PLDT Inc. said over the weekend it is set to launch two new international cable systems by end of the year to support the hyperscaler industry.
The company said that following the build-out of Vitro Sta. Rosa, the country’s largest hyperscaler data center and the activation of Jupiter, the fastest international cable direct to the US and Japan, it would launch its fourth cable landing station in Baler, Aurora and the initial construction phase of the Asia Direct Cable system within the year.
“After the successful launch and activation of Jupiter, PLDT hopes to lead the country to become the best trans-Pacific cable hub in Asia, as we work on delivering additional subsea cables and new cable landing stations in 2024,” said former PLDT vice president and technology advisor for enterprise Victor Aliwalas.
The cable landing station in Baler, to be completed by 2024, will supplement PLDT’s international gateway in the northern and eastern borders, while the ADC cable, to be completed by end-2023, would strengthen the country’s data links in Asia.
“Apart from the DC and the international connectivity, PLDT is also leading the charge on 5G rollouts and domestic fiber rollouts on top of all the other platforms to significantly increase the country’s takeup of digitalization. We are not focusing on just one or two pillars, we are building out the entire ecosystem to work as a whole,” Aliwalas said.
“We need a full working and energized system to support this hyperscale initiative, and PLDT is determined to put together everything to be the strongest hyperscale player in the country to establish and promote the Philippines as a hyperscale destination,” he said.
He said PLDT was working closely with government agencies including the Department of Trade of Industry and the Department of Information and Communications Technology in positioning the Philippines as the next hyperscaler hub in Asia Pacific, as the country transforms into a globally-competitive and digitally-empowered nation.
“We believe that the hyperscalers industry will be the next growth engine of the Philippines. We are keen on helping hyperscalers cloud services and start-up ecosystem in the Philippines,” he said.
