By Elijah Felice Rosales – The Philippine Star
Telco powerhouse PLDT Inc. has installed submarine links in the Bantayan and Camotes Islands in Cebu to promote the tourist destinations as remote work spots.
Head of technology at PLDT, Mario Tamayo said submarine fiber cable links were deployed in the Bantayan and Camotes Islands to improve customer experience there.
The infrastructure connected Bantayan Island to Daanbantayan, a first class municipality in Cebu and also one of PLDT’s gateways to Luzon as well as hooked up Camotes Islands with Mandaue City and Ormoc City.
Both of the developments form part of PLDT’s efforts to put up fiber across the islands and service families and enterprises.
The submarine links also allow PLDT’s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. to boost its mobile services, especially LTE and 5G, in the Bantayan and Camotes Islands.
Furthermore, the infrastructure improves the resiliency of PLDT’s network by providing additional routes for data transmission.
The submarine cables enhance the connectivity of PLDT and Smart users in the Cebu islands, both of which are hundreds of kilometers away from mainland Cebu City.
Tamayo said extending fiber services in the Bantayan and Camotes Islands provide enterprises with the opportunity to promote local tourism and, in turn, create employment opportunities for the residents.
Owner of Santiago Bay Garden and Resort in the Camotes Islands, Joel Pulvera said improving the connectivity means tourism firms in the area could invite guests for an extended period.
“With better internet, we can attract even more tourists. Some of whom can even choose to stay and work remotely from the beach,” Pulvera said.
The recently deployed submarine links are part of PLDT’s ongoing investments in widening its network base. Network-related projects accounted for the bulk of the P89 billion(US$18.14million) that the telco leader spent in 2021.
Based on data, PLDT spent a total of P518.5 billion in capital expenditures in the past 10 years, expanding its fiber infrastructure to 803,000 kilometers and also Smart’s base stations to a total of 76,600.
For 2022, PLDT raised its capital expenditures budget to P85 billion to upgrade network towers and other assets.https://www.philstar.com
