PLDT begins construction of a new submarine cable

PLDT Inc. said on Monday it had begun construction of the $75 million Philippine Asia Direct Cable (ADC), a new submarine cable system that is expected to boost the telecommunications company’s capacity.

Alfredo S. Panlilio, the company’s president, said the group had begun construction of a 9,400-kilometer submarine cable in Batangas. All of its landing links are expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

When completed, ADC will link seven international cable landing sites in East and Southeast Asia from Batangas (Philippines) to Tuas (Singapore); Chung Hom Kok, Hong Kong; Maruyama, Japan; Qui Nhơn, Vietnam; Sri Racha, Thailand; and Shantou, China.

“Along with the existing international PLDT submarine cable systems, Asia Direct Cable will enhance and diversify the Philippines’ connectivity in the Asian region,” Panlilio said. “ADC will not only strengthen the global PLDT network, but will also contribute to the further development of the country’s digitalization and the growth of the digital economy.”

The cable system will have a capacity of at least 200G DWDM per wavelength, greatly expanding the capacity of the PLDT network when entering and exiting the country. When fully equipped, this will provide PLDT with an additional international network capacity of at least 36 Tbps for faster delivery of hyperscale data in East and Southeast Asia.

In addition to PLDT, ADC includes communications and technology companies including China Telecom, China Unicom, National Telecom, Singtel, SoftBank Corp., Tata Communications and Viettel Group.

Upon completion, ADC will expand PLDT’s portfolio of international cable lines to 19 systems.

“The Asia Direct cable will greatly enhance PLDT’s mission to make the Philippines the next destination for hyperscalers in the Asia-Pacific region. This investment reinforces our commitment to enrich and connect the nation’s hyperscale ecosystem with connected digital infrastructures such as data centers, submarine cables, indoor fiber networks, 5G, cloud, and the Internet of Things,” said PLDT Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Business. Jojo G. Gendrano Band

PLDT is promoting the Philippines as the preferred destination for hyperscalers in Southeast Asia.

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