Heading to the Philippines? Here’s the best mobile network for you
Having visited the Philippines extensively now, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what is the best options for mobile or cell network connectivity in the archipelago. Here’s my recommendations depending on your visit type.
I’m spending several weeks in the Philippines
Unsurprisingly, your best option is going to be getting a local SIM or eSIM. The Philippines is home to two major networks along with a third ‘upstart’:
Globe – owned primarily by Ayala Group (owner of swathes of the Philippine economy including popular malls and Singtel (Singapore Telecom).
Smart – owned by PLDT, the Philippine equivalent of legacy telcoms companies like AT&T or BT.
Dito Telecommunity – 60% owned by a Philippine businessman and 40% owned by China Telecom.
As the newest network and effectively an ‘upstart’, Dito has the worst coverage and cheapest prices. I would discount this option immediately because you will be disappointed by their offering.
On balance, I’ve found that Smart offers wider coverage through metro and rural areas as well as slightly cheaper prices compared to Globe. Smart offers 5G throughout Metro Manila and I found services to be reliable across the country – although ‘notspots’ i.e. areas with no connection can be common if you are island hopping.
Both Globe and Smart offer the option to use an eSIM with compatible devices. Having used both, Globe has the edge in terms of installation process because you are able to submit and register ID digital through their mobile app. Unlike the UK, you must register the SIM with your passport to be eligible – with it deactivating after a certain period of time for non-Philippine nationals.
Physical eSIMs can be purchased on arrival at Manila and Cebu International Airports where ‘special’ tourist options are available. They will do all the SIM mandatory ID registration on your behalf.
I'm travelling to several countries in South East Asia
Strangely, my best option for travel across South East Asia is a prepaid eSIM card from Three Hong Kong that can be purchased here. While prices are not as lucrative as buying a local SIM for every country you visit, Three Hong Kong’s roaming packages are particularly excellent value.
Three Hong Kong’s APAC pass with 500mb of data for 24 hours costs HKD 12 – or GBP 1.20. That’s excellent value and can be used in places including the Philippines, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and of course Hong Kong. I recommend this option so much that when roaming outside of the UK, EU or Philippines, I opt to use Three HK as my roaming cell network.
As with the Philippines, you do need to register your passport and your data will be routed through Hong Kong – so you will sometimes get results on Google for places in HK. It’s been exceptionally reliable in my experience.
I want the easiest option
Prior to discovering the Three Hong Kong prepaid eSIM, Airalo was generally my go-to roaming eSIM provider. I still think it can be a solid option but I’ve soured on it recently.
Firstly, most countries have these odd branded ‘mobile networks’ which don’t exist outside the Airalo app – think Uki Mobile for the UK or Mabuhay Mobile for the Philippines. The network experience isn’t always great, often because they are using providers that may not offer the best experiences such as 5G connectivity (I believe most of their SIMs in Europe are provided by Play Poland and in Asia by Singtel).
The prices are also expensive – such as $10 for 3GB of data on their UK sim. With so many local network providers offering easy eSIMs on arrival in country, the only selling point now for Airalo is convenience of having the app there and ready to use.
In some countries, Airalo still uses ‘proper’ networks – notably excellent value Dtac eSIMs for Thailand at $9.90 for 50GB or LG U+ in South Korea with unlimited data at $32. However, these are few and far between – and make it hard to whole heartedly recommend the app. If you do want to use Airalo, despite these critiques, then do go ahead and use my referral link where we both get $3 for free.
