PLDT earmarks P2.5B for fiber optic network expansion in 2013

Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is rolling out this year more than 5,000 kilometers of new fiber optic cable to support both wireless and fixed-line services across the country.

In a statement, PLDT said it would spend P2.5 billion to expand its fiber optic cable network to more than 60,000 kms this year.

“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.

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 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 such as Metro Manila, the regions of Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and the provinces of Panay, Negros Occidental, Cebu and Davao.

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.

“For our customers, this means that in more places in the country, they will be able to enjoy superior high-speed Internet service using their PCs, laptops, tablets or smartphones—whether at home, office or on the go.  Your devices can be only as good as your network,” he said.

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.