Philippine telco Globe Telecom has announced that a segment of its US$150 million Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) from Luzon to Mindanao is now live.
The PDSCN is a joint project by Globe, Eastern Communications (which is jointly owned by Globe and incumbent telco PLDT) and InfiniVAN to deploy a subsea cable system connecting every major island in the archipelago apart from Palawan. At 2,500 km, Globe claims it’s the longest domestic subsea cable network in the Philippines.
The PDSCN Express Route segment – which Globe said was activated on February 6 – connects points in Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon, Capiz, Masbate, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Misamis Oriental.
Joel Agustin, Globe’s head of network planning and engineering, said in a statement that the deployment of the PDSCN’s 24 subsea cable segments was completed on schedule last year, and 90% of its planned 33 landing stations have been constructed. The rest of the landing stations will be completed later this year.
“The activation of the PDSCN Express Route marks another milestone in our journey toward providing inclusive connectivity across the archipelago, especially in underserved and unserved areas,” Augustin said. “It will also enhance the reliability and resilience of our network given the country’s vulnerability to disasters and calamities.”
Globe is positioning the PDSCN as a main pillar of the Digital Infrastructure sector under the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), a body created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “boost public-private collaboration towards inclusive national development”. Globe group president and CEO Ernest Cu is a member of PSAC.