New ship deployed to finish local submarine cable installation
Eastern Communications, with partners Globe Telecom Inc. and InfiniVAN, recently deployed a new cable-laying ship to finish the construction of the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN), which is slated for completion by April.
In a statement on Wednesday, the telecommunications solutions provider said the ship named “Subaru” would install nine segments of the cable project.
The first 15 segments were already laid as of December. The remaining sites include those in Calatrava, Romblon; Pasacao, Camarines Sur; Bulan, Sorsogon; Palanas, Masbate; Calbayog, Samar; Mactan, Cebu; Maasin, Leyte; Claver, Surigao del Norte; Kinoguitan, Misamis Oriental; Camiguin; Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte; and Liloy and Dipolog in Zamboanga del Sur.
“Upon the completion of PDSCN, we aim to see more Filipino families and businesses better connected this year. Once the fiber cables are operational, we can expect more resilient and reliable connectivity to serve the needs of the whole country,” Eastern Communications PDSCN consultant Albert Tuason said.
The cable-laying activities started in Subic Bay in July last year. The 2,500-kilometer domestic subsea cable has a total of 33 landing points.
Digital adoptionThe project is expected to “deliver connectivity crucial to the country’s recovery from the pandemic, as it will support government, education, business and even recreational needs for reliable communication facilities.”
Eastern Communications said the project was in line with the increasing digital adoption among Filipinos.
Last year, the broadband service provider expanded to Bacolod City and Dumaguete City in Negros; and in Legazpi City, Naga City and Sorsogon City in Bicol.
The telco earmarked P3 billion worth of capital expenditures last year to expand its footprint in the regions.
Among its services are internet direct services, which provide high-speed business-grade connectivity, and Eastern Cloud for its cloud services. It also has a menu of cybersecurity solutions backed by global technology partners like Cisco and Fortinet. INQ
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