The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ran joint quality-of-service tests this Thursday alongside the country’s three major mobile providers across Quezon City, Manila, and Pasay City, to measure real-world voice and mobile broadband performance following widespread user reports of poor connectivity.
Led by NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca B. Lopez and Deputy Commissioner Andres Castelar Jr., the assessment included representatives from Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, and DITO Telecommunity. The testing aims to verify the actual service quality subscribers encounter in complaint-prone areas and recheck whether performance has improved since the NTC issued show-cause orders against the operators, with transparency as a core goal. A separate, dedicated revalidation will be scheduled within two weeks after the companies formally receive those orders.
The NTC is investigating common issues such as weak signals, dropped calls, slow data speeds, and unstable connections. Under Memorandum Circular No. 001-01-2026, providers must meet clear standards: average download speeds of at least 50 Mbps and upload of 10 Mbps, with cell-edge rates no lower than 10 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload. Coverage must reach over 95 percent of the population at reliable signal strength, and total network downtime must stay within 1 percent. Voice services must deliver high connection success, dropped-call rates under 2 percent, clear audio quality, and at least 99 percent SMS delivery success.
These checks fall under the NTC’s authority granted by the Public Service Act, empowering the agency to enforce compliance and ensure subscribers receive the consistent service they pay for. For consumers, this means greater accountability and a push toward the dependable connectivity essential for work, education, and daily transactions. For telcos, meeting these standards is key to avoiding penalties, rebuilding public confidence, and retaining subscribers. For the wider industry, consistent enforcement creates a fair playing field and lifts service expectations nationwide. Full findings and next steps will be announced once the revalidation process concludes.
