PLDT sets sights on boosting home broadband infrastructure

LISTED telecommunications company PLDT Inc. has announced plans to bolster its home broadband infrastructure through its subsidiary PLDT Home.

The company aims to expand home broadband ports and invest further in modernizing submarine cables, PLDT said in a statement on Sunday.

“We are… confident we could do better this year, especially as we usher the era of hyper-fast Gigabit internet connectivity, introduce innovative products and services as well as vastly improve customers’ experience by fortifying the fiber network and hastening resolution of customers complaints,” Jeremiah M. De La Cruz, PLDT senior vice-president and head of consumer business, said.

PLDT has allocated between P75 billion and P78 billion for its capital expenditures this year.

The company intends to use these funds to expand home broadband ports and enhance submarine cable infrastructure, aiming to drive the company’s revenue growth.

“We actually want homes to grow even more. We’re going to accelerate the [fiber] rollout in 2024. We will have quite a significant rollout in new ports and new areas that will be fiberized in 2024,” Mr. De La Cruz said in a recent interview.

PLDT said that the company is also looking to fast-track its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) footprint expansion.

In 2023, the company expanded its total fiber footprint to about 1.1-million cable kilometers, PLDT said.

“We will also leverage on the strength of PLDT’s fixed and wireless networks to deliver seamless connectivity, by introducing an industry-first ‘Always On’ service for customers to enjoy uninterrupted access for work, education, and entertainment even in cases of outages,” Mr. De La Cruz said.

As of the end of 2023, the total fiber subscriber count reached 3.2 million, with about 234,000 new subscribers added during the year.

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. — Ashley Erika O. Jose