MANILA, Philippines, May 27, 2008 – PLDT marks today another major milestone in the country’s telecommunications industry with the landing of the Philippine leg of the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) in Bgy. Baccuit, Bauang, La Union.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to head government officials, PLDT officers, and some of its top clients in today’s ceremonies.

The AAG cable project is a US$550-million, 20,000-km long fiber optic cable network that will connect Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and the US West Coast. Of the US$550-million total cost, PLDT’s contribution is US$50 million.

The construction of AAG will enable the Philippines to become a hub for regional and trans-Pacific connectivity and at the same time, meeting the expected explosive growth in the country’s international bandwidth requirements to support cutting edge broadband applications such as IP-based data, video and other multimedia services.

Additionally, AAG will provide added protection from disruptions such as the 2006 earthquake with 7.1 magnitude that caused massive service interruptions of telecommunications services to corporate and retail customers across the region.

AAG will provide a welcome boost to BPOs, call centers and other growth industries that depend on advanced telecommunications services and thus further propel the country’s economic development.

The enhanced international connectivity will also support the growth of broadband Internet services which PLDT is aggressively promoting through both wired and wireless broadband access services such as PLDT MyDSL and Smart Bro Prepaid.

“The Asia-America Gateway (AAG) is not a conventional cable network. It has been conceived to provide state-of-the-art technology, routing options, render diversity to traditional routes and help improve network resiliency via cost-effective way,” said International and Carrier Business Group Head Ramon Fernandez. 
Because of these features, a London-based magazine, Global Telecom Business, gave it the “Most Innovative Project” award under the International Fixed Network Infrastructure. This award provides AAG an edge in positioning it as the best solution for many carriers.

This project, which is expected to carry international traffic early next year, will also provide for future connectivity that can be extended to Australia, India, Africa and Europe.