Operators

PLDT and DITO sign infrastructure-sharing agreement

PLDT and DITO sign infrastructure-sharing agreement

Philippines operators PLDT and DITO have signed what is described as a landmark infrastructure-sharing agreement. The terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) indicate that the two companies intend to share various forms of infrastructure and capacity instead of paying one another fees.

More specifically, under the reciprocal macro site access arrangement, which also covers PLDT’s wireless arm, Smart Communications, the parties will grant one another reciprocal rights to use eligible tower sites. The MoU also covers in-building solution (IBS) colocation, enabling the parties to share telecommunications infrastructure within commercial buildings and other indoor locations. In addition it covers submarine cable capacity through Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) arrangements (IRU is a permanent, irrevocable contractual agreement in the telecommunications sector), allowing both companies to optimise the use of existing international connectivity assets.

By maximising existing infrastructure, the companies explain, the partnership will expand network coverage, enhance service reliability, and deliver a better connectivity experience for customers across the country. Rather than building separate infrastructure in the same locations, PLDT, Smart and DITO will maximise the use of existing macro sites and in-building facilities, reducing unnecessary duplication of network investments.

This, the companies say, will enable them to deploy capital more efficiently, accelerate network expansion, and deliver broader coverage and more reliable connectivity for Filipino consumers, while supporting a more resilient and future-ready telecommunications ecosystem.

This is undoubtedly a significant agreement. However, a number of local news outlets point out that the partnership also reflects mounting pressure to rein in network costs as fierce competition and low average revenue per user make next-generation infrastructure increasingly expensive to build.

In fact the arrangement comes as operators are both investing in 5G networks and preparing for more compute-intensive artificial intelligence services, raising the cost of expanding digital infrastructure.

Up-to-date subscriber figures are hard to come by. However, figures from late 2025 suggest that the PLDT group serves some 59 million mobile subscribers, 3.7 million fixed-line subscribers, and a fixed and fixed-wireless broadband base of 4.1 million. News service Insider PH suggests that by the end of September 2025 Dito had 15.2 million mobile customers and 0.319 million fixed wireless access users.

Globe Telecom, with an estimated 63.1 million subscribers by November last year, is the other major player in the market.



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