Before you start

An unlocked handset
Passport
A Cebu address
An ACR I-Card, for a postpaid plan

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM from a legitimate outlet
Available at operator kiosks at Mactan-Cebu airport, in every mall and at convenience stores. Buy from an operator kiosk rather than a stall so it is registered correctly, and get help selecting the right starter promo at the same time.
In personWho: YouSame daySmall, including starter load
2
Register the SIM within the required period
Registration is required by law within a set period of activation, and an unregistered SIM is deactivated. Foreigners register with passport details and, depending on status, proof of address or visa. Do it immediately rather than deferring it, because a deactivated number takes everything linked to it — including a digital wallet — with it.
OnlineWho: YouWithin the statutory period after activationFree
3
Load a promo, never plain credit
Philippine mobile works on promos: bundles of data, calls and texts bought for a set number of days rather than monthly plans. Loading credit and using it at standard rates costs several times what the equivalent promo would. Register the promo through the operator app immediately after topping up. This is the single most common way newcomers waste money on telecoms here.
Mobile appWho: You5 minutesPromos are inexpensive; standard rates are not
4
Ask about fixed-line internet before you sign a lease
Fixed broadband quality in Cebu varies sharply — the IT parks and newer condominium towers are well served, while some older residential areas and parts of Mandaue and the hillside barangays are not. Ask the building administrator which providers actually serve the unit, and test the speed in the room you would work in during the viewing. Installation lead times can be long if the building has never had a line.
In personWho: YouAsk at the viewingFree to ask
5
Keep a backup connection if you work to overseas hours
Power interruptions and weather-related outages are a normal part of life here, and a great deal of Cebu's professional population works to North American or European hours. A second network's SIM with a generous data promo plus a phone that tethers, and a battery bank charged, is standard practice among people whose income depends on being online at three in the morning.
Mobile appWho: Remote and BPO workersSet up before you need itA second prepaid SIM and promo

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Cebu address
ACR I-Card and proof of income, for postpaid

Things most newcomers don’t know

Promos, not monthly plans, are how Philippine mobile works — and standard rates are punitive.

You buy a bundle valid for a set number of days rather than paying a monthly subscription. Newcomers load credit, use data at standard rates and burn through many times what the equivalent promo would have cost for the same usage. It takes two minutes in the operator app to register a promo after topping up, and skipping that step is the most expensive small mistake available in Philippine telecoms.

Source: Philippine mobile operator pricing structures

Your mobile number is your digital wallet, so losing it costs more than a number.

GCash and Maya register against a phone number, and those wallets carry a large share of everyday Philippine payments. If a SIM is deactivated for non-registration, or the number lapses, the wallet and everything linked to it goes with it — and recovery is genuinely painful. Register the SIM immediately, pick one number, and keep it loaded rather than switching networks casually.

Source: SIM Registration Act; Philippine digital wallet registration

Fixed-line quality in Cebu splits sharply between the IT parks and everywhere else.

The economy here runs on outsourcing, so the IT parks and the towers around them have serious redundant connectivity. Move a few kilometres into older residential areas, up the hillside barangays or into parts of Mandaue and the picture changes completely, with fewer providers and longer installation lead times. If your income depends on your connection, the address you choose matters more than the provider you pick — and it is entirely testable at the viewing.

Source: Philippine fixed-broadband coverage; Cebu IT park infrastructure

Coverage differs enough within Metro Cebu that you should ask neighbours before committing to postpaid.

One network can be markedly better in your specific building or barangay than another, and the difference is real rather than marginal — thick concrete, hillside position and distance from a cell site all matter. A postpaid contract locks you to one operator. Ask people who actually live in the building which network works there, and test with a prepaid SIM first.

Source: Philippine mobile coverage variability

Common mistakes to avoid

Not completing SIM registration and having the number, and the wallet attached to it, deactivated
Using standard rates instead of loading a promo
Changing numbers casually after linking a digital wallet
Signing a postpaid contract before testing which network works in your building
Assuming a residential address will have IT-park-quality broadband

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.