Eastern Communications allots P1 billion for expansion, subsea cable

MANILA, Philippines — Eastern Communications is spending P1.04 billion for its capital expenditures this year to strengthen Visayas and Mindanao operations and complete the longest subsea cable in the Philippines.

To boost its fiber services and improve its presence nationwide, Eastern Communications is speeding up its expansion campaign in Visayas and Mindanao to cope with the rising connectivity requirements.

Eastern Communications also wants to finish the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) as scheduled in April. The PDSCN, set to become the longest underwater cable in the country, will extend fiber connectivity in multiple regions across the archipelago.

Eastern Communications is working with Globe Telecom Inc. and InfiniVAN Inc. in delivering the $150 million project that would span more than 2,500 kilometers.

In the next few weeks, the PDSCN will land in Liloy and Dipolog, Zamboanga del Sur; Maasin, Leyte; and Mactan, Cebu, after which the cable system would be activated.

Eastern Communications, Globe and InfiniVAN deployed the cable vessel CS Subaru, operated by NTT World Engineering Marine Corp., last January to set up the fiber assets of the PDSCN in the final nine segments of the project.

Prior to this, the consortium behind the PDSCN tapped the services of cable ship Cable Infinity, owned by Kokusai Cable Ship Co. Ltd., to install the initial portion of the infrastructure.

Apart from the PDSCN, Eastern Communications will also introduce its business-grade connectivity and digital solutions to residential and enterprise customers in Zamboanga.

On an annual basis, Eastern Communications recorded a seven percent increase in its revenue last year.

Eastern Communications co-coordinator Vince Tempongko said the firm managed to grow its income due to the rising demand for telco solutions like cloud and cybersecurity services.

“Our nationwide expansion should be completed by the end of the year. With this, more Filipinos will be enabled by our high tech and high touch services,” Tempongko said.

“We are proud of our high touch approach, and this has become our competitive advantage. Our 2022 customer satisfaction score shows our dedication to continuously delight our customers. We will bring this commitment with us as we expand to more areas in the country,” he added.

Eastern Communications is owned by telco giants PLDT Inc. and Globe through their subsidiary Vega Telecom Inc., formerly held by San Miguel Corp.