InfiniVAN Inc., the local affiliate of Japanese telecommunications giant IPS Inc., and local partners Globe Telecom and Eastern Telecommunications powered up the Visayas and Mindanao component of the 2,500 kilometer Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) project.
The Board of Investments (BOI) said the partnership spent P649 million to have the segment of the domestic subsea submarine cable project up and working.
“I congratulate InfiniVAN for this truly innovative project, as it can help open opportunities in various regions in the country and can provide faster internet for the Filipino people. This is a testament that investments from the foreign trips of the President are coming to fruition. Rest assured that there are many projects in the pipeline that will boost the country’s economy and provide employment for Filipinos,” said BOI chairman and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who led the lighting-up ceremony for the express route of PDSCN, noted the significance of ensuring the provision of reliable and affordable internet services to the Filipino people.
InfiniVAN holds 40 percent share of the subsets cable, which is now the longest and highest capacity domestic submarine fiber cable network in the country.
Establishing touch points in 21 provinces including Quezon up to Zamboanga, the company has activated its service in Iloilo, Bacolod, Boracay, Caticlan, Pinamalayan, Surigao, Palanas, Bulan and Placer.
“The completion of our PDSCN project reaffirms our conviction and is a testament that ‘coopetition’ works, having done it with erstwhile competitors Eastern and Globe Telecom,” said InfiniVAN chairman Koji Miyashita.
InfiniVan started operating in the Philippines in 2015, years before the amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) took effect.
“With the amended PSA taking effect, we have lined up additional investments in fiber optic backbone infrastructure along toll roads, PNR routes and the Metro Manila Subway Project among others. We are also looking into building new submarine cable landing stations for international cables as well as facilitating the launch of a Philippine flagship satellite,” Miyashita said.
InfiniVAN’s PDSCN links the Visayas and Mindanao to the Luzon network with substantial capacity to accommodate the data and internet traffic needs of each island.