PLDT Inc. and Huawei Technologies will work together to upgrade the telco’s legacy copper wire networks with SuperVector and G.fast technologies, which they say will boost bandwidth to up to 300Mbps and 800Mbps, respectively. PLDT says that by using the Huawei-supplied solutions, it will be better placed to economically and efficiently build ultra-broadband (UBB) networks across the Philippines. Under its network modernisation programme, it intends to provide up to five million Philippine users with a minimum 100Mbps connection, and provide premium 800Mbps services to more than 100 ‘high-value buildings’ by 2018. As part of this UBB initiative, Huawei has begun a comprehensive review to evaluate PLDT’s PSTN in order to predict accurate attainable bandwidths post-upgrade.
Huawei says it will provide E2E solutions based on segmented scenarios, noting that for small enterprises and VIP home users, it will deploy its G.fast solution, in which a single device can provide bandwidth of up to 800Mbps for 96 users concurrently. For high-end home users, Huawei will deploy SuperVector devices – compatible with current DSL terminals to enable a smooth upgrade path – that deliver up to 300Mbps bandwidth. Typically, Huawei utilises vectoring devices in original cross-connecting boxes or fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) sites, reducing project delivery times while offering users up to 100Mbps bandwidth.