DITO expects revenue to reach up to P27 billion

DITO TELECOMMUNITY Corp. expects its revenue to grow by more than 20% this year to as much as P27 billion, driven by continued subscriber growth despite softer market conditions, its top official said.

“Our main results give us confidence that we will be in about anywhere between P24 billion and P27 billion,” DITO Telecommunity President and Chief Executive Officer Eric R. Alberto told reporters on the sidelines of an event last week.

The telecommunications company is also targeting to grow its subscriber base to more than 20 million from the current 17 million, including users of its fixed wireless access (FWA) service.

“Our target is to reach over 20 million,” Mr. Alberto said.

He acknowledged that demand has softened amid global uncertainties and inflationary pressures.

“Actually, the market has been very soft because of the Middle East crisis and the inflationary pressures it brings to consumers,” he said.

Despite this, DITO continues to add subscribers and expand usage of its services.

Mr. Alberto said the company is registering an average of 23,000 to 24,000 new subscribers daily and is also seeing growth in its 5G user base.

As of end-March, DITO Telecommunity had deployed 7,347 telecommunications towers, allowing it to cover 86.4% of the country’s population.

The revenue target comes as DITO CME Holdings Corp., the operator of DITO Telecommunity, posted wider losses in the first quarter.

For the January-to-March period, DITO CME’s attributable net loss widened to P6.76 billion from P1.66 billion a year earlier.

However, gross revenue rose 23.88% to P5.81 billion from P4.69 billion in the same period last year, while total expenses increased to P8.67 billion.

The company also reported a total comprehensive net loss of P35.91 billion in 2025, resulting in a capital deficiency of P100 billion. As of end-March, the deficiency had widened to P117.73 billion, based on its latest financial report.

DITO CME attributed the losses to pre-operating and startup costs related to DITO Telecommunity’s ongoing network expansion.

To support its funding requirements, the company recently unveiled an updated business plan that includes several capital-raising initiatives.

On May 29, DITO CME said it plans to convert approximately P21.8 billion in shareholder advances into equity between 2026 and 2027.

The planned conversion covers advances from parent firm Udenna Corp., China Telecommunications Corp., Xterra Ventures Pte. Ltd., Summit Telco Corp. Pte. Ltd. and Summit Telco Holdings Corp.

The company is also evaluating a follow-on offering or stock rights offering, subject to market conditions, to help fund DITO Telecommunity’s network expansion and operations.

Despite the challenging operating environment, DITO said it remains focused on expanding its subscriber base and growing revenue as it continues to strengthen its network footprint nationwide. — Ashley Erika O. Jose