PLDT allots P1.3 B to beef up fiber network

MANILA, Philippines - Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is pumping in P1.3 billion over the next two years to strengthen its fiber network in northern Luzon.

PLDT network group head Rolando Peña said the strengthening of almost 600 kilometers of domestic fiber optic network (DFON) in northern Luzon would be completed this year.

 â€œThe ongoing fortification program for our northern Luzon DFON will make our network more resilient and less susceptible to fiber breaks that could result in the disruption of our services. These areas are vulnerable to fiber cuts due to typhoon, landslides, and public works diggings,” Peña stressed.

The fortification program would benefit the estimated 11 million subscribers of PLDT mobile subsidiaries Smart Communications and Sun Cellular and around 450,000 customers of PLDT HOME as well as enterprises in northern Luzon.

He reported that PLDT has so far completed work in the network covering Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, and Cagayan Province.

Pena noted that below-ground installation is ongoing for the San Fernando, La Union to Candon, Ilocos Sur link. This segment is expected to be completed by March this year.

Meanwhile, the Cagayan province link from Tuguegarao to Ballesteros covering 124 kilometers is expected to be completed by October.

The PLDT Group has continued to invest in its fiber optic network to reach over 78,000 kilometers, far ahead of competition.

As a result, PLDT’s network remains unrivalled in terms of capacity, coverage and resiliency.

PLDT earlier this year completed the installation of over 150 kilometers of submarine fiber optic cables that would link the island of Bohol with the major network centers in Visayas and Mindanao, boosting the telco’s services in the fast growing tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO) hubs in central Philippines.

It has also completed the rollout of nearly 300 kilometers of state-of-the-art submarine fiber optic cables linking Palawan province in western Philippines to the rest of the PLDT network to meet the rapidly increasing demand for robust and reliable telecoms and data services in one of the country’s top tourist destinations.

PLDT is spending P29 billion for its capital expenditures this year about two-thirds of which would be used for its growing broadband business.

Of the total amount, about 65 percent would be allocated to expand its broadband business while 25 percent would be used to further expand PLDT’s fiber optic fiber network by about 10 percent next year.

PLDT’s cellular subscriber base stood at 72.5 million as of end-September. Wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. had 24.7 million subscribers while value brand Talk ‘N Text ended with 31.9 million.

Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. had 15.8 million Sun Cellular subscribers.

On the other hand, PLDT’s combined broadband subscriber base stood at 3.3 million in the first nine months of 2013. For the fixed line businesses of both PLDT and Digitel, the subscriber base remained at 2.1 million.