resonate, having garnered 45 upvotes and 191 comments. Similar complaints about intermittent connectivity and poor call reliability have persisted into 2026. On the other hand, positive reviews have emerged: a July 2026 Reddit user stated "DITO Home WiFi is worth it," citing great speed and no buffering, earning 10 upvotes and 35 comments. DITO has also launched aggressive brand-building initiatives, including a partnership with esports team Team Liquid Philippines. A Facebook post declaring "DITO Telecommunity isn't just a partner. They're part of the story" received 220 likes and 46 comments, with 152 "love" reactions on another variant.

However, DITO's political baggage persists. A July 12, 2026 Facebook post labeled DITO as "led by Duterte crony Dennis Uy," accumulating 33 likes and 10 comments, showing that the company's origin story continues to color public perception. Investor skepticism also lingers: a 2023 Reddit thread asking "Why is $DITO stock still down?" received 18 upvotes and 40 comments, with speculation about leadership and balance sheet problems. ANC news reported in 2025 that DITO needs to spend up to P15 billion to hit 2028 profitability.

In other industry developments, Smart Communications obtained GSMA Open Gateway certification for its SmartSafe RoamStatus API, which enables businesses to detect whether a mobile phone is roaming abroad, aiding fraud detection. Globe's chief information security officer, Garrett Silao, emphasized that anti-scam efforts must be continuous, as scammers constantly adapt to new controls. Converge ICT Solutions shares fell 7.1% week on week amid concerns over possible exclusion from the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi), with analysts attributing the decline to index-exclusion risk rather than company-specific issues.

Key themes

1. Globe's 5G expansion and fiber deepening — Globe added 408 new 5G sites in Q1 2026, pushing outdoor coverage to over 98% in Metro Manila and key cities. The company also plans to deepen its fiber footprint and leverage digital technologies for hyperpersonalization. Mobile data revenue rose 6% year on year, driven by video streaming, social media, gaming, and digital payments.
2. PLDT-DITO network-sharing deal signals industry cooperation — The landmark deal between PLDT, Smart, and DITO to share towers, indoor facilities, and submarine cable capacity marks a shift from price competition to infrastructure collaboration. A Japanese-language tweet noted that PLDT indicated price competition had peaked.
3. DITO's mixed consumer sentiment: throttling complaints vs. positive reviews — A 2023 Reddit warning about speed throttling after 500GB-1TB usage continues to influence perceptions, but positive testimonials have emerged in 2026, with some users praising DITO's speed and consistency.
4. DITO's esports partnership generates positive engagement — The Team Liquid Philippines sponsorship has produced emotionally resonant content on Facebook and Twitter, with posts receiving hundreds of reactions and shares, signaling a successful brand-building effort targeting younger demographics.
5. Political stigma and investor skepticism persist for DITO — The "Duterte crony" label continues to surface in social media posts, and investor discussions on Reddit question DITO's financial sustainability and stock performance.
6. Smart's GSMA certification for roaming API — Smart's SmartSafe RoamStatus API, certified by the GSMA Open Gateway, helps enterprises detect roaming status for fraud prevention, expanding the company's suite of network APIs.
7. Continuous fight against scammers — Globe's CISO highlighted that scammers constantly adapt, requiring ongoing innovation and collaboration across the industry.
8. Converge shares fall on PSEi exclusion risk — Converge ICT shares dropped 7.1% week on week, underperforming the broader market, as analysts cited index-exclusion risk rather than company-specific fundamentals.

How the narratives stack

Dominant — Within the captured set, the dominant narrative is Globe's network expansion and the broader industry shift toward infrastructure cooperation. Globe's 5G rollout and fiber deepening plans received coverage across multiple outlets (Inquirer, Manila Standard, BusinessWorld), with a combined advertising-equivalent value of over P485,000. The PLDT-DITO network-sharing deal also drew significant attention on social media, with a tweet garnering over 5,200 views. This narrative positions the industry as maturing from price wars to collaborative network buildout.

Counter-narrative — DITO's consumer reliability issues, particularly speed throttling, remain a persistent counter-narrative. Despite positive marketing and the network-sharing deal, Reddit discussions continue to highlight throttling after data thresholds, with one post accumulating 191 comments. This narrative challenges DITO's value proposition and provides an opening for incumbents to emphasize their own reliability.

Emerging — DITO's esports partnership with Team Liquid is an emerging narrative that could reshape brand perception among younger demographics. The high engagement on Facebook (220 likes, 152 love reactions) suggests that lifestyle and gaming affiliations can offset technical grievances. If sustained, this could become a significant brand differentiator.

Suppressed — The political stigma around DITO's origins — the "Duterte crony" label — is a suppressed narrative in mainstream media but surfaces regularly on social media. It is not a dominant theme in the captured news articles, but it remains a latent reputational risk that could resurface during regulatory reviews or franchise renewal debates.

Platform insights

• Reddit — Reddit remains the primary platform for detailed technical discussions and peer-to-peer advice. The r/InternetPH and r/DitoPH subreddits host high-engagement threads on speed throttling, data caps, and provider comparisons. Posts often receive dozens of upvotes and hundreds of comments, making Reddit a critical source of organic user sentiment. The platform's threaded format allows for nuanced discussions, including workarounds like using UPS battery backups to avoid modem auto-reboot.
• Facebook — Facebook serves as a battleground for brand messaging and political framing. DITO's official posts and reseller ads promote home WiFi plans with feature lists and promos, while independent commentary often carries political criticism, such as the "Duterte crony" label. The Team Liquid sponsorship generated high emotional engagement, with love reactions outnumbering likes on some posts. However, the presence of "angry" reactions on the same posts hints at lingering resentment.
• Twitter — Twitter sees shorter, news-driven bursts. Key moments include the PLDT price-war tweet (65 views, 1 like) and the network-sharing deal tweet (5,241 views, 24 likes). Twitter is also used for promotional campaigns like the "WOWFi starter kit" announcement, which reached 8,700 views. Engagement on Twitter is relatively low compared to Reddit and Facebook, but the platform's real-time nature amplifies official announcements.

Key voices and communities

1. Reddit power users and DITO subscribers — Active on r/InternetPH and r/DitoPH, these users share detailed technical experiences, warnings about throttling, and comparative reviews. Their posts often garner dozens of upvotes and hundreds of comments, directly shaping newcomer perceptions and switching decisions. They are the most organic and trusted source of user sentiment.
2. Esports and gaming community — Fans of Team Liquid Philippines, amplified by DITO's sponsorship, generate high emotional engagement on Facebook and Twitter. Posts celebrating championships and behind-the-scenes content receive hundreds of reactions, with love reactions often outnumbering likes. This group is younger, digital-native, and responsive to authentic brand integration.
3. Market analysts and investors — A smaller but targeted group on Reddit and Twitter that monitors DITO's financial health, stock performance, and business strategy. Discussions focus on debt load, profitability targets, and the implications of network-sharing deals. Their sentiment affects DITO's ability to raise capital.
4. Independent sales agents and resellers — A network of Facebook users and small-time distributors aggressively promoting DITO Home WOWFi and postpaid plans. Their content is repetitive, emphasizing unlimited 5G and promos, and often includes personal contact numbers. While their reach per post is limited, collectively they create a constant grassroots sales presence.

Narrative streams

Globe's 5G expansion and fiber deepening

Globe Telecom's announcement that it added 408 new 5G sites in the first quarter of 2026, lifting outdoor coverage to over 98% in Metro Manila and key cities, was covered by multiple outlets including Inquirer, Manila Standard, and BusinessWorld. The company's mobile business generated P30 billion in revenues in Q1, up 6% year on year, with data accounting for 89% of total mobile service revenues. Globe chief commercial officer Darius Delgado said the company's priority is to "execute on our plans well" and "deliver better customer experience through our digital platforms." The expansion comes as Globe also launched a direct-to-mobile satellite service with Starlink, targeting the remaining 4% of Filipinos beyond terrestrial network coverage. For the sector, this signals that incumbents are investing heavily in network quality to meet growing data demand, potentially widening the gap with challenger DITO.

PLDT-DITO network-sharing deal: from competition to cooperation

The landmark network-sharing deal between PLDT, Smart, and DITO — announced in July 2026 — represents a major shift in the Philippine telecom landscape. The deal covers sharing of towers, indoor network facilities, and submarine cable capacity. A Japanese-language tweet from March 2026 noted that PLDT indicated "intense price competition had passed its peak," suggesting that DITO's aggressive entry has forced the industry to stabilize. For incumbents, this deal reduces operational costs and accelerates network upgrades, but it also requires careful messaging to avoid the perception that PLDT is propping up a politically-connected competitor. The deal's positive framing (reducing costs, ramping up upgrades) is evident in the high view count but low comment volume on social media, suggesting limited public debate so far.

DITO's consumer sentiment: throttling complaints persist

Despite positive marketing, DITO's consumer reliability issues remain a live concern. A September 2023 Reddit post warning about speed throttling on DITO Home 5G plans — where speeds drop to 10 Mbps after 500GB-1TB usage — continues to be referenced, having garnered 45 upvotes and 191 comments. Similar complaints about intermittent connectivity and poor call reliability have persisted into 2026. However, positive reviews have also emerged: a July 2026 Reddit user stated "DITO Home WiFi is worth it," citing great speed and no buffering, earning 10 upvotes and 35 comments. This split in user satisfaction creates both a threat and opportunity for incumbent operators. For PLDT and Smart, this is a chance to position themselves as the reliable, no-throttling alternative.

DITO's esports partnership: building brand loyalty

DITO's partnership with Team Liquid Philippines, announced in mid-2026, has generated significant positive engagement on social media. A Facebook post declaring "DITO Telecommunity isn't just a partner. They're part of the story" received 220 likes and 46 comments, with 152 "love" reactions on another variant. The partnership includes the "Gamezone" promo running through December 2026. This esports angle resonates with younger demographics who prioritize low-latency connectivity and unlimited data. For incumbents like PLDT and Smart, which already have their own gaming initiatives, this signals a need to monitor whether their own sponsorship engagements are generating comparable sentiment.

Political stigma and investor skepticism

DITO's association with Dennis Uy, a known Duterte crony, continues to color public perception. A July 12, 2026 Facebook post explicitly called DITO "led by Duterte crony Dennis Uy," accumulating 33 likes and 10 comments. This political framing could resurface during franchise renewal debates or regulatory reviews. Investor skepticism also persists: a 2023 Reddit thread asking "Why is $DITO stock still down?" received 18 upvotes and 40 comments, with speculation about leadership and balance sheet problems. ANC news reported in 2025 that DITO needs to spend up to P15 billion to hit 2028 profitability. For DITO, addressing these concerns transparently in earnings calls and regulatory disclosures is critical.

Smart's GSMA certification for roaming API

Smart Communications obtained GSMA Open Gateway certification for its SmartSafe RoamStatus API, which enables businesses to determine whether a mobile phone is roaming abroad, aiding fraud detection during online transactions. This follows Smart's earlier certification for its Number Verification API, which supported the launch of SmartSafe SilentAccess in November 2025. For the sector, this highlights the growing importance of network-based authentication as banks and e-wallets shift away from text-based one-time passwords (OTPs) following BSP Circular 1213.

Converge shares fall on PSEi exclusion risk

Converge ICT Solutions shares fell 7.1% week on week to P9.20, underperforming both the services sector and the PSEi. Analysts attributed the decline to index-exclusion risk rather than company-specific fundamentals. Year to date, the stock has declined 39.9% from its December 31, 2025 closing price. This development highlights the volatility in the telecom sector and the impact of market perception on stock performance.

Conversation trajectory

• Shift from duopoly-challenger to infrastructure-cooperation narrative: Early posts positioned DITO as the "duopoly breaker," but the network-sharing deal and PLDT's signal that price competition has peaked indicate a pivot toward cooperative infrastructure buildout. Expect this shift to solidify within the next 6–12 months as shared network assets come online. For incumbents, this is an opportunity to reframe messaging from competitive price wars to collaborative network quality improvements.
• Growing user-driven performance comparison threads: Reddit discussions increasingly feature direct head-to-head comparisons between DITO, Globe, and PLDT, with threads generating 50–200+ comments. Within 3–6 months, this trend will likely intensify as more households share real-world speed tests and outage reports, creating both reputational risk for incumbents and an opportunity for DITO to highlight positive testimonials.
• Emergence of sponsored content and esports partnerships: DITO's Team Liquid sponsorship is generating high engagement, and the company is likely to increase branded content volume 2–3x within 6–9 months, particularly on Facebook and Twitter. For incumbents, this signals a need to evaluate their own sponsorship engagements to ensure comparable sentiment.
• Persistent negative feedback on speed throttling: Despite positive marketing, throttling complaints will likely resurge as more users hit data thresholds under new "Unlimited 5G" promos that include fair-use clauses. This is a medium-term risk (6–12 months) for DITO's reputation and an early-warning opportunity for competitors to position their data policies as more transparent.

Trigger events: Full implementation of the PLDT-DITO network-sharing deal (expected within 12–18 months from mid-2026); post-promo sentiment spike after the Wimbledon 2026 FLEXPlan promo ends October 14, 2026; DITO's 2028 profitability target may trigger investor-focused discussions.

Response guidance

• For PLDT and Smart: Capitalize on DITO's speed-throttling complaints by launching a targeted campaign highlighting consistent, unthrottled data experience. Use third-party speed test comparisons and testimonials. Leverage the network-sharing deal to communicate cost savings and network improvements, but avoid the perception of propping up a politically-connected competitor.
• For Globe: Continue to emphasize 5G coverage expansion and fiber deepening. The satellite service with Starlink can be positioned as a solution for underserved areas. Monitor DITO's esports partnership and consider similar brand activations in gaming communities, ensuring messaging addresses reliability concerns.
• For DITO: Engage the Reddit power user community by providing official clarifications on speed management policies and acknowledging legitimate concerns. Standardize reseller scripts to include honest caveats about signal dependency and throttling conditions. Continue the esports partnership to build brand loyalty among younger demographics.
• Sensitive topics: Avoid explicitly calling out DITO's throttling as a flaw; instead, frame incumbents' policies as transparent and consumer-friendly. Steer clear of political commentary regarding DITO's "Duterte crony" label; focus on service quality and apolitical reputation.