PLDT to expand fiber optic network

MANILA, Philippines–Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. is rolling out over 5,000 kilometers of new fiber optic cable this year to support both wireless and fixed-line services across the country.

In a statement, PLDT said it would spend P2.5 billion to push its fiber optic network to over 60,000 kilometers this year.

The fiber expansion program for 2013 will cover the domestic fiber optic network (DFON) used for long-haul applications, fiber-to-the home (FTTH), fiber-in the-loop (FITL) and other inter-office fibering projects.

The FTTH project, for example, will make PLDT’s high-speed internet services available to about two million homes in different parts of the country, incuding Metro Manila, the regions of Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and the provinces of Panay, Negros Occidental, Cebu, and Davao.

“With this expansion program, we are bolstering our already formidable fiber advantage,” PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said.

“Fiber is key to having the capacity to deliver next-generation, large-bandwidth data services,” he added.

Additional fiber links include submarine cables that will boost the data connectivity of the islands of Palawan, Bohol and Panay where the demand for resilient data services is rising due to the booming tourism and business process outsourcing industries in these areas.

Last month, PLDT announced the completion of the Hong Kong FOC extension project as part of the 7,800-km undersea Asia Submarine-cable Express system that links the Philippines to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong through PLDT’s new landing station in Daet, Camarines Norte.

Starting in 2013, PLDT will upgrade the capacity of its different cable systems up to 40 gigabits per second, before eventually upgrading to 100 gigabits per second.  PLDT has also doubled its internet gateway capacity to better handle internet traffic to and from the Philippines.