PLDT adds more subsea cable links in Palawan
PLDT, Inc. said on Wednesday that it is adding more than 500 kilometers of submarine fiber cable links in Palawan.
This will boost the company’s “efforts to bridge the digital divide by making its services more accessible and fostering digital inclusion, particularly for underserved communities,” PLDT said in an e-mailed statement.
The project is seen to deliver “fast and reliable” fiber-powered services to both residential and enterprise customers in the province, especially in El Nido.
“This will also allow Smart Communications, Inc. to level up its mobile services, particularly for LTE and 5G, in the area,” PLDT added.
A cable landing ceremony was held recently at Sibaltan village in El Nido, Palawan.
“The latest cable landing at Sibaltan connects El Nido to Salvacion in Roxas, Palawan. This is the latest of recently laid cable links in the province,” PLDT said.
According to the company, the other segments connect New Agutaya in San Vicente to Napsan in Puerto Princesa and Teneguiban in El Nido.
“This continuous expansion of PLDT’s nationwide fiber infrastructure also includes recent submarine cable landings in Bantayan and Camotes Islands in the Visayas and in Siargao, Socorro, Dinagat, and Dipolog in Mindanao earlier this year,” the company said.
“With reinforced fiber links in El Nido and the rest of Palawan, we are able to boost the province’s tourism programs as travel returns and the economy reopens in the post-pandemic next normal,” it added.
The company’s fiber infrastructure was at 837,900 kilometers as of end-June 2022. The infrastructure supports PLDT’s wireless arm Smart’s network, which provides 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G to customers from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin
