PLDT expands network capacity in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - PLDT Inc. is investing in three major information and communications technology (ICT) projects in Mindanao to expand its network capacity and better serve businesses in the area.

All located in Davao, the three ICT projects are PLDT’s fourth cable landing station, seventh state-of-the-art Innovations Laboratory (Innolab); and eighth data center.

The fourth cable landing station in Davao links Mindanao to PLDT’s three international gateways located in Nasugbu, Batangas; Bauang, La Union, and Daet, Camarines Norte, as well as to the telco’s international managed network with points-of-presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and the US.

PLDT expects the fourth cable landing station to help improve the flow of international data traffic to and from Mindanao, as well as provide better resiliency and to reduce latency for enterprises, particularly those using bandwidth-heavy data services.

Meanwhile, the Davao data center which is the first to be built in Mindanao, will cater to enterprises by providing hosting, colocation and business continuity services.

At present, the PLDT group which operates seven other data centers in the country, intends to expand the number of its data center facilities to 10 by 2017 with an unmatched rack capacity of over 9,000.

Through the third project or the state-of-the-art Innolab facility, PLDT wants to provide a training hub for ICT services as well as a platform for technical assistance for clients.

The showroom could also serve as venue for events for local programmers and developers.

All the three projects are part of PLDT’s P48 billion worth of capital expenditures for this year.

 “These projects will greatly expand PLDT’s network capacity and quality of services which will benefit industries located in Visayas and Mindanao, and enable them to participate in the emerging gigabit society,” Eric Alberto, PLDT chief revenue officer and ePLDT Inc. president and CEO said in a statement.

 “We have accelerated the necessary investments that will help build and strengthen the regions’ enterprises, and enable them to become, not just locally, but globally competitive armed with new digital tools and innovative solutions,” he added.

Apart from ICT projects to support enterprises, PLDT has also invested on its fiber optic backbone and distribution network.

PLDT now has the most extensive fiber network in the country through its over 140,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables.