Telco giant PLDT said on Wednesday, October 21, that it will roll out more fiber lines and provide 500,000 more ports nationwide to serve the increasing demand for high-speed internet.

In a media forum ahead of the firm’s annual Philippine Digital Convention, Al Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart Communications president and chief executive officer, said they are ramping up capabilities in the next 3 to 6 months to connect more Filipinos to the digital universe.

“Broadband connectivity is more important than ever, particularly in these pandemic times when more people are directed to work and study from home,” said Panlilio.

“PLDT is rolling out more fiber [and] more ports in more parts of the Philippines than it has ever done before because we want to connect as many Filipino families as we possibly can to our fiber network.”

This year, PLDT is spending P70 billion for capital expenditure. Its modernization program includes projects for its overseas cable systems and domestic fiber transport network.

Given the shift to digital, PLDT’s core income grew by 5% to P13.9 billion during the 1st half of the year. Revenue for data and broadband services grew by 18% while the mobile internet segment jumped by 34%.

Internet of things

On Wednesday, PLDT also announced it is in an advanced stage of talks with Nokia to provide the next generation Internet of Things (IoT) services to its customers.

IoT solutions enable businesses to be more automated, productive, and safer.

Smart Communications, PLDT’s wireless subsidiary, aims to work with Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid to build the Smart IoT platform.

“IoT is a technological revolution with immense potential in improving the way we do things, and we are finalizing a partnership with Nokia to fortify our initiatives in this space,” said ePLDT president and CEO Jovy Hernandez. – Rappler.com