The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) exceeded its 2025 income target by 41 percent, driven by strengthened regulatory enforcement and improved collection efficiency.

In a statement, the NTC said it posted a total revenue collection of ₱9.33 billion last year, surpassing the government’s target of ₱6.62 billion.

This exceeded the programmed goal by ₱2.71 billion, outperforming expectations set under the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) for last year.

NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez said the commission’s strong performance in 2025 reflected its strong commitment to fiscal discipline and the sustained growth of the telecommunications sector.

“By strengthening regulatory compliance and improving collection efficiency, the NTC supports the administration’s efforts to ensure sound public finance, effective regulation, and the delivery of programs that advance digital connectivity, consumer protection, and inclusive national development,” said Lopez.

She said there was a concerted effort within the NTC to strictly enforce compliance by stakeholders in remitting spectrum user fees.

The NTC also ramped up its oversight of compliance with supervision and regulatory enforcement fees, alongside other permits and licenses.

For the year, the government has set a collection target of ₱7.16 billion for the NTC, the bulk of which, ₱4.88 billion, is for spectrum user fees.

Based on the BESF, the goal for next year is to reach ₱7.30 billion, with spectrum user fees totaling ₱5.15 billion.

NTC is an agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) that regulates cable and commercial television operators, broadcast radio stations, telecommunications companies, commercial and portable radio operators, internet access service providers, and other value-added service providers.

Its revenue is remitted directly to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) to support government projects, including the DICT's free Wi-Fi program.

Under the recently signed National Digital Connectivity Plan (NDCP), the government plans to deploy 130,000 Free Wi-Fi sites nationwide by 2028.

NDCP, the country’s first infrastructure masterplan for digital connectivity, also aims to raise average broadband speeds to 225 megabits per second (Mbps) for mobile and 275 Mbps for fixed broadband, bringing the country closer to global standards.