PLDT Inc. said Wednesday it is bolstering its domestic fiber optic network across the country by adding more than 500 kilometers of submarine fiber cable links in Palawan.
The additional submarine cables serve to fortify PLDT’s fiber backbone and enhance the resiliency of its network in Palawan by providing alternate routes for data traffic and ensuring connectivity for customers.
It said the latest development would further enhance its ability to deliver fast and reliable fiber-powered services to individual customers, families and businesses in El Nido and the rest of Palawan. This will also allow Smart to level up its mobile services, particularly for LTE and 5G, in the area.
The latest cable landing in Barangay Sibaltan connects El Nido to Salvacion in Roxas, Palawan. This is the latest of recently laid cable links in the province.
The other segments connect Barangay New Agutaya in San Vicente to Barangay Napsan in Puerto Princesa and Barangay Teneguiban in El Nido.
PLDT said the continuous expansion of its nationwide fiber infrastructure 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.
“This milestone demonstrates our enduring commitment to connect more Filipinos with the continued expansion of our fiber infrastructure nationwide despite the inherent challenges of rolling out our network across an archipelago,” PLDT Network head Eric Santiago 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,” he said.
PLDT operates the country’s most extensive fiber infrastructure, extending 837,900 kilometers as of end-June 2022. It also supports Smart’s mobile network, which provides 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G to customers from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi.