PLDT installs first fiber optic link to Baguio City

Telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has installed the first fiber optic link to Baguio City connecting to PLDT’s digital fiber optic network or DFON, the country’s first and biggest nationwide fiber optic network.

This fiber optic link to Baguio has a capacity of 10 gigabit per second of transmission bandwidth equivalent to 120,960 simultaneous voice calls – more than enough to support the city’s increasing demand for higher-capacity voice data and video services.

"With the PLDT Group’s wired and wireless services running via the robust DFON facility, Baguio City is now better positioned to accommodate businesses’ and individuals’ growing voice, data and video traffic," according to PLDT corporate business group head Eric Alberto.

He said call centers, business process outsourcing companies (BPOs), banks and manufacturing companies can now set up bandwidth-intensive communication networks –- wide-area network, disaster recovery/business continuity facilities, voice and video conferencing among others – in Baguio City.

For his part, PLDT network services group head George Lim explained that there are two separate fiber optic cables taking different routes going to Baguio. The two routes carry voice, data and video traffic but each one has the capacity to handle the load of the other cable in the event of a cut in that cable.

"This will answer the need for path diversity by many big companies who may decide to locate their operations in Baguio," he said.

The technologies used for DFON include dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH), multi service provisioning platform (MSPP), and bi-directional line switch ring (BLSR).

Baguio City Rep. Mauricio Domogan said the city’s link to DFON opens up exciting opportunities."Baguio is known for its vibrant tourism industry. And now that the city is linked to PLDT’s DFON, we invite new businesses to take advantage of thriving in a broadband environment."

Alfonso T. Lao, Baguio-Benguet Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, said PLDT’s infrastructure investments in Baguio already have a positive impact on businesses in the city.

"Our small and medium enterprises in Baguio are even made more profitable with PLDT’s innovations and infrastructure investments. An enhanced DSL capacity is truly a plus," he pointed out.

Wilhelmina Lajoray, Baguio City National High School - Loakan Annex head teacher, said the fiber optic link to Baguio is helping schools, too. "Having access to the Internet in our school via the Smart Schools program has expanded learning avenues for both students and us teachers. Never has teaching been as interesting because a lot more information is made available to us anytime we need it," she said.