Nearly one in five mobile broadband tests in Metro Manila failed to meet the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) 50 Mbps minimum speed standard, exposing persistent network gaps despite peak download speeds exceeding 400 Mbps.
Of 142 test campaigns conducted with Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, and DITO Telecommunity, 113 met or exceeded the prescribed threshold, while 29, or 20.4 percent, delivered unsatisfactory results, the NTC said on October 14.
The findings highlight uneven connectivity across the capital, where network performance varied sharply by location and operator.
DITO recorded the highest download speed at 422 Mbps in Quezon City but also registered zero measurable download speed outside Farmers Market in Cubao.
Globe’s lowest recorded speed was 11.10 Mbps in Pasig City, while Smart posted 6.32 Mbps along a test route covering Mandaluyong and Taguig.
Text messaging and voice calls also showed performance gaps. Only Globe met the NTC’s prescribed SMS success rate of above 99 percent, recording 99.41 percent. DITO posted 98.82 percent, while Smart registered 92.94 percent.
For dropped calls, DITO breached the regulatory ceiling of below 2 percent, recording a call drop ratio of 2.82 percent. Globe posted 0.74 percent, while Smart recorded zero dropped calls during the tests.
NTC Deputy Commissioner Andres Castelar expressed serious concern over the 29 unsatisfactory results and called for immediate corrective action from the telecommunications operators.
The regulator said testing would continue across Metro Manila, warning that further show-cause orders could be issued if additional service deficiencies emerged.
The results put renewed focus on network reliability, with the NTC’s findings suggesting that high peak speeds alone do not guarantee consistent mobile service. For consumers, the challenge remains getting dependable connectivity across different locations, not just strong performance in selected test areas.
