PLDT joining consortium to build high-performance submarine cable

June 11, 2020

PLDT Inc., with other members of  Asia Direct Cable (ADC) Consortium is building a high-performance submarine cable connecting the Philippines, China (Hong Kong SAR and Guangdong Province), Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

“The ADC will further improve PLDT's network resiliency by strengthening its data links to Asia and the rest of the world. This will help PLDT to address the expanding demand for more digital services for both enterprises and our individual customers,” said Al Panlilio,  PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president said.

The consortium has selected NEC Corp. to construct the 9,400-kilometer long ADC cable, expected to be finished by the fourth quarter of 2022.

The ADC cable system will strengthen the PLDT's international network by providing additional capacity for internet and digital services via a new route through the East and Southeast regions.

Its high capacity allows it to support increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications which are driven by technological advancements such as 5G, cloud services, the Internet-of-Things and Artificial Intelligence.

It will also enhance the capabilities of PLDT's extensive fiber cable network which already spans over 338,000 kilometers across the archipelago and links the country to key destinations in different parts of the world.

“Along with PLDT’s existing international submarine cable systems, Asia Direct Cable would complement to provide further diversity and resiliency to PLDT’s international network with the capability to boost the internet and data services that it provides to its customers,” Kat Luna-Abelarde, PLDT first vice president and head of International & Carrier Business Group, and president of PLDT Global Corporation said.

The ADC is a global consortium comprised of leading communications and technology companies, including CAT, China Telecom, China Unicom, Singtel, SoftBank Corp., Tata Communications and Viettel. DMS