Telecoms giant PLDT Inc. has said it is looking to expand the coverage of its fibre-powered fixed line network by around 80% by the end of this year, allowing more end users to access its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service. PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V Pangilinan confirmed the move noting: ‘We are stepping up our efforts to deliver unrivalled internet services to more homes in various parts of the country, from the Ilocos provinces in the North to Zamboanga in the South’. Pangilinan is keen to see fibre extended to cover 4.4 million homes by end-2017, up from the figure of 2.5 million households reported in late 2016. The aggressive rollout programme focuses strongly on the sale of ultra-fast internet access via its ‘PLDT Home Fibr’ product, which can offer speeds of up to 1Gbps. PLDT Inc. reports that areas covered by fibre include Laoag, Baguio City, Vigan City, Tuguegarao, Tarlac, Cabanatuan City, San Fernando, Puerto Princesa, El Nido in Palawan, Sorsogon, Naga, and Legazpi. The telco also pointed out that its fibre-optic network also covers the cities of Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Cotabato, Davao, General Santos City, Koronadal, and Zamboanga.
The company is not restricting its efforts purely to FTTx, however, and it is also embarking on the deployment of hybrid fibre technologies to connect buildings and residences, for example KT Corp’s hybrid fibre technology, GiGa Wire, and Huawei’s G.fast platform that can provide data speeds of up to 700Mbps.