PLDT gets NTC nod for int’l cable project

PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), the country’s biggest telecommunications player, has obtained regulatory approval to participate in a massive underwater cable project that will link the country to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

In a decision dated July 2, The National Telecommunications Commission granted PLDT a certificate of public convenience and necessity, which would allow PLDT to participate in the ownership, construction and maintenance of the Asia Submarine Cable Express for 10 years.

The link will be made through PLDT’s landing station in Daet, Camarines Norte, the filing showed.

The landing station in Camarines Norte is the only facility of its kind in the east coast of the country. Moreover, it avoids the earthquake-prone seas south of Taiwan.

The NTC filing showed that construction of the landing station started on Aug. 18, 2011, with the first phase of commercial operations having started in Aug. 10 last year.

The filing further showed that the system uses 40 gigabits per second technology that is upgradeable to 100 gigabits.

PLDT said in March that it would roll out 5,000 kilometers of new fiber optic cable to support its wireless and fixed-line services across the country. The company said it would spend P2.5 billion to bring its total fiber optic network to over 60,000 km this year.

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