PLDT has upgraded its domestic backhaul network using optical equipment from US-based Ciena to improve how international traffic from the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) system is delivered to customers nationwide.
The telco said it is using Ciena’s 6500 platform powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optical technology to carry multi-terabit traffic from the ADC landing station to its national fiber backbone.
The upgrade is expected to support higher volumes of cloud, enterprise, and consumer data and reduce latency between the subsea cable and PLDT’s domestic network.
ADC, a 9,400-kilometer subsea system linking the Philippines to key Asian markets, is a major source of international capacity for PLDT.
The new backhaul setup is intended to ensure that capacity from the cable can be fully utilized by local networks, including PLDT’s enterprise and hyperscaler customers.
The deployment also includes Ciena’s Navigator Network Control Suite, which provides automated tools for network planning, provisioning, and monitoring.
PLDT said the software is meant to streamline operations amid rising demand for data connectivity from businesses and cloud providers.
The upgraded backhaul connects directly to Vitro Santa Rosa, PLDT’s newest data center and the company’s first facility designed to support large-scale AI workloads.
PLDT earlier adopted Ciena’s optical technology for its data center interconnect system, linking VITRO sites to enable faster and more secure movement of enterprise workloads.
