With discussions focusing on improving internet to the Philippines
For the first time ever, the Philippines hosts the 13th FTTH APAC Conference from May 8 to 10 at Shangri-La Fort, Taguig City. The annual conference aims to discuss ways of making the Philippines connected to the internet. PLDT, Globe, Converge, and Philippine Cable Television Association leads the hosting of this year’s conference with the theme “Connecting the business, policy, and technology of fiber to everywhere.”
Key discussions of the 3-day conference include improving the country’s fiber network. PLDT Senior Vice President Oscar Reyes Jr, Globe Telecom Chief Technology and Information Officer Gil Genio, and Converge ICT CEO Dennis Uy shared their thoughts on the country’s state of fiber networks.
“The Asia Pacific market, especially the Philippines, will play a crucial role in the region’s dynamic telecoms sector and this is an exciting time for us as we continue to innovate and evolve,” Reyes said.
While all three companies have been active in expanding fiber coverage, challenges are met along the way. Common between the three includes difficulties in securing permits in LGUs and private subdivisions, lack of government policies on joint pole use, road right-of-way issues, and costs in building infrastructure at high-density and geographically challenging areas.
Speaking at the forum, Uy and Genio believe that open access can benefit everyone while maintaining a healthy competition as it helps in reducing costs in building new infrastructure around the Philippines. “That’s the only way people from far-flung locations can get access to the internet,” Genio said.
While open access may involve sharing of resources between the telcos, FTTH Vice President Arvind Mishra believes that there will still be fair competition. “It will be less expensive for the operators, and subscribers will benefit from it,” he said, adding that government support will greatly benefit from an open access policy, especially with the internet being a necessity like water, gas, and electricity.
As for services, Reyes adds that while better coverage is important, providing consumers with quality services and a quality network is also a priority as well. “It can change businesses, quality of life of consumers,” Reyes said. Asked about building 5G infrastructure, Reyes notes that they are working on it, and that building fiber infrastructure serves as the backbone for their 5G network.
“If you want to make 5G possible in the future, we need to break the site issue,” Genio said.
Competition aside, there’s one clear message: all are committed to expanding the fiber network coverage in the Philippines, and that they will do their best effort regardless of the challenges ahead of them. With increased demand for content such as video streaming and 4K, the need to expand fiber coverage in the Philippines is more important than ever, and that there’s a need for everyone’s support—including the government—to make it a reality.
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