Brand Finance’s Telecoms 150 2026 report finds 50% of Filipino telco brands among the world’s 100 strongest
MANILA, 18 March 2026 – The Philippines’ telecoms sector is gaining global prominence, with three of its six featured brands ranking among the top 100 strongest brands globally, according to the Telecoms 150 2026 report by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. Rising adoption of digital services, growing internet usage and the continued expansion of the smartphone market have been key drivers of the sector in the country.
Globe Telecom (brand value up 5% to USD1.4 billion) climbs five spots to become the 10th strongest telecoms brand in the world, recording a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 86.4/100 and an AAA brand strength rating. This achievement can be attributed to the positive reception of its fibre broadband segment, which showed a 35% year-on-year increase in total subscribers. Globe Telecom also climbed up two spots to become the sector’s 72nd most valuable brand this year.
Smart (brand value up 9% to USD467 million) and PLDT (brand value up 14% to USD1 billion) are two additional brands from the Philippines to rank among the top 100 strongest telecoms brands. Smart’s BSI score experienced an increase from 76/100 in 2025 to 80.9/100 this year, driving the brand up 22 spots to become the 31st strongest telecoms brand globally. Meanwhile, PLDT registered a slight increase in its BSI score of 69.2/100, up from 2025’s 68.4/100.
Apart from ranking among the top 100 strongest telecoms brands globally, PLDT recorded double-digit brand value growth, driving it up five positions from 2025 to become the 83rd most valuable brand in the latest rankings. This growth can be attributed to increased revenue from the brand’s data and broadband services, wireless segment, and home fibre business.
With its brand value up 19% to USD299 million this year, Converge’s notable growth is aided by revenue from its residential subscription segment. The brand returns to the sector ranking as the 138th most valuable telecoms brand this year.
Alex Haigh, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Brand Finance, commented:
“Philippine telecom 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, 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”
Other notable Filipino telecom brands featured in the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2026 include:
Telecoms Industry Global Insights
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
