PLDT earmarks P7B for new cable system linking PHL to Japan, US

In line with its modernization plan, PLDT Inc. on Monday said it is spending P7 billion on the new Trans-Pacific cable system which will connect the company's system to Japan and the United States.

"PLDT is investing nearly P7 billion ($136.7 million) in the new Trans-Pacific cable system to be called 'JUPITER'," it said in an emailed statement.

JUPITER is a fiber optic submarine cable system with an approximate length of 14,000 kilometers. It has a processing capacity of more than 60 terabytes per second.

To be operational in 2020, the cable will link PLDT's cable landing station in Camarines Norte in the Philippines to Maruyama and Shima in Japan, and Los Angeles in the United States.

"We are investing in this new cable system in anticipation of the continued explosion of data traffic over the next few years," PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

"Along with our other technology initiatives, this new project will enable PLDT to gear up for the emerging 'Gigabit Society' where ultra-high-speed connectivity will support a wide range of bandwidth-heavy, low-latency digital applications and internet-of-things services," he added.

PLDT also allocated P11 billion to finance its modernization plan which includes the shift to fiber internet over the next two years. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News