Reiterating the company’s commitment to invest in its nationwide network, leading integrated telco PLDT, Inc. (PLDT) welcomes legislation calling for fast, reliable, secure and affordable internet for Filipinos across the country.
This follows the recent refiling of Senate Bill No. 329 in the 19th Congress. Also known as The Better Internet Act, the Bill pushes for all telcos and internet service providers to cover unserved and underserved areas within three years.
“We remain committed to expanding our network coverage, which is key to our goal of elevating the quality of customer experience across the country,” said PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio. “Our mission is to keep our countrymen connected by ensuring that our network is reliable and accessible to more Filipinos, wherever they may be in the country.”
“With price points that provide real value for money, our fixed and wireless internet services are also designed to cater to all segments of the market,” Panlilio added.
As of end-March 2022, PLDT has extended its fiber infrastructure to 803,000 kilometers, the country’s most extensive fiber network. This infrastructure also supports Smart’s mobile network. Smart has deployed around 76,600 total base stations nationwide, supporting its 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G customers, as of end-March.
This continued network expansion is part of the PLDT Group’s sustained investments in their network. Network-related initiatives made up the bulk of the ₱89 billion spend for 2021. This brings total capex spent over the last 10 years to ₱518.5 billion. Capex guidance for 2022 is P85 billion.
For this continued investment in their fixed and wireless networks, PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) swept the Ookla Speedtest Awards in all the quarters of 2021. Ookla declared Smart as the winner of its Speedtest Awards for Q3-Q4 2021 with a Speed Score of 201.95, Median Download Speed of 218.82 Mbps and a Median Upload Speed of 22.46 Mbps. Ookla also found that PLDT is the country’s Fastest Broadband for the same period with a Speed Score of 77.24, top download speeds of 203.97 Mbps and top upload speeds of 217.07 Mbps.
