PLDT Inc. is set to expand its international bandwidth capacity by five-fold with the completion of the Jupiter Cable System by yearend.
Currently, the PLDT Group said it has over 10 Terabits per second (Tbps) in capacity that runs along its 15 major international cable systems. This will increase to close to 60 Tbps, once the new international cable system is completed this year, barring any construction delays due to the pandemic and other travel restrictions.
This major expansion advances the Philippines’ standing as an ideal trans-Pacific hub connecting South East Asia to the United States, PLDT said. Infrastructure for international cable systems and a robust data center space are among the top factors for determining the deployment roadmap of hyperscalers.
“This further investment in subsea cables, along with the expansion of other physical infrastructures such as network towers and 5G sites, secures the future of our country in this increasingly digital world,” said Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart Communications Inc. president and chief executive officer.
The Jupiter Submarine Cable will employ at least 400 Gbps wavelength division multiplex transmission technology to connect landing points in Japan, Philippines and US which will also boost PLDT’s foray into more digital services including the Internet of Things and the rollout of 5G-powered technologies, as well as augment its existing fixed and mobile services.
“There is a direct correlation between connectivity and data center deployments of hyperscalers. Determining where the growth of data centers will come from requires following where the cables terminate,” said Gene Sanchez, PLDT head of International Facilities Investments Management.
Even prior to the pandemic, the PLDT Group has heavily invested in upgrading its capacity ahead of demand to ensure the network is ready for the massive growth in data traffic serving video services, cloud solutions, multinational companies and bandwidth-intensive industries such as the business process outsourcing and the rising interest of hyperscalers in the country.
“Despite the pandemic, we are closely working with global partners from international telco carriers and major hyperscalers to build two more cable systems that will terminate in both the eastern and western coast of the Philippines that again, when completed, will further double our end-2021 capacity,” Sanchez said.
Recently, PLDT secured an additional 1 Tbps capacity on its Asia Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) international cable that further boosts the connectivity links of the country to Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
PLDT also said it invested in the new Asia Direct Cable System that is set to be completed by end-2022, and another international cable system in partnership with hyperscalers and international carriers.
These expansion plans complement the bandwidth requirements of the growing data traffic that has accelerated because of the pandemic, it added.
Currently, PLDT has extensive participation in 14 international submarine cable systems including the Asia-America Gateway, Asia-submarine Cable Express, APCN2 and South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 3 which are routed through PLDT’s three existing cable landing stations situated in Batangas, Daet and La Union. — Myla Iglesias
