A growing number of Globe Telecom subscribers abroad have found themselves unable to access their bank accounts and complete vital online transactions due to an ongoing disruption in the company’s roaming services.
Since June 4, users in countries such as the United States, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and parts of Europe and Asia have reported losing mobile signal while on roaming. The issue, which Globe attributes to a surge in traffic and connection issues with international roaming partners, has not only disabled voice calls and mobile data but also blocked access to one-time passwords (OTPs) required for digital banking, app logins, and secure online purchases.
Common issues include inability to transfer funds or pay bills because they cannot receive their OTPs. Many overseas Filipinos share their concerns about being unable to complete urgent transactions.
The outage has sparked particular anxiety among Filipinos working or traveling abroad who rely heavily on OTP-based verification to access services such as BDO, BPI, GCash, PayMaya, and other apps that require SMS authentication codes.
Globe, in a statement released June 4, acknowledged the issue and assured the public that their technical teams are coordinating with global telecom partners to resolve the problem. However, as of this writing, no clear timeline has been given for when full roaming functionality, including SMS, will be restored.
“We understand how critical it is to stay connected, especially when you’re away from home. We apologize for this inconvenience,” the company said, adding that it is working urgently on a fix.
For now, users are left searching for temporary solutions, with some resorting to using roaming data promos or WiFi-based alternatives, such as email-based OTPs, where available. Still, many banking systems and apps remain strictly dependent on mobile number verification, leaving a gap that Globe has yet to close.
