Telco giant PLDT officially fired up on Friday, July 30, the US-Transpacific Jupiter Cable system, which is touted as the Philippines’ fastest and direct data cable link to the US and Japan.
Held at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City, the launch saw PLDT activate the country’s link to the newest international submarine cable with some of the top enterprises from the country’s major industries, key officials from the government, and diplomatic partners.
The 14,000-kilometer Jupiter Cable system is the newest international gateway connecting the Philippines directly from PLDT’s cable landing station in Daet, Camarines Norte to Japan and the US West Coast.
PLDT invested P7 billion in the cable system, allowing it to have a 30-percent share in the consortium composed of Amazon, Facebook, NTT, PCCW Global, PLDT and SoftBank.
“Our investment in Jupiter will exponentially boost the Philippines’ international capacity, ramp up the global trade of digital services, and propel the nation’s digital economy, while increasing Internet speed and reliability for Filipinos,” PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio said.
PLDT said Jupiter will triple its international capacity to about 60 Terabit/s, meeting the rapidly growing requirements for digital services and supports data-driven industries, particularly those with global operations and high-bandwidth demands such as BPOs, multinationals, and global hyperscalers.
During the launch, Panlilio emphasized that strengthening undersea cable links, especially those landing in the US and Japan, is crucial as the bulk of Internet content and services being accessed by Filipinos — which are mostly offered by global hyperscalers — are from servers in the US, while a material portion of demand for content is served via Japan.
The capacity offered by Jupiter is expected to help promote the Philippines to global hyperscalers and position the country as the new digital hub in the Asia-Pacific, top executives said.
“This milestone immensely strengthens our thrust in helping us position the Philippines as the next hyperscaler hub of Asia-Pacific and enriching the country’s Hyperscale Ecosystem,” said PLDT and Smart FVP and head of enterprise business group Jojo G. Gendrano.
“It will also enable us to increase international capacity into our data centers — now a major component of the country’s digital ecosystem — and enhance the attractiveness of the country as an investment destination. Our network of VITRO data centers, with our newest to be built in Sta. Rosa, readies the country to service and drive this rising industry,” he added.
Currently, PLDT has extensive participation in 16 international submarine cable networks and is set to expand further with the completion of two more major international cable systems, namely Asia Direct Cable (ADC) and the APRICOT cable system, set to be completed in the next two years.
