Manila eSIM
In Manila you connect to Globe or Smart, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 34 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Globe and Smart
- Typical speed in Philippines
- 34 Mbps typical, 8 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- partial, on the main islands and in the cities
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Manila
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $6.89 | $6.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $3.30 | $9.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.78 | $13.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $2.09 | $20.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.84 | $36.89 |
How Philippines compares across Asia
- Regional typical speed
- 42.95 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Globe, Smart
- 5G
- Partial, main islands and cities
- Next fastest nearby
- Mongolia, 35 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Kyrgyzstan, 33 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Manila, Cebu, Palawan, Boracay
Landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
- Airport
- MNL / RPLL
- Distance
- 7 km from the centre of Manila
- Also serves
- Clark International Airport (CRK)
Getting into Manila
- Point-to-point buses from Clark to NAIA, TriNoma and Robinsons Galleria in Metro Manila (CRK)
- Inter-terminal shuttle buses at NAIA (MNL)
- Taxi and ride-hailing from the NAIA terminals (MNL)
Underground and on the metro
Manila LRT and MRT (LRT Line 1, LRT Line 2, MRT Line 3) runs 3 lines. It opened in 1984. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Manila
- No LRT or MRT line reaches NAIA; the airport has no direct rail connection to Metro Manila's rapid transit network.
- Metro Manila's light rail is almost entirely elevated: of the LRTA's 38 stations, only Katipunan is underground.
- NAIA has been operated since 14 September 2024 by a private consortium, New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation, rather than by the government.
- Manila's second gateway, Clark, is about 80 km northwest; its rail link on the North-South Commuter Railway is not scheduled until around 2027.
- SIM cards in the Philippines must be registered before activation under the SIM Registration Act (RA 11934), in force since 28 October 2022.