PLDT spent P861 million for the undersea fiber optic cable project that extends from Taytay in Palawan to San Jose de Buenavista in Iloilo which is one of PLDT’s major hubs within its domestic fiber optic network (DFON).

PLDT President and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said the new fiber optic facilities will enable PLDT to provide fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities that delivers multimedia-rich services and also support the operations of its wireless subsidiaries Smart Communications and Sun Cellular, particularly the deployment of Smart’s ultra-fast LTE service for its mobile subscribers in Palawan.

“With its extensive fiber optic network, the PLDT Group remains unmatched in delivering high-quality voice, data, and multimedia services to its customers,” Nazareno said.

PLDT Technology Group Head Rolando Pena said the PLDT Group has aggressively expanded its fiber optic network in the last three years to reach over 78,000 kilometers nationwide, far ahead of competition.

“This new vital link from Palawan to Iloilo will provide future-proof transmission facilities that are capable of supporting higher bandwidth, higher availability and access to the IP-based mode of data transport,” Pena added.

PLDT earlier completed the installation of over 150 kilometers of submarine fiber optic cables amounting to over P400 million that will 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 BPO hubs in central Philippines.

Aside from the undersea cable link, the Palawan-Iloilo DFON network will be supported with inland transport facilities that run from Puerto Princesa to Taytay in Palawan and San Jose de Buenavista to La Paz, Iloilo City.

The DFON Palawan network is equipped with a 40 Gigabit capacity that can easily expandable to 100 Gigabit to support the ever-increasing demand for greater bandwidth by corporate and individual subscribers.