SHARED telco infrastructure provider Philippines Fiber Optic Cable Network (PFOCN), a subsidiary of Singaporean company HyalRoute Group, believes that Filipinos will enjoy “cheaper rates and better access to the Internet” by the end of 2021.
This, as the company completes the deployment of 16,000 kilometers of additional fiber optic cables nationwide, PFOCN Executive Deputy Managing Director Hendrick Huang said.
“As of today, we have completed over 9,000 kilometers of backbone fiber network nationwide. With 5,000 kilometers that are ongoing plus the accelerated rollout of an additional 2,000 kilometers, our total fiber network would reach around 16,000 kilometers by the end of 2021,” he said.
PFOCN is an entity allowed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to engage in the installation and maintenance of optical fiber networks as well as other activities that will help spur the government’s National Broadband Program and free public WiFi project to reach unserved and underserved areas.
“For sure, people will have cheaper, better and more stable internet access in more rural places, as well as more choice in terms of operators with the entry of a third [telco] operator,” Huang said.
He did not provide a forecast for cost savings.
Huang noted that the backbone being built will strengthen the government’s digital initiatives, including the expansion of 5G services, cloud, Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, among others.
The company plans to invest over $3 billion for its whole 60,000-kilometer fiber cable network in the country until 2028. So far, it has invested $500 million in the Philippines since 2019.
By the next two years, the shared infrastructure provider aims to complete the first half of its target “despite the pandemic and the lockdowns that have placed limitations on mobility.”
“The first phase would be 20,000 kilometers, and I’m very confident that by the first half of next year, we would have finished the construction. That’s only three years, and it’s actually faster than we have planned,” Huang said.
He added that by deploying more digital solutions and infrastructure, PFOCN is helping uplift the quality of life of Filipinos, especially in underserved areas.
“With our rollout in the near future, I would say, in the next one to two years—the entire industry will be revolutionized, and disrupted in a positive way. People in Mindanao, in Palawan, in Baguio, Tuguegarao, other middle level cities like Tarlac—all those cities will have internet access that is on par or close to what we have in Manila right now,” Huang said.