The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has started fining Globe, Smart and DITO ₱100,000 each per day after its September retests showed that mobile internet quality in several Metro Manila cities has not improved. The daily penalty took effect on September 25, 2026 and will keep accumulating until each operator fixes the service problems in the specific areas where it was flagged, according to the regulator's show-cause orders reported by ASTIG.ph.
This is an unusual move: the NTC penalized all three mobile network operators at the same time, rather than singling one out.
Where each network failed the NTC's retests
The fines follow the NTC's September 2026 mobile speed test revalidation, which rechecked areas that had already been flagged for poor mobile broadband earlier in the year. The September results "confirmed that previously recorded poor mobile broadband signals remain substantially unchanged, despite the opportunity afforded mobile network operators to undertake urgent corrective measures," the commission said, as quoted by The Filipino Times.
The areas that failed, per operator:
- Globe — Manila, Makati and Quezon City
- Smart — Parañaque, Manila and Pasig
- DITO — San Juan, Pasay and Las Piñas
The legal basis for the daily fine
The NTC imposed the penalty under Section 17(a) of Commonwealth Act No. 146, the Public Service Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 11659. The 2022 amendment strengthened regulators' powers over public services, including the authority to impose administrative fines on providers that fail to meet service standards. The show-cause orders also require the three operators to explain why further sanctions should not be imposed.
Retesting every two weeks until service improves
The commission said it will retest the same flagged spots every two weeks to check whether the operators have actually implemented network improvements. Only a passing result stops the daily fine. The NTC also said it will continue monitoring mobile broadband performance in other parts of the National Capital Region, so the list of flagged areas could still grow.
What the fine actually costs the telcos
At ₱100,000 per day, each operator faces about ₱3 million a month for as long as its flagged areas stay below standard. That amount is small compared with what the industry spends on networks — regulators expect Philippine telco capital spending to reach record levels this year, as covered in DICT's 2026 telco spending projection. The real pressure is regulatory and reputational: a running, public, per-day penalty is a standing record that a carrier's service in named cities remains below standard, and it signals that the NTC is now willing to use the enforcement teeth it gained under the amended Public Service Act.
What this means for Metro Manila subscribers
If you are on Globe, Smart or DITO in one of the named cities, the order is official confirmation of what your speed tests have likely been telling you: service there has not improved despite earlier commitments from the carriers. The fines are paid to the government, not to subscribers — there is no rebate or automatic compensation attached to the order. What subscribers get instead is a schedule: retests every two weeks, with the daily fine continuing until the networks pass. If the biweekly revalidations start showing passing results, that will be the first measurable sign that the penalty worked. Until then, affected users can document poor service and file complaints with the NTC, which now has an active proceeding against all three operators to attach them to.
