The total mobile services revenue in the Philippines is set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from $4 billion in 2024 to $5.1 billion in 2029, mainly due to the rising adoption of mobile data services, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
According to Global Data’s Philippines Mobile Broadband Forecast (Q1 2025), while mobile voice service revenues will decline at a CAGR of 9.2% between 2024 and 2029, in line with the drop in mobile voice (average revenue per user) ARPU levels, mobile data service revenue will grow at the fastest CAGR of 7.2% due to rise in the adoption of 5G services.
The average monthly mobile data usage is forecast to increase from 8.7 GB in 2024 to about 17.7 GB in 2029, driven by the growing consumption of high-bandwidth online video services and social media content over smartphones.
Kantipudi Pradeepthi, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, says: “4G will remain the leading mobile technology by subscriptions in the Philippines until 2028. 5G subscriptions will surpass 4G subscriptions and go on to account for 53% share of the total mobile subscriptions in 2029, driven by the network expansion initiatives by the mobile operators.”
For instance, Globe Telecom has been expanding its 5G coverage, which has reached 98.71% of Metro Manila and 97.97% of major cities across the Visayas and Mindanao in Q1-2025. The operator also deployed 487 new towers and upgraded 3,940 of its existing sites to boost network performance in high-traffic areas.
Pradeepthi concludes: “PLDT and Globe Telecom will continue to lead the mobile services market in terms of subscriptions through 2028, given their strong focus on 5G network expansion across the country. Dito Telecommunity will aim to gain market share by expanding its network reach and offering value packaged service plans.”
