VoIP and international calls to the Philippines terminate mainly on Smart and Globe, with DITO as the third mobile network, through carriers that operate international gateway facilities. Termination prices are negotiated commercially rather than fixed by the regulator, and buyers usually ask for separate Smart, Globe and DITO breakouts with CLI.
Rules last checked: October 2026.
Regulator and operators
The regulator is the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), working under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The main law is the Public Telecommunications Policy Act (Republic Act 7925). The mobile market has three networks:
| Operator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Smart | Mobile arm of the PLDT group, which also runs the largest fixed network |
| Globe | The other long established mobile operator |
| DITO | The third network, launched in 2021 |
Mobile numbers start with 9 after the country code 63. Mobile accounts for most of the traffic wholesale buyers send, while fixed lines matter for businesses. The Philippines has mobile number portability, so a prefix does not always show the current network; see mobile number portability and call routing.
How international calls are carried
International voice reaches the Philippine networks through carriers that hold international gateway facility (IGF) authorisation, chiefly the large telecom groups. Termination rates are agreed commercially between those carriers and their foreign partners. In 2003, when Philippine carriers raised their rates, a dispute with US carriers led to payments being suspended for a time, so prices can move when the large groups renegotiate.
For buyers this means:
- Ask for separate breakouts for Smart, Globe, DITO and fixed.
- Check how directly the route lands: direct IGF interconnects are steadier than long transit chains.
- Expect quality to differ between networks on the same route, and test each one.
VoIP status and SIM rules
Since NTC Memorandum Circular 05-08-2005, VoIP is classified as a value-added service: providers register with the NTC instead of needing a congressional franchise, as long as they do not build their own network. App based calling is widely used.
Two later laws matter for voice fraud:
- The SIM Registration Act (Republic Act 11934), in force since December 2022, requires every SIM to be registered to an identified user, which makes anonymous SIM farms harder to run.
- The Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (Republic Act 12010), from 2024, is among the laws used, together with the SIM Registration Act and the Cybercrime Prevention Act, in police operations against illegal SIM sales and against people selling SIM boxes and SMS blasters in 2024 and 2025.
CLI and bypass risks
Terminating international calls through local SIMs (SIM boxing) turns them into local calls and hides your caller ID behind a random Philippine number. Besides the legal risk, these routes give short calls, poor audio and sudden outages when SIMs are blocked. If you need your number shown, ask for a CLI route and confirm it with a CLI delivery test. See SIM box bypass fraud and CLI vs non-CLI routes.
What buyers usually ask for
- Smart, Globe and DITO breakouts, plus fixed for business numbers.
- CLI routes for the large volume of family and business calls from abroad.
- A stated traffic type: conversational, call center or dialer. The Philippines is a major outsourcing market, and call center traffic is accepted on fewer routes; see call center VoIP routes.
- Quality metrics in line with the traffic: stable ASR, natural ACD, low post-dial delay. See ASR, ACD and PDD.
What drives the price
Price depends on the terminating network, the IGF carrier and how many transit hops sit before it, the CLI type, the traffic type and the billing increment. Since termination rates are negotiated, a change in the large groups' agreements can shift the whole destination. More in what drives VoIP termination prices.
Getting a route
See the Philippines VoIP termination page and, for messaging, A2P SMS to the Philippines with the Philippines sender ID rules. Tell us the networks, CLI type, traffic type and volume, and we source and manage the route through our VoIP termination service. Request a Philippines voice route.
Frequently asked questions
Is VoIP legal in the Philippines?
Yes. Since NTC Memorandum Circular 05-08-2005, VoIP is classified as a value-added service, so providers register with the NTC instead of needing a congressional franchise, as long as they do not build their own network. International calls still reach the Philippine networks through carriers with international gateway facility authorisation.
Who are the mobile operators in the Philippines?
There are three mobile networks: Smart, the mobile arm of the PLDT group, Globe, and DITO, the third network launched in 2021. Mobile numbers start with 9 after the country code 63. The Philippines has number portability, so carriers route on number data and buyers ask for separate Smart, Globe and DITO breakouts.
Can I buy call center routes to the Philippines?
Yes, but call center and dialer traffic is accepted on fewer routes than conversational calls, and the Philippines is a major outsourcing market. State the traffic type in your request, ask for CLI if recipients need to recognise your number, and track ASR, ACD and post-dial delay separately for each network.
Does the SIM Registration Act affect VoIP termination?
Indirectly. Since December 2022 the SIM Registration Act requires every SIM to be registered to an identified user, which makes anonymous SIM farms harder to run. Together with later anti-scam laws it has been used against illegal SIM sales and SIM box sellers. Routes that terminate international calls through local SIMs carry clear legal risk.
Need a route?
Send the destination, route type and target rate. We reply with what we can deliver.