PLDT hiking investments on network infrastructure upgrade  

MANILA, Philippines —  Telco giant PLDT Inc. has committed to increase investments on network upgrades to sustain the country’s rise in terms of electronic infrastructure and internet quality.

PLDT wants the Philippines to continue climbing international measures for tech adoption, such as the Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index wherein it improved in two categories.

As such, PLDT network head Eric Santiago said PLDT would keep on investing in new assets and solutions to cater to the connectivity needs of consumers, enterprises, and government.

“We continue to optimize and fortify our network as we strive to keep families connected, enable businesses of all sizes, and power the government’s e-governance initiatives. Ultimately, we want to narrow the digital divide,” Santiago said.

PLDT president and CEO Alfredo Panlilio sits as a member of the Digital Infrastructure Cluster under the Private Sector Advisory Council. PSAC submits to President Marcos policy proposals that support economic expansion.

In this year’s edition of the DQL Index, however, the Philippines dropped by five notches to 60th out of 121 countries and placed 17th out of 35 countries in Asia.

The country slipped to 104th on internet affordability, 64th on electronic government, and 45th on electronic security worldwide.

On the other hand, the Philippines rose by 24 places to 21st on internet quality, and by 11 notches to 54th on electronic infrastructure.

The DQL Index looks into the digital well being of 121 economies representing 92 percent of the global population. For this year, France landed first, followed by Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

PLDT iss the largest telco in the country, delivering the most reliable network, according to independent checkers. Ookla named PLDT as the fastest internet service provider in the Philippines, registering the highest speed score of 86.52 in 2022.

According to Ookla, PLDT turned up the fastest speeds in several areas around the archipelago, beating competitors in localities like Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, and Pasig City.

PLDT has a subscriber base of 2.9 million for its broadband market as of 2022, installing more than six million fiber ports in around 17,700 barangays nationwide.