PLDT said it will expand its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network by about 80% to 4.4 million homes passed by the end of 2017.
Late last year, PLDT's fiber network covered 2.5 million homes passed nationwide after an aggressive roll out of fiber facilities. This year's expansion plan will add 1.9 million homes to the market that can be served.
Complementing its accelerated rollout of FTTH services, PLDT is starting to deploy hybrid fiber technologies that can deliver super-fast broadband service through regular phone lines in buildings and residences.
PLDT is utilizing the hybrid fiber technologies of KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecom) called GiGa Wire and Huawei Technologies' G fast that can provide data speeds of up to 600-700 Mbps per user. Both technologies work by connecting buildings and dwellings with fiber optic cables and using special equipment to enable the internal copper wiring of these structures to deliver fiber-like data speeds.
PLDT said it has invested P300 billion or $6 billion over the last 10 years to roll-out the country's most expansive network infrastructure. In 2016, it set aside P48 billion or about $1 billion for capital expenditures, a significant portion of which was allocated for the domestic fiber infrastructure.
Oscar Enrico Reyes, PLDT FVP and Home Operations Head
PLDT Home Fibr also provides a more robust platform for a growing range of Smart Home services. For example, home security services such as FamCam, the monitoring device that makes it possible for parents to watch over their family wherever they are, as well as FamZone which allows them to keep their children safe online.
