PLDT links to Asia-Pacific subsea cable

February 13, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Telco leader PLDT Inc. will further boost its capacity this quarter through a subsea cable that connects the Philippines to its neighboring countries in Asia Pacific.

PLDT said the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) system is now operationally ready to go online within this quarter.

PLDT senior vice president and head of enterprise business group Joseph Gendrano said the telco would tap on the ADC to increase its capacity to handle data exchange.

ADC offers the shortest access to PLDT’s biggest data center VITRO Sta. Rosa, allowing for a seamless link between the two infrastructure. ADC also adds another regional cable to PLDT, complementing the Jupiter Cable System that was activated in 2022.

Aside from this, ADC provides direct access for data transfer with some of the largest content sources in the region like Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. This boosts PLDT’s selling point to tech giants, as it can offer the most diversified connectivity among Philippine telcos.

Once the ADC is in service, PLDT’s international capacity will rise to above 100 Tbps, meaning it can process and send out as much as 100 terabits of data every second.

This benefits businesses and consumers subscribed to PLDT, as their connectivity becomes faster and smoother every time the telco links to an underwater cable.

“Critical network infrastructure, including the ADC and our other international submarine cable systems, form a crucial part of the country’s digital infrastructure, and they are key to our efforts to position the Philippines as the prime investment destination for hyperscalers and multinational corporations,” Gendrano said.

ADC extends for 9,988 kilometers across several points in Asia. In its entirety, ADC has landing stations in the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, expanding PLDT’s access to data offices in these countries.

PLDT chief operating officer Menardo Jimenez Jr. said subsea cables like the ADC can also be maximized to attract tech giants to consider investing in the Philippines. The entry of these tech innovators can help the government in speeding up digital adoption among Filipinos.

ADC, costing $75 million, was built by Japanese multinational NEC Corp. through funding from telcos that make up the ADC consortium.

MANILA, Philippines —  Telco leader PLDT Inc. will further boost its capacity this quarter through a subsea cable that connects the Philippines to its neighboring countries in Asia Pacific.

PLDT said the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) system is now operationally ready to go online within this quarter.

PLDT senior vice president and head of enterprise business group Joseph Gendrano said the telco would tap on the ADC to increase its capacity to handle data exchange.

ADC offers the shortest access to PLDT’s biggest data center VITRO Sta. Rosa, allowing for a seamless link between the two infrastructure. ADC also adds another regional cable to PLDT, complementing the Jupiter Cable System that was activated in 2022.

Aside from this, ADC provides direct access for data transfer with some of the largest content sources in the region like Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. This boosts PLDT’s selling point to tech giants, as it can offer the most diversified connectivity among Philippine telcos.

Once the ADC is in service, PLDT’s international capacity will rise to above 100 Tbps, meaning it can process and send out as much as 100 terabits of data every second.

This benefits businesses and consumers subscribed to PLDT, as their connectivity becomes faster and smoother every time the telco links to an underwater cable.

“Critical network infrastructure, including the ADC and our other international submarine cable systems, form a crucial part of the country’s digital infrastructure, and they are key to our efforts to position the Philippines as the prime investment destination for hyperscalers and multinational corporations,” Gendrano said.

ADC extends for 9,988 kilometers across several points in Asia. In its entirety, ADC has landing stations in the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, expanding PLDT’s access to data offices in these countries.

PLDT chief operating officer Menardo Jimenez Jr. said subsea cables like the ADC can also be maximized to attract tech giants to consider investing in the Philippines. The entry of these tech innovators can help the government in speeding up digital adoption among Filipinos.

ADC, costing $75 million, was built by Japanese multinational NEC Corp. through funding from telcos that make up the ADC consortium.

The group consists of nine members: National Telecom, China Telecom Global, China Telecom Corp., China Unicom, PLDT, Singtel Group, SoftBank Group, Tata Communications and Viettel Group.