Globe Telecom has signed a strategic partnership with KDDI Corporation of Japan, and the first thing the two companies plan to work on is something many telcos have spent a decade shrinking: the physical store.
The deal was announced on July 27. Globe said it will explore how KDDI's approach to mobile services and retail can be applied to its own network of roughly 67 million mobile customers in the Philippines, according to InsiderPH's report on the partnership. No investment figure and no store-count target were disclosed.
What the two companies actually agreed to
The agreement is exploratory rather than a finished product launch. Two work streams were named:
- Retail. Globe and KDDI will jointly plan how to expand and redesign Globe's store footprint, aiming for outlets that pair digital self-service with staff who can help in person.
- Recurring digital revenue. Globe wants to study KDDI's model of bundling telecom service with financial, entertainment and lifestyle products, and see how it fits Filipino customers.
The initial work starts now, with the broader ambitions pointed at 2027 and beyond, Developing Telecoms reported.
Globe president and chief executive Carl Cruz framed it as a two-way exchange. "This strategic partnership with KDDI gives us the opportunity to learn from one of the world's most advanced telco and digital ecosystems, while bringing Globe's deep understanding of the Filipino customer to the table," he said.
Why reopening stores is a reversal
This is a notable turn. About two years ago Globe rationalised parts of its retail network as customers moved to apps and online top-ups, as The Fast Mode noted in its coverage. Closing stores was the industry-wide instinct: if a SIM can be activated in an app, why pay rent in a mall?
The answer Globe now appears to be testing is that some transactions still stall without a person. Porting a number, sorting out a billing dispute, setting up an older relative's first smartphone, or explaining a bundled subscription are all things Filipino customers routinely still walk into a store to do. KDDI is a useful teacher here precisely because its Japanese business treats the shop as a service counter for a wide product range — not just a place to sell handsets.
What Globe customers might see from this
Nothing changes this week. There is no new plan, no new price, and no announced store opening. What the deal signals is direction, and it fits a pattern Globe has been building for a while: the company has spent the past year attaching non-telecom products to its subscription base, from cloud storage starting at ₱39 to an AI app bundle from ₱49. A KDDI-style recurring model is the logical next step of that strategy rather than a departure from it.
The caution worth holding is that this is a memorandum of intent, not a rollout plan. "Explore" is doing a lot of work in the announcement, and as of publication neither company has committed to a number of remodelled stores, a budget, or a date. Filipino customers should read it as an early signal of where Globe wants to take its retail experience, not as a service they can use.
One detail does have practical weight: 67 million mobile customers is a very large base to redesign a store experience around. Even a modest change in how Globe stores handle walk-ins would touch a meaningful share of Philippine mobile users — which is exactly why the absence of specifics is the most important thing missing from this announcement.
