Globe Telecom leads Philippine brands in global study

Globe Telecom has been ranked the 10th strongest telecoms brand in the world, as several Philippine operators placed among the top performers in Brand Finance's latest global telecoms study.

The Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2026 report found that three of the six Filipino telecom brands included in its sector ranking sit among the world's 100 strongest brands. The results place the Philippines alongside markets where brand metrics are increasingly used to gauge competitive position in mobile and broadband.

Globe's brand value rose 5% to USD $1.4 billion. Its Brand Strength Index score reached 86.4 out of 100, earning an AAA brand strength rating. Globe also climbed two places to 72nd in the sector's list of most valuable telecoms brands.

Brand Finance linked Globe's performance to customer response across its mobile and fibre broadband services. Its fibre broadband segment posted a 35% year-on-year increase in total subscribers, based on data cited in the report.

Risers and returners

Smart and PLDT also ranked among the world's 100 strongest telecoms brands. Smart's brand value increased 9% to USD $467 million, while its Brand Strength Index score rose to 80.9 out of 100 from 76.0 in 2025. The improvement moved Smart up 22 positions to 31st globally for brand strength.

PLDT's brand value increased 14% to USD $1.0 billion. Its Brand Strength Index score edged up to 69.2 out of 100 from 68.4 a year earlier. In the report's brand value table, PLDT rose five places to 83rd.

Brand Finance attributed PLDT's brand value growth to revenue across data and broadband services, its wireless segment, and its home fibre business. It also framed these gains as part of a broader trend in the Philippines, where demand for digital services and internet access has been rising alongside an expanding smartphone market.

Converge returned to the sector ranking this year, placing 138th among the most valuable telecoms brands. Its brand value climbed 19% to USD $299 million, which Brand Finance linked to revenue from Converge's residential subscription segment.

Two other Filipino brands also appeared in the global list: TM Tambayan ranked 139th, while TNT ranked 148th.

Global context

Across the industry, the total value of the world's top 150 telecoms brands reached USD $741.8 billion in 2026, according to the report. Deutsche Telekom again ranked as the most valuable telecoms brand globally and placed 11th among the world's 500 most valuable brands in Brand Finance's wider rankings.

Viettel Group was named the strongest telecoms brand in the study. Proximus, Turkcell, Elisa and Globe also featured in the top 10, highlighting a mix of European and Asian brands among the highest-scoring names on brand strength metrics.

The study distinguishes between brand value and brand strength. Brand value refers to the net economic benefit a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market. Brand strength measures performance on intangible factors relative to competitors, based on the Brand Strength Index score.

Brand Finance conducts thousands of brand valuations each year and publishes rankings across sectors and countries. Its telecoms report is part of this wider programme of brand analysis and market research.

Alex Haigh, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Brand Finance, said the results reflect changes underway in the Philippines' telecoms market.

"Philippines' telecoms brands are proving that the country's digital momentum is being driven not just by network expansion, but by their ability to innovate around fibre, mobile data, and customer‐centric digital services. The brand strength and brand value gains made by Globe Telecom, Smart, PLDT, and Converge signal a sector that is shifting from infrastructure investment to value creation, strengthening the Philippines' position as an emerging leader in Southeast Asia's digital economy," Haigh said.

The next cycle of results is expected to show whether recent brand strength gains translate into further movement in the global brand value table for the Philippines' leading operators.