In a bid to improve both mobile and broadband connectivity, Globe Telecom has started laying down fiber cables for its submarine network stretching across several areas in the country.
The 2,500-kilometer Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) is a joint project of the Ayala-led firm, telecommunications player Eastern Communications and digital solutions provider InfiniVAN.
Globe recently held a sendoff ceremony for Kokusai Cable Ship Co. Ltd.’s ship, Cable Infinity, which was deployed to lay down the cables.
It will traverse Sorsogon, Masbate, Marinduque, Camiguin, Siargao, Boracay and Zamboanga over the next nine months. The network is expected to be completed by April 2023.
“We persevered and we’re now almost there. This is the start of the cable laying,” said Arlene Jallorina, vice president for strategic infrastructure investments at Globe Business.
“We are doing this so that our customers will get equitable access to connectivity, wherever they may be in the country,” she added.
Eastern Communications co-coordinator Vince Tempongko said “providing equitable access to mobile and internet connection in all parts of the country has been our dream, and through this cooperation, we are finally at the cusp of realizing this goal.”
Globe earmarked P89 billion for this year to finance expansion plans.
In the January-March period, it built 234 new cell sites, upgraded over 3,500 mobile sites and rolled out 380 new 5G sites.
Its 5G network now covers 95 percent of the National Capital Region and 84 percent of Visayas and Mindanao.