PLDT granted license for cable terminal in PH

The telco regulator has granted Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) a license to operate and maintain the La Union terminal station of the Asia America Gateway (AAG), a submarine fiber optic cable network that commenced operations in 2009.

PLDT, which is part of the consortium behind AAG, a 20,000-kilometer cable network linking South East Asia and the United States, last year sought the approval of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to be granted a permanent license for the project.

PLDT has been operating the domestic station of the $550-million cable network under a provisional authority granted by NTC.

The NTC said in its decision released Monday that it decided to grant PLDT a certificate of public convenience and necessity to operate and maintain the AAG Philippine terminal station in Bauang, La Union, through November 2028.

NTC noted that the network would benefit the public as it provides “redundancy to the existing submarine cable system, better survivability in case of natural catastrophes and will cater to increasing demand for added capacity and speed.” It also cited PLDT’s financial capability to operate the project.

AAG will provide connectivity between Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR, Philippines, Guam, Hawaii and the US West Coast, information on AAG’s website showed.

It will likewise provide “seamless interconnection” with other major cable systems linking Europe, Australia, other parts of Asia and Africa and will use the field-proven Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing technology to provide upgradeable, future-proof transmission facilities for telecommunications traffic.