Telecommunications

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Telecommunications

Daily intelligence on the Telecommunications beat

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Issue #112

Smart Opens iPhone Duo Preorders as DICT Gets New Chief

Smart Communications opened a three-hour preorder window for Apple's eSIM-only foldable iPhone Duo, while Robert de Claro took over the Department of Information and Communications Technology and Converge tested a cheaper prepaid fiber plan.

By the MMI Telecommunications Desk

Smart Opens iPhone Duo Preorders as DICT Gets New Chief

Smart Communications opened a three-hour preorder window for Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, on the evening of October 16, 2026, becoming the first Philippine carrier to commit publicly to the device after a day in which none of its rivals said whether they would carry it. The window ran from 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. through the Smart Online Store, with monthly payments starting at ₱6,304 under Smart Postpaid Plans+ 1999 and zero-interest credit card installments of up to 24 months through select banks; customers who missed the window were placed on a waitlist. Smart Infinity members could order through their relationship manager or by dialing *800. The device pairs a 7.6-inch inner display with a 5.4-inch outer screen and is eSIM-only in every market where it is sold, meaning it has no physical SIM slot.

That detail is the one with consequences beyond the launch. Most Filipino subscribers still activate service on a physical SIM, and an eSIM-only flagship removes that step from the box, shifting activation onto a digital provisioning process the carriers control. Neither PLDT, Smart, Globe, nor DITO had said publicly how they would handle that transition as of October 16. Globe's premium tier, Globe Platinum, had already staged midnight unboxing events for the iPhone 18 in Manila, Cebu, and Davao, but the item describing them covers the iPhone 18 launch and does not address the Duo or eSIM provisioning. The absence of carrier guidance was the day's clearest gap: a device marketed to Philippine buyers through a bank channel before the networks had explained how it would work.

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More Telecommunications

De Claro Takes Over DICT as NTC Flags 29 Weak Mobile Sites

Robert de Claro was sworn in as the new secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology on October 13, replacing Henry Aguda, while the National Telecommunications Commission's latest Metro Manila tests found 29 of 142 test points below the prescribed mobile broadband standard. DICT also ran a two-day digital job fair in Davao City offering more than 3,000 positions.

DICT Gets New Chief as NTC Drafts Used-Phone Rules

Robert de Claro takes over the Department of Information and Communications Technology after Henry Aguda's resignation, while the telecom regulator drafts permits for second-hand phone dealers and a Senate bill on under-18 social media use draws a surprised response from the cybercrime body.

De Claro Takes Over DICT as NTC Orders Now Telecom to Pay ₱4.04B

Robert Joseph de Claro was sworn in as the new secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology on October 13, replacing Henry Aguda, who resigned amid an Ombudsman probe into an alleged ghost internet scheme. The same day, the National Telecommunications Commission ordered NOW Telecom to pay ₱4.04 billion in unpaid supervision and regulation fees, and clarified that its draft rules on refurbished devices will not ban the secondhand phone market.

Duterte Trial Testimony, DICT Chief Exit Dominate

Financial analyst Alexander Cabrera testified on Day 38 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial about unexplained withdrawals and undeclared assets, while President Marcos confirmed the resignation of the information and communications technology secretary amid a ghost-project investigation.