PLDT starts 3-year, P2 B hybrid fiber tech deployment
Updated December 20, 2016 – 12:00am
http://www.philstar.com/
MANILA, Philippines – PLDT Inc. is spending P2 billion for a three-year deployment of hybrid fiber technologies that can deliver high-speed broadband service through regular phone lines to provide improved services to customers.
Both technologies work by connecting buildings and dwellings with fiber optic cables and using special equipment to enable the internal copper wiring of the structures to deliver fiber-like data speeds.
Through both technologies, users can enjoy data speeds of up to 600 to 700 Mbps per user, depending on the length of the local copper loop.
“This new initiative is part of our broad effort to make fiber-powered, high-speed connectivity more widely available to the public. It’s part and parcel of building the ‘Gigabit Society’ – where high-bandwidth, low-latency digital services in homes, businesses, healthcare services, utilities and schools become an integral part of daily life,” PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said.
PLDT chief revenue officer Ernesto Alberto said the initial plan involves deployment of Giga Wire and G.fast solutions in over 500 buildings in different parts of the country next year.
“This number will be split between residential and office buildings. But this is just the start,” he said.
An additional 1,600 buildings are being lined up for 2018 and 2019.
The hybrid technologies offer PLDT a way to take full advantage of the company’s extensive telephone network in order to deliver fiber-powered broadband services.
At present, majority of office and residential buildings are currently wired internally with copper and it would be difficult and costly to re-wire such structures with fiber.
In addition, most homes are still connected by regular phone lines.
For PLDT, there are six million homes reached by regular phone lines.
“Hybrid fiber technologies break down barriers to fiber deployment. These enable us to extend more quickly super fast broadband services to areas where fiber deployment is difficult. We side step the challenge of having to re-wire buildings,” Joachim Horn, PLDT chief technology and information adviser said.
