PLDT joins Google, Facebook in new submarine cable via $80-M investment

Industry giant PLDT Inc. is investing $80 million (P3.9 billion) in a new Asia-Pacific subsea cable project aimed at boosting internet capacity and speeds.

PLDT announced on Monday it joined technology giants such as Facebook and Google in the 12,000-kilometer submarine cable system called Apricot.

Set to be fully operational in 2024, Apricot will link Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.

Need for faster internet

Subsea internet cables are crucial components of the global internet infrastructure. Thus, technology and telecommunications firms invest in their construction to provide faster and more stable internet to their customers.

“The construction of this Apricot cable system is vital to the Philippine economy with rapidly increasing data traffic and is aligned with our efforts to make the Philippines a strategic data center hub in the region,” PLDT president and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio said in a statement.

Apricot has a data capacity of 190 terabits per second and is the third submarine cable project that PLDT had announced over the last two years.

The company earlier revealed a $136.7-million investment in the Jupiter Cable project, and another in the 9,400-km Asia Direct Cable system, set to be completed by end 2021 and early 2023, respectively.

Backup capacity

These cable systems also provide backup capacity in cases where the projects suffer cuts or are damaged by storms, earthquakes or passing vessels.

“Apricot assures our international and enterprise customers with sustained capacity availability and more resiliency options in support of their growing demand for data and continuing digital transformation,” said Juan Victor Hernandez, PLDT head of enterprise business group and president and CEO of ePLDT.

Apricot features 400G transmission technology and multiple pairs of high-capacity optical fibers.

PLDT had earlier invested in 14 other international submarine cable systems and one terrestrial system carrying data traffic going in and out of the Philippines. INQ

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