PLDT launches digital HOME service

MANILA, Philippines - Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has launched its digital servicing brand called HOME to connect all electronic devices such as smart TVs, smart phones, computers, and tablets for residential subscribers.

PLDT executive vice president and head of HOME Business Ariel Fermin said the new product using the powerful fiber optic broadband that runs at up to 100 Mbps to connect all electronic devices would boost the company’s retail offerings.

“Digital technology has indeed changed the Filipino family’s lifestyle, making constant connectivity an important part of their lives. The basic components of a connected home, which include computers and tablets, are now being adopted by more and more families in the Philippines,” Fermin stressed.

He explained that the various devices satisfy shared and overlapping needs of individual members of the family both inside and outside the home.

For instance, the smart TV is the center of information and entertainment for the whole family, the laptop or desktop is a major information, communication, and entertainment device, the landline is a major device for voice communication, the tablet is a digital entertainment hub, and the smart phone, an indispensable personal gadget.

“These devices can actually be networked or interconnected through PLDT HOME, enabling families to experience the new way of communication and entertainment using premium broadband,” Fermin said.

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According to him, the new HOME logo is inspired by the overlapping of four screens – the laptop, Internet TV, smart phone, and Telpad – showing how HOME interconnects all the devices of the family with one powerful broadband.

“With digital services such as myDSL, Telpad, and Fibr, all running on PLDT’s extensive 54,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables, HOME’s cutting edge technology will definitely bring families closer together and establish the strongest connections at home,” he explained.

According to a 2011 Yahoo-Nielsen Net Index, generally all market segments have multiple Internet users at home more than 80 percent of the time.

The study also revealed that home internet users tend to access more frequently compared to their i-café and mobile counterparts, with more than 50 percent accessing the Internet at home once, or more than once a day.

Earlier, head of the technology group of PLDT and Smart Communications Inc. Rolando Peña said that the company would continue to spend bulk of its capital expenditures for its fiber optic technologies where it already spent about P40 billion over the past years.

Peña said the telco provider would earmark about 20 percent to 25 percent of its annual budget for capital expenditures for the laying down of optic fiber cable. - source

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PLDT contractor sued for damages in Minglanilla

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and one of its contractors were sued for damages over the death of a motorist in Minglanilla which was allegedly caused by the company’s negligence.

The heirs of the late Sergio Genon, who died of a vehicular accident in Linao, Minglanilla on July 19, 2012, filed a civil case for damages against the PLDT and SLL International Cables Specialist Corporation.

Marichu Genon, who signed the complaint on behalf of the heirs, is demanding over P600,000 in actual, moral and exemplary damages as well reimbursement of the litigation expenses from the defendants.

Marichu said her father died after his motorcycle crashed into a barricade installed by the defendants in the middle of the highway. Marichu claimed that her father was travelling at the national highway on his way home to Cebu City from Minglanilla at 5:00 a.m. when he rammed into the barricade because of poor visibility.

The complainant claimed that the defendants failed to put in place the required early warning device that would have warned her father of the barricade ahead. Because of the accident, her family is allegedly drowning debt amounting to P503,072.87.

The money was allegedly used for the hospitalization of her father before he died 12 days after the accident.

The PLDT through its contractor was undertaking the opening/dewatering of manholes and installation or splicing of fiber optic cables along Natalio Bacalso Ave. starting from PLDT Bulacao, Talisay City to the junction of Naga Uling Toledo Road South Poblacion Naga City, Cebu.

Marichu said her father was not the first to figure in a vehicular accident in the area due to the “barricade and trench.” Moreover, she said due to the failure of the defendants to comply the conditions, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was compelled to cancel their permit. - source

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PLDT completes network upgrade end 2012

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) announced Tuesday, September 11, that it finished its P67-billion (USD$1.6 billion) network modernization program ahead of schedule, and that customers should already be feeling the benefits of better service.

“The group’s investments have produced a network that is unrivaled in terms of coverage, capacity, and resiliency,” PLDT President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno said in a statement released on September 11.

The two-year network modernization program began in early 2011 and the target completion date was end-2012. Finishing early means customers already feel the effects of the program, namely better quality and more reliable service.

The program - which involves expanding cell sites, laying new fiber optic cables and even completing an undersea international cable system - will more than triple voice and data capacity.

“What was already the most extensive and advanced network in the country has been further super-charged with our access network providing the widest coverage via the expansion of LTE sites and a transport network that rides on over 48,000 kilometers (kms) of fiber assets with an additional 6,000 kms of Fiber-to-the-Home rolled out,” said Nazareno.

“We are close to covering the whole of Metro Manila with the more reliable and faster fiber connection and gaining momentum in servicing the rest of the country,” he added.

Nazareno explained that 3G coverage now reaches the majority of the population, while even faster Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technologies are being piloted in a growing number of areas.

Even back-end IT services and platforms for customer relations management, billing and business operations have been revamped.

PLDT also undertook a core network upgrade that added an international undersea cable system that more than doubled the group's international bandwidth capacity.

“No other provider comes close to the network that we have now, not just in terms of capacity but more importantly, in terms of resiliency and efficiency,” stressed Nazareno.

He added that the group is prepared for the "data explosion" that is expected in the future.

Mobile data traffic worldwide is expected to see a tenfold jump by 2016, according to a 2011 study by Swedish telecom giant Ericsson. The predictions have been felt in Philippine telecommunication firms' bottomlines. PLDT alone saw mobile internet revenues nearly double, with 97% growth in the first 6 months of the year, compared to the same period in 2011.

Where Globe stands

Rival Globe Telecom expects its own $790-million network modernization program to be finished by the first quarter of 2013.

Already, the program is close to 50% complete. Upgrades have been completed in several areas including, South Luzon, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas, Apayao, Sulu, Tawi Tawi, Zamboanga, Sibugay, Sorsogon and Basilan.

Within Metro Manila, Quezon City is expected to be completed by this September, with the Ortigas Business District following in October, and Makati in November.

Globe President Ernest Cu has stressed that their network modernization is unique because it involves building a new network and not just rebuilding an old network.

“Others mask modernization with simply a business-as-usual change-out of old equipment. At Globe, our transformation is very different because it is indeed building a brand new network,” he said.

While the fiber assets are not as vast as PLDT's, Globe is installing 12,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable, which will serve as the main backbone for providing faster mobile internet.

Globe said it is unrolling 3 times the number of 3G base stations to increase its coverage area and provide better service.

The upgrades are expected to address customer complaints about slow mobile Internet that can be felt on the overloaded older networks.

“In the Philippines, as we have said many times before in the past, the networks were actually built for text traffic and not for mobile internet. SMS networks are characterized by very thin backhaul capabilities. Very fast mobile internet almost requires purely fiber optics in terms of backhaul because of the tremendous amounts of data traveling from the base station all the way to the core and out on the internet,” explained Cu.

The CEO stressed that the new network will have “more capacity, lead to quicker, clearer and better quality call and text experience.”

Cu said Globe was also ahead of schedule and had been updating and installing more than 100 sites a week since this April.

“We are moving progressively forward and at a faster clip. We are ahead of schedule so it’s very likely that we’ll accomplish the total change-out by the first quarter of 2013. Today, there are already marked improvement in cities that are 100% complete,” said the Globe CEO.- source

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PLDT continueing expans FOC infrastructure

Given the rapid increase in telecommunications traffic, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) will continue to spend about 20 to 25 percent of its capital expenditures on its fiber optic technologies.

Rolando Peña, PLDT’s and Smart Communications Inc.’s technology group head said Tuesday that the telco would use the monies for the laying down of more fiber optic cables.

It has already spent, to date, about P40 billion in this effort. This comes to about 54,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables, the backbone of its high-speed data transmission, laid for its network all over the Philippines.

Peña also touted that PLDT's Domestic Fiber Optic Network (DFON) has the largest long-haul capacity in the country at 4.6 terabytes per second.

He explained that fiber optic technology enables the fixed line network to transmit voice, data, and video over the internet at much higher bandwidths, faster speeds, and with better quality.

“This enables us to offer advanced multi-media communications services not only through our fixed line network through fiber-to-the-home services but also through our mobile network using services like Long Term Evolution or LTE,” he added.

Peña said PLDT is “fibering” its network from end-to-end.

“We are bringing fiber up to the home and enterprises as well as to the cell sites for a richer broadband experience of our customers across all business segments. The closer the fiber, the bigger the available bandwidth,” he said.

Global Access International Network

Also part of super-charging PLDT’s fixed line network is the expansion of its Global Access International Network (GAIN) that runs on 12 international cable systems and supported by four landing stations.

“PLDT is the only carrier that has a direct and secure fiber connection to the US where more than 90% of our internet traffic goes amid the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Yahoo in the country,” Peña said.

These fiber transmission networks are needed to handle the fast-growing data traffic both here and overseas that is expected to be four times larger by 2016 compared to 2011 based on a study conducted by Cisco.

Another study conducted by Mary Meeker showed that internet usage in the Philippines grew 44% faster in 2011 than it did the previous year, the highest among the top 10 countries with the fastest growth in internet use.

According to the study, the Philippines added 28 million internet users from 2008 to 2011 bringing total internet users at end-2011 to 34 million.

Meanwhile, Smart announced that it has completed linking its Metro Manila cell sites via fiber optic cable as part of its Fiber in the Loop (FITL) project.

"With 100 percent of our Metro Manila network now fibered, Smart can further improve its range of wireless services and technologies such as LTE, HSPA+, 3G, and even 2G,” Pena said.

Unlike traditional copper wiring and microwave radios which transmit data through electric and radio signals, fiber optics uses pulses of light beamed through thin wires of glass.

This ‘optical’ technology allows for efficient, high speed transmission of data even over long distances.

The PLDT group is the Philippines’ pioneer in fiber optic technology. In the 1980s, it became first telco to introduce and deploy fiber optic cables (FOCs). Smart embarked on active fiberization initiatives through FITL projects which began in 2005.

Following suit

Earlier this year, Ayala-owned telco Globe Telecom started rolling out fiber-optic cables, implementing its Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, intended to serve the needs of high-speed data transmission to mobile phones and other data terminals.

In an earlier report, Globe Telecom President Ernest Cu said that its rival network is "merely upgrading" and not modernizing its infrastructure.

"At Globe, our transformation is very different because it is indeed building a brand new network," Cu said.

Cu added that, with Globe's complete replacement of infrastructure, it has "future-proofed the network for better call quality and pervasive coverage. - source

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7 PLDT contractors for P1.8-B network rollout

PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has tapped seven international and local contractors for the first phase of its P1.8-billion fixed-line fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network rollout program.

PLDT-Smart technology group head Rolando Peña said the contractors are tasked to deliver to millions of Filipino homes the full range of broadband Internet services through the FTTH broadband delivery platform.

The chosen contractors are Chinese telecom suppliers Huawei Technologies, FiberHome, Sunsea Telecom Ltd., and Tyco Electronics, Singapore-based Fujikura Asia Ltd., Sweden’s Ericsson Telecommunications, and Fibercom Telecom Philippines, a local supplier.

“We are fortunate that so many international and local companies are willing to partner with us in this ambitious rollout program. The overwhelming support from suppliers will enable us to deliver the ultra-fast fiber connection to Filipino homes faster,” Peña said.

The first phase of the two-year program, which costs about P1 billion, will be completed by the end of this year with some 90,000 fiber optic lines that “pass by” 1 million homes.

As of mid-October, the PLDT Group has already laid down over 40,000 fiber optic lines, distributed in various residential areas in Metro Manila and some key provinces and cities. “With the FTTH platform which further boosts our super-charged network and which delivers the fastest fiber data connection to the home, PLDT can provide the varying needs of different customers—from direct subscriber line service to ultra highspeed fiber-to-the-home,” Peña said.

The initial FTTH rollout will cover, Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo and Davao.

Peña explained that the nationwide FTTH expansion program will cover about 240,000 access ports from which fiber links can be brought to residences by end-2013. These fiber cable facilities will pass by over 2 million homes.

Earlier, PLDT’s Home Business launched its ultra-fast fiber optic service known as PLDT Fibr.

With an Internet speed of up to 100 megabits per second, PLDT Fibr is initially serving upscale residential villages such as Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village in Makati and Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa.

Soon to experience the FTTH convenience are subdivisions in the following areas: Makati City - Bel-Air Village 1, 2, & 3; Cebu City– Beverly Hills Subd., and Ma. Luisa Estate; Naga City – Jardin De Real; Las Pinas – Portofino Courtyard 3 & Widelots; Cavite – The Parkplace Village, Imus, Ayala Westgrove Heights, and Panderosa Leisure Farm, Silang. -source

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PLDT invests P856M for fiber optic link

TELECOMS giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and its mobile phone subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) are building an all-new P856-million fiber optic cable (FOC) route that will connect Cebu to Bohol and then run on to Misamis Oriental.

This new facility, which will be completed by September 2013, will significantly boost the resiliency of PLDT transmission links to Bohol and the entire island of Mindanao. The new facility will be initially equipped with 210 gigabytes per second (Gbps).

"We have fast-tracked this particular project because the demand for broadband services -- both from consumers and businesses -- is growing rapidly in the Visayas and Mindanao areas," said PLDT and Smart head of network and IP systems, Rolando G. Peña.

"This will further strengthen our fiber advantage over other carriers. At this point, PLDT and Smart already have over 54,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable assets over the country - several times larger than the resources available to the competition," he added.

The project involves laying down a total of about 450 kilometers (kms) of fiber optic cables from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro City.

A little over 300 kms of that cable will be inland while another 150 kms will be submarine links in the sea between Cebu and Bohol and between Bohol and Misamis Oriental.

The new fiber optic link to Bohol will provide 20Gbps of capacity to the island. The link to Mindanao will carry 190Gbps of capacity.

With communications services in Bohol vastly improved, the Provincial Government will be able to pursue more aggressively its efforts to attract investments from business process outsourcing companies.

"Bohol has been trying to get investors to set up call centers in the province for the past several years. But the lack of robust communications infrastructure has been an obstacle," Peña said.

Improved communications will also benefit Bohol's successful tourism program, which has been growing steadily over the past few years.

Tourist arrivals at the island hit the 550,000 mark last year, up from about 460,000 in 2009. The number is expected to rise further as more visitors take to the province’s famous beach resorts and eco-tourism attractions.

"More and more tourists now routinely expect to have internet access in their hotels, or on their smartphones, laptops or tablets. With the fiber link to Bohol, we will be better able to support high-speed mobile and fixed broadband," Pena said.

The project will also add a third leg to the two fiber optic highways already connecting Mindanao to the rest of the country via PLDT's domestic fiber optic network.

One existing link runs from Cebu to Negros Oriental and then on to Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental, while the other starts in Cebu and then connects Leyte and then Butuan, Caraga region.- source

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PLDT building FOC backbone to Palawan

MANILA - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and its mobile unit Smart Communications Inc. are jointly building a new fiber optic cable transmission backbone to Palawan that would increase network capacity to handle huge text, call and Internet traffic.

The new FOC, which will cost P1.4 billion, is slated for completion in the first half of 2013.

The new transmission network will have an initial capacity of 400 gigabits per second – a huge

expansion of the existing capacity of the digital radio transmission system currently serving the island province.

“This will not only enhance basic services like voice and text. It will also make possible high-speed, large-capacity fixed and mobile internet services like Smart’s LTE and PLDT’s Fiber to the Home service,” said Rolando G. Peña, head of network and IP systems of Smart and PLDT.

He added that the new transmission network will boost Palawan’s booming P4-billion tourism industry and also be a boon to schools, banks, hospitals, small businesses and government agencies which can operate more efficiently using fast and reliable communications.

Jointly managed by PLDT and Smart, the project involves laying down nearly 300 kilometers of undersea FOC cable from Iloilo to northern Palawan plus another 364 kilometers of FOC cable inland to Puerto Princesa City. This system will connect Palawan to PLDT’s nationwide domestic fiber optic transmission network.

“We call this our ‘fiber advantage’,” Peña said, adding that fiber optic networks are vital if you want to provide reliable advanced communication services.

PLDT and Smart have about 54,000 kilometers for fiber optic cable rolled out nationwide. Working with Digitel and Sun Cellular, the PLDT Group is adding more.

Already, fiber networks connect most of Smart’s base stations in Metro Manila and a growing number elsewhere in the country. This enables Smart to carry growing volumes of voice calls and SMS more reliably and to provide high-speed data services like LTE.

The first land-based transmission backbone serving Palawan was built by Smart in 2004. This used microwave radio to transmit data and made it possible for Smart to offer multimedia messaging and mobile internet on top of voice calls and SMS.

Before this, the island was being served using satellite links which were costly and had limited capacity. Since then, communications traffic has grown significantly, requiring the installation of large capacity networks to serve Palawan.

High-speed communications is now essential for Palawan’s tourism business which has been growing rapidly in recent years. Palawan is currently the country’s fifth leading tourist destination.

According to local government estimates, the number of tourists in Puerto Princesa jumped from about 160,000 in 2007 to over 500,000 in 2011. The number is expected to breach the 700,000-mark this year. - source

By 2014, Palawan hopes to attract a million visitors.

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Globe PLDT Interconnection in Zamboanga

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The successful activation of local interconnection services between Globe Telecom and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) in Zamboanga is expected to boost the growing information and communications technology (ICT) industry in the city, specifically for the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

After five years of negotiation, the two major telecom players have completed their network link-up in the city, following the announcement of National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba that the regulatory body expects the immediate implementation of local interconnection services between Globe and PLDT to provide subscribers and business establishments with quality and more affordable telecommunication services.

This year, the NTC paved the way to complete interconnection between Globe and PLDT in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Zamboanga, with four more areas up for full activation before the year ends. With the completion of local interconnection, residents and business establishments, regardless of subscription, can enjoy calling each other without having to pay long distance charges or being charged with toll rates.

“Zamboanga is touted to become one of Mindanao’s biggest economic hubs with its robust ICT infrastructure. After launching our Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network in 2009 comes the successful rollout of an interconnected Globe and PLDT network. This is very timely for the city with its vision to provide and attract more business opportunities that will spur continued growth,” said Atty. Froilan M. Castelo, Head for Corporate and Legal Services Group of Globe.

Added Castelo, “We are happy to have been part of this milestone for the people of Zamboanga. Rest assured that Globe will always be at forefront of public service and will continue to work closely with NTC and the local government units to fast track implementation of interconnection services in more areas nationwide.”

Meanwhile, the networks of Globe, Bayan Telecommunications (BayanTel) and Digitel Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel) have been 100% interconnected in all areas of common presence and operations nationwide since April of 2011.

Under Republic Act 7925, the NTC mandates compulsory interconnection of authorized public telecommunications carriers. This aims to create a universally accessible and fully integrated nationwide telecommunications network to encourage more infrastructure investments from the private sector that would benefit the consumers. To date, there are over 30 provinces and cities nationwide awaiting for full interconnection between Globe and PLDT.

Local interconnection means that residents and businesses in various provinces or cities can make local calls without any extra charges. Without interconnection, a Globe landline subscriber would have to pay long-distance rates to call a PLDT, Digitel or Bayantel landline subscriber within the same area, and vice-versa. - source

Click here for more information about the services of Globe and PLDT.

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Zamboanga City plans upgrading telecom lines

Zamboanga City - The city government is talking with telecommunication firms for a multimillion-peso fiber-optic line project that would support call center operations.

Mayor Celso Lobregat said in a recent interview that this forms part of efforts for the city to become a call center hub in Mindanao. "Fiber- optic and tri-band connections are some of the basic requirements to accommodate calling centers. However, Zamboanga City is not yet connected with these high-tech communication lines and this is a major stumbling block for the city to lure call center companies to invest here," he said.

He said the plan to put up fiber-optic facilities came after G-Com Ltd. expressed its intention to put up an initial 150-seat call center in this city within the year. "We are now trying to negotiate with service providers such as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., with its wireless provider, Smart Communication [Inc.], Bayan Telecommunications, Inc., and Globe Telecom and, based on our past exploratory talks, some of them are willing to install fiber optic facilities here," he said.

Mr. Lobregat said top executives of these firms are expected to be here during the 15th Mindanao Business Conference, which Zamboanga City will host from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.

G-Com Ltd. established the first call center in Mindanao in Davao City.

G-Com Limited is affiliated with Cyber City Teleservices, Limited., which currently employs a total of about 3,000 agents in the former US military base, Clark Special Economic Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga in Central Luzon. - source

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