The Philippine LoRaWAN frequency plan: AS923-3 in 915–918 MHz
LoRaWAN in the Philippines runs on the AS923-3 regional plan, whose uplink channels sit between 916.6 MHz and 918.2 MHz — inside the 915–918 MHz short-range-device band. This is the single most important thing to get right: hardware bought for other regional plans will not join a local network without re-provisioning, a common and expensive mistake in first deployments. Cubicore supplies gateways, modules, and sensors pre-configured for AS923-3 so they join on first power-up.
NTC Memorandum Circular No. 03-08-2013: why 915–918 MHz is unlicensed
The regulatory basis is NTC Memorandum Circular No. 03-08-2013, the National Telecommunications Commission's rules on short-range devices. The circular lists 915–918 MHz among the frequency bands that may be used by low-power short-range devices without an individual radio station licence, provided the equipment is type-accepted or type-approved and operates within the prescribed power limits. That is exactly why AS923-3 — not EU868 or US915 — is the correct LoRaWAN plan for the Philippines.
What the circular means in practice
- Band: 915–918 MHz is available for unlicensed short-range devices — the home of Philippine LoRaWAN.
- No station licence: compliant low-power devices do not need an individual NTC radio station licence to operate.
- Type approval still applies: radio equipment must be type-accepted or type-approved by the NTC before it is sold or deployed.
- Stay within limits: transmit power, bandwidth, and duty-cycle limits in the circular must be respected — our AS923-3 configuration does this by default.
- Avoid 868 MHz and 902–915 MHz hardware: those plans fall outside the Philippine unlicensed allocation and should not be deployed here.
Always check the current text of the circular and any later NTC issuances for the exact technical limits that apply to your equipment.
Realistic gateway coverage in Philippine conditions
Coverage is decided by antenna height, terrain, and clutter far more than transmit power. These are the planning figures we use before a site survey:
| Environment | Typical radius | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Dense urban (Metro Manila, Cebu City, Davao City CBD) | 1–3 km | High-rise clutter and reflections; mount above the rooftop line. |
| Suburban, industrial estates, campuses | 5–8 km | Good balance of clutter and height; one gateway usually covers a whole estate. |
| Rural, agricultural, coastal line-of-sight | 8–10 km | Elevated mast or hilltop reaches whole barangays and river systems. |
What a LoRaWAN deployment costs in the Philippines
Cost comes down to gateway count, mast and power works, sensor volume, and platform subscription. Because LoRaWAN carries no per-device SIM fee, the recurring cost of a thousand-sensor network is a fraction of a cellular equivalent. Get an indicative peso budget from the calculator, then we validate it against your actual sites with an RF survey.
LoRaWAN vs cellular IoT for Philippine sites
LoRaWAN gives up to 5 years of battery life, coverage where cellular signal is weak, no monthly SIM cost, and a private network you own end to end. Critically for the Philippines, a solar or battery-backed gateway keeps collecting data through typhoons and outages when public networks are congested or down. Cellular remains the better fit for high-bandwidth payloads such as video.
Where LoRaWAN is being used in the Philippines
Flood and river level early warning
Ultrasonic river level, rainfall, and landslide sensors reporting to LGU disaster offices — proven in our Zamboanga deployment.
Smart agriculture
Soil moisture, weather stations, and irrigation control across hectares of rice, sugarcane, and plantation land on a single gateway.
Water and power metering
Automated meter reading for water districts, electric cooperatives, subdivisions, and estates without manual rounds.
Cold chain and facilities
Temperature, humidity, and door monitoring for warehouses, pharmacies, and food processing across provincial branches.
LoRaWAN Philippines: frequently asked questions
Is LoRaWAN legal in the Philippines?
Yes. LoRaWAN devices in the Philippines operate in the 923 MHz ISM band using the AS923-3 regional plan, within the National Telecommunications Commission rules for short-range devices. Cubicore supplies gateways and sensors already configured for AS923-3.
What LoRaWAN frequency does the Philippines use?
915–918 MHz, using the AS923-3 regional plan whose channels (916.6–918.2 MHz) sit inside that range. NTC Memorandum Circular No. 03-08-2013 lists 915–918 MHz as an unlicensed short-range-device band in the Philippines, so no radio station licence is needed for compliant low-power devices. Hardware bought for other regional plans will not join a Philippine network without re-provisioning, which is why we ship AS923-3-ready gateways and sensors.
Do I need an NTC licence to operate a LoRaWAN network in the Philippines?
For compliant low-power devices in the 915–918 MHz unlicensed short-range-device band covered by NTC Memorandum Circular No. 03-08-2013, no individual radio station licence is required. Equipment must still be type-accepted or type-approved and stay within the circular's power and duty-cycle limits — Cubicore supplies hardware configured to those limits.
How many LoRaWAN gateways do I need to cover a city or municipality?
As a planning rule of thumb: 1–3 km radius per gateway in dense urban Metro Manila, 5–8 km in suburban and industrial estates, and 8–10 km in rural or coastal line-of-sight sites with an elevated mast. Most municipalities are covered by 1–4 well-placed gateways; we confirm with an RF site survey.
How much does a LoRaWAN deployment cost in the Philippines?
Budget is driven by gateway count, mast and power works, sensor volume, and platform subscription. Use the LoRaWAN calculator for an indicative peso estimate, then we validate it against your actual sites.
LoRaWAN vs NB-IoT or LTE in the Philippines — which should we use?
LoRaWAN wins where you need up to 5 years of battery life, no per-SIM fees, coverage in areas with weak cellular signal, and a private network that keeps running during typhoons and outages. Cellular is better for high-bandwidth or video payloads.
Does LoRaWAN keep working during typhoons and power outages?
A solar or battery-backed gateway with local storage keeps receiving sensor data even when commercial power and cellular networks fail — the main reason LGUs use LoRaWAN for river level and rainfall early warning.
Planning a LoRaWAN network in the Philippines?
Cubicore designs, deploys, and supports LoRaWAN networks in-country — gateways, sensors, site surveys, and the Cubicore cloud platform. Or start with our free weekly LoRaWAN 101 webinar.