Philippines: Open Access in Data Transmission Act, including competition provisions, was enacted into law

On 24 August 2025, the Open Access in Data Transmission Act was enacted into law, following being sent to the President for approval on 24 July 2025. In accordance with Section 27 of Article 6 of the Philippine Constitution, if the President does not sign a bill within 30 days of receipt, it automatically becomes law. The Act mandates that the data transmission sector remain open and accessible to all qualified participants. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) shall adopt a technology-neutral framework and promote fair and open competition across all network segments in accordance with the Philippine Competition Act. The Act also requires transparency in pricing, mandates interconnection to prevent market dominance, encourages distributed local solutions, and directs the NTC to define and regulate entities with substantial market power. It also prohibits anti-competitive practices, including refusal to interconnect, anti-competitive cross-subsidisation, throttling, and paid prioritisation.