FttH Deployment: PLDT turns General Santos City into a 'Fibr City'

Philippines telecoms and digital services provider PLDT has laid down fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities in General Santos City, making it the first 'Fibr City' in Mindanao which can experience fiber-fast internet for its diverse population and bustling enterprises.

Undertaken in partnership with the GenSan local government, the FTTH roll-out will benefit the growing data connectivity needs of the whole SOCCSKSARGEN region which is composed of the vibrant provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.

“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,” said PLDT FVP and Head of Home Business Oscar Enrico A. Reyes Jr.

“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,” Reyes said.

Residents in this city can now experience equal upload and download speeds of up to 1 Gbps, and gain unique access to compelling entertainment and gaming content from PLDT Home partners and renowned providers like iflix, Netflix, Fox+, and iWant TV, among others, at subscription fees of as low as P1,899 per month.

Families will also enjoy added peace of mind with 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.

According to GenSan City Mayor Ronnel Rivera: “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.”

Earlier this year, PLDT completed its first ever “Fibr City” project with the roll-out of FTTH facilities in Toledo City, Cebu, serving the fast-growing city’s residents and its mining and tourism industries.

“PLDT envisions to increase the number of Smart Homes and Fibr Cities nationwide which will result in the Philippines being a Smart Nation,” said PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

With a footprint of around 2.8 million homes passed as of end-2016, PLDT is further expanding the reach of its FTTH network to about 4.4 million homes passed by the end of the year, making available the ultra-fast internet connection to more Filipino families in various parts of the country.

To further extend the reach of its fiber-speed internet service, PLDT has also started to deploy hybrid fiber technologies such as Huawei Technologies’ G.fast which can boost data speeds up to 600-700 Mbps over existing copper lines.

PLDT envisions that all of its subscribers will be in “smart homes” by end-2018. Enabled by its combined FTTH and fiber-fast services, PLDT will continue to have an unrivaled robust and efficient platform for offering its growing portfolio of entertainment, “peace of mind,” and other “Smart Home” services.

The PLDT group has invested over P300 billion or $6 billion over the last 10 years in building its integrated fixed and wireless network, which includes the country’s most extensive fiber transmission and distribution infrastructure which now has 150,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables that support the growing data traffic of its fixed line and mobile networks.