PLDT Inc. is increasing its broadband installation per month by 43 percent to meet the surge in demand.
PLDT broadband installations grew to approximately 72,000 new connects per month in the third quarter of 2020, from an average of 40,000 each month in 2019.
“As demand continues to outpace capacity, with service applications having doubled, we are meeting this surge in demand by ramping up installation capability,” said Menardo Jimenez, PLDT senior vice president and head of Home business.
“Installations are expected to spike to at least 100,000 homes per month, moving forward,” Jimenez added.
As of end-September 2020, PLDT’s rollout of its Home broadband services reached 46 percent of the total cities and municipalities nationwide, serving the data connectivity needs of Filipinos, especially during the pandemic when more people are working and studying from home.
In areas where its fiber service is not yet available, PLDT said it continues to deploy wireless Home WiFi service powered by its mobile subsidiary Smart Communications Inc.’s 4G/Long Term Evolution network.
PLDT plans to extend its fiber optic cable network from its current 395,000-kilometer footprint by another 81,000 km.
With 8.3 million homes passed, PLDT said it is looking at a significant potential market in the near-term. It also has ongoing plans of adding 500,000 fiber ports to serve more homes in the country.
PLDT reported its Home business segment boosted its total revenues to P30.3 billion in the first nine months of 2020, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, on the back of a sustained demand for its services and its improved installation capability.
“We have seen our service revenues grow consistently quarter-on-quarter since 2018. For the third quarter of 2020 alone, Home produced P10.7 billion, a 16 percent gain in revenues. If not for the negative impact of the lockdown in the second quarter of this year, we would have had 11 quarters of consecutive growth — no small feat and a testament to the hard work and dedication of the whole group,” said Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president and chief executive officer.
PLDT Home had initiated the #Safe@Home program during the stricter community quarantine period until June 2020 to provide the strongest connections at home and ensure continued services for customers.
The program included giving Home Fibr customers a free speed boost to at least 25 megabits per second and double-the-data packages for fixed wireless subscribers.
