PLDT Inc. announced recently that the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) Consortium, of which it is a member, is building a high-performance submarine cable connecting the Philippines, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The consortium has selected NEC Corp. to construct the 9,400-kilometer-long ADC cable, which is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2022.

The ADC cable system will strengthen the resiliency of PLDT’s international network by providing additional capacity for internet and digital services via a new route through the East and Southeast regions.

Its high capacity allows it to support increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications that are driven by technological advancements such as 5G, cloud services, Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence. It will also enhance the capabilities of PLDT’s extensive fiber cable network which already spans over 338,000 kilometers across the archipelago and links the country to key destinations in different parts of the world.

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“The ADC will further improve PLDT’s network resiliency by strengthening its data links to Asia and the rest of the world,” said PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president Al S. Panlilio. “This will help PLDT to address the expanding demand for more digital services for both enterprises and our individual customers.”

High-capacity optical fiber

The ADC is a global consortium comprised of leading communications and technology companies, including CAT, China Telecom, China Unicom, Singtel, SoftBank Corp., Tata Communications, and Viettel.

The cable will feature multiple pairs of high-capacity optical fibers and is designed to carry more than 140 Tbps of traffic, enabling high-capacity transmission of data across the East and Southeast Asian regions. This will further enhance the expansion of communications networks in the region.

“Along with PLDT’s existing international submarine cable systems, Asia Direct Cable would complement to provide further diversity and resiliency to PLDT’s international network with the capability to boost the internet and data services that it provides to its customers,” said PLDT FVP and head of International & Carrier Business Group, and president/CEO of PLDT Global Corp. Kat Luna-Abelarde.

Koji Ishii of SoftBank and ADC co-chair said, this new system will contribute to drive the Asian ICT business growth as one of the core infrastructures in the region and to meet the evolving marketplace. “As a leading submarine cable system vendor, NEC has successfully provided many Trans-Asia submarine cable systems and making the company the most reliable choice for the ADC supply partner.”