PLDT Inc. and wireless unit Smart Communication Inc. are expanding mobile and internet services by building 200 new sites in 2025, aiming to serve remote areas in line with the government’s intensified efforts to bridge the digital divide in the country.
In a statement on March 23, PLDT said it will activate 200 new sites this year, bringing fiber and wireless solutions to hundreds of remote communities.
This initiative aligns with the government’s efforts to bridge the digital divide and is part of the Private Sector Advisory Council’s Digital Infrastructure (PSAC DI) commitment. The goal is to establish new cell sites in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) to provide millions of Filipinos with better digital access.
“Every new site we build brings a remote community closer to education, livelihood and vital services. This is how we bridge the digital divide—one connection at a time, with no Filipino left offline,” Butch Jimenez, PLDT’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.
PLDT’s move supports the government’s infrastructure push, which is a key step toward closing the country’s connectivity gap, Jimenez said.
Expanding coverage is critical to improving education, boosting businesses of all sizes and ensuring access to essential services, such as online banking, digital commerce and even disaster response.
Last October, PLDT secured a P2-billion Social Loan Facility from HSBC Philippines to partially fund the company’s network fiber expansion to reach the country’s fourth- to sixth-class municipalities. This endeavor aligns with the government’s focus on enhancing connectivity in GIDAs.
The PLDT Group also launched 1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across 220 public higher education institutions (HEIs) in 60 provinces in early 2024, with plans to connect all state universities by 2025.
For 2025, PLDT has allocated capital expenditure of between P70 billion and P73 billion, which is less than the P78.2 billion spent in 2024. This capex will be spent for network maintenance, expansion, IT projects and investments that support rapid growth in mobile data traffic, broadband installations, corporate data and ICT businesses, including the data center.
PLDT also plans to expand its LTE network to meet growing demand for mobile services and to provide coverage to virtually all cities and municipalities across the country. This effort is in line with the government’s “Broadband ng Masa” program, and the PLDT has been working with key agencies, such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), to accelerate expansion.
As a policy, PLDT had built, operated but eventually sold or leased out its 7,569 telecommunication towers to private companies as of 2023 to reduce capital expenses in physical assets and redirect funds to other strategic endeavors. The telco is still in the process of selling or leasing out 4,430 more towers.
