PLDT to build FTTH facilities in GenSan

MANILA, Philippines - PLDT Inc. is putting in place fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities in General Santos – its first “Fibr City” in Mindanao – to allow individuals there to experience super fast internet.

The project is being implemented through a partnership with the local government of General Santos City.

“GenSan’s robust export industry and burgeoning medium to large enterprises, as well as its growing and diverse population, fits the profile of a Fibr City,” Oscar Reyes Jr., PLDT first vice president and head of home business said in a statement.

“PLDT Home Fibr will provide GenSan’s residents with the platform, the power and the connection they need to take advantage of the vast opportunities in these rapidly evolving digital times. This roll-out is part of our ongoing expansion plans with the end goal of giving Filipinos all over the country access to the strongest connections at home,” he said.

Residents of the whole SOCCKSARGEN region – composed of provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani – will benefit from the project.

They can now enjoy equal upload and download speeds of up to one Gbps and get access to entertainment and gaming content from PLDT Home partners and providers like iflix, Netflix, Fox+ and iWant TV, among others, for as low as P1,899 per month.

In addition, families can use home security devices such as the home monitoring system Fam Cam, the cyber security platform Fam Zone and the multi-functional kiddie gadget Smart Watch.

“We are excited and proud to be among the first Fibr cities of PLDT. We are looking forward to this continued partnership that will bring world-class internet service to homes and businesses in our city,” GenSan City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said.

Last month, PLDT rolled out FTTH facilities in Toledo City in Cebu for its first ever “Fibr City” project in the country.

“PLDT envisions to increase the number of Smart Homes and Fibr cities nationwide which will result in the Philippines being a Smart Nation,” PLDT chairman and chief executive officer Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

As of end-2016, PLDT’s FTTH network covered around 2.8 million homes.

For this year, PLDT aims to expand the reach of its FTTH network by covering around 4.4 million homes to enable more individuals to experience ultra-fast internet connection.

To further expand its fiber-speed internet service, PLDT is deploying hybrid fiber technologies such as Huawei Technologies’ G.fast which can boost data speeds up to 600 to 700 Mbps over existing copper lines.

By the end of next year, PLDT aims to have all its subscribers to be in “smart homes” through FTTH and fiber-fast services.

The group has spent more than P300 billion or $6 billion over the last 10 years to build its fixed and wireless network.

At present, PLDT has the country’s most extensive fiber transmission and distribution infrastructure with 150,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables catering to the rising data traffic.