Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) expects to exceed its one-million new fiber customer target for the year.
The phone giant added over 324,000 new fiber customers from July to September. The third-quarter figures led to a total of 800,000 new installations at end-September.
This momentum is expected to continue in the fourth quarter.
“We are in a position of strength both in the home and enterprise segments, and are determined to stay head. We have new ports coming in that will enable our Home team to offer our services to all Filipinos that remain unserved.
As this continues to be a huge demand, we look forward to big growth as well next year,” said PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications President and CEO Alfredo Panlilio.
PLDT also sustained its quarterly record in market share gains among telco providers.
The phone firm said it has doubled up efforts in expanding its network and fiber coverage to reach more homes across the country. PLDT’s fiber footprint now spans over 615,000 kilometers, with over 12.7 million homes passed, and 5.3 million ports ready for service.
The strong takeup was brought about by the continued demand for easy installation and reliable connectivity at home as more customers adjust to the digitalization of hybrid work and school set ups, PLDT said.
The company is spending as much as P92 billion in capital expenditures this year to expand its footprint for both wireless and fixed broadband.
The telco giant booked a net income of P12.9 billion in the first semester, flat compared to last year. However, its telco core income—which excludes the impact of asset sales and losses from its digital unit Voyager—grew by 10 percent to P15.2 billion from P13.9 billion the year prior.