Leading telecoms and digital services provider PLDT has completed its P1 billion domestic fiber optic network (DFON) expansion project in Mindanao which provides additional resiliency for the transmission backbone that serves PLDT Home and Enterprise customers in the region.
Spanning over 300 kilometers to reinforce the loop in Mindanao island, the fiber infrastructure runs through the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.
The fiber optic cables have been installed underground making it less vulnerable to damage caused by strong winds, falling trees and utility poles.
“Our sustained network investments are part of our commitment to deliver the best quality services, particularly internet connectivity, all over the country,” said PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan. “With the completion of this project, customers using our fixed and mobile phone networks in Mindanao will experience even more superior voice, data and multimedia services.”
The added resiliency complements the boosted capacity in the DFON facilities in the area which has over 300Gbps (Gigabits per second) already installed in the local loop and is targeted to raise the capacity to 400Gbps by end of the year.
The newly installed fiber optic cables augment the existing network that spans from Cagayan de Oro to Malaybalay, Davao, Tagum, Bayugan, and Butuan.
“This fiber redundancy project opens up the region for more investment and development projects that will be enabled by PLDT’s expanded network capacity, and improve the quality of services to industries and consumers located in Mindanao,” said PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Eric R. Alberto.
“With this significant expansion in our fiber footprint, PLDT further pulls away from competition in reaching more customers with fiber optic connectivity that is the most reliable network infrastructure for many digital services,” he added.
PLDT has invested P300 billion or $6 billion over the last 10 years to roll-out the country’s most expansive network infrastructure both for domestic and international.
Last year, it set aside P48 billion or about $1 billion for capital expenditures allocating a significant portion in further expanding and fortifying its domestic fiber infrastructure.
Recently, PLDT has announced the expansion of its fiber-powered fixed line network by about 80% to reach around 4 million homes passed by the end of the year, making ultra-fast internet connection via fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service available to more subscribers. It is also deploying hybrid technology to allow existing customers connected via copper facilities to enjoy fiber-like speeds.
