PLDT Splashes Out on Key Subsea Cable Routes

By Ian Scales, Telecom TV
March 21, 2025

Philippines telco PLDT has finished an important stage in its ongoing programme of subsea network expansion by completing the cable laying for key branches of the Apricot cable system at two landing points on the archipelago – one station at Baler on the east coast of Luzon in the north, and the second at Digos in the Davao region of the southern island of Mindanao.

The two cable landings are a significant step forward for the Philippines’ dominant telco, which is investing in submarine network capacity in the face of continuing national and regional bandwidth demand.

The Apricot cable system runs from Singapore to Japan along a main trunk that stretches 8,232km with 12 fibre pairs. On the route between the two countries, there are a number of branches that connect to Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and Taiwan (for the full picture see this network map).

With respect to the branches that PLDT has landed in the Philippines, the 479km branch to Baler has 15 fibre pairs, of which the telco owns two fibre pairs (Meta owns seven and Google six), while the 181km branch to Digos has four fibre pairs, with PLDT and Meta each owning two.

Each fibre pair supports capacity of up to 17.6 Tbit/s and, according to PLDT, the planned capacity on the Apricot branch routes to the Philippines will increase its international network capacity by around a third to reach a total of about 140 Tbit/s.

“Our continued investment in our network, including our international submarine cable systems like Apricot, are part of our enduring commitment to ensure the success of our partners, boost the economy by propelling the country’s digitalisation aspirations, and help position the Philippines as a strategic datacentre hub in Asia Pacific,” stated Jojo Gendrano, senior VP and head of the Enterprise Business Group at PLDT. “With these advancements, the Philippines is primed to support next-generation technologies like 5G, IoT, and AI, elevating digital experiences for enterprises and consumers alike,” Gendrano added.

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