MANILA, PHILIPPINES — President Rodrigo Duterte commended Globe Telecom on Friday, September 22, for the company’s continuing efforts to improve internet connectivity in the country through the 250-million USD SEA-US submarine cable system that the company recently launched to provide faster internet transmission, more efficient connectivity, and greater network resilience for Mindanao and the rest of the country.
In his speech delivered by Sec. Martin Andanar during the launch, President Duterte expressed his gratitude to Globe for choosing Davao City as the host of the SEA-US cable system.
“The Southeast Asia – US Cable System will definitely reinforce the capacity and resiliency of our information infrastructure, leading to improved communication capacities, better access to basic services, increased competitiveness, and smarter cities,” he stated.
Improved Internet Services
For the past years, the Philippines has lagged behind in terms of internet connectivity speed. According to the survey results from the UK based company OpenSignal, the Philippines’ “overall speed” from November 26, 2016 to January 31, 2017 was the second slowest among a list of 87 countries. However, this is being addressed by Globe through aggressive deployment of leading edge network technology and commercial operations of the SEA-US cable system.
The 14,500 kilometer SEA-US cable connects to five territories namely Manado (Indonesia), Davao (Philippines), Piti (Guam), Oahu (United States) and Los Angeles (United States). As Globe Telecom’s first direct connection to the United States, it offers faster transmission from the data provided abroad. This results in more stable and faster internet connections for businesses and households in the Philippines.
“The Globe SEA-US Cable system will enable businesses to thrive and prosper with 1st world internet connectivity at cost-efficient rates in support of the government’s efforts to make the Philippines become globally competitive,” Globe President and CEO, Ernest Cu states.
The cable is connected to the Globe landing station in Barangay Talomo, Davao City and uses the latest 100 gigabits per second transmission technology to deliver an additional 20 terabits per second capacity. This added capacity addresses the exponential demand for bandwidth in the country.
Cu adds, “This will make our network future-ready in anticipation of our customers’ growing bandwidth requirements.”
Economic growth for the PH
“Over the years, the internet has become an important medium that we use to provide access to services and opportunities, improve the country’s competitiveness and drive economic growth,” said President Duterte.
“For this reason, the public and private sectors must work together and collaborate more in developing our country’s information infrastructure… I encourage the private sector to do the same and join this administration in ensuring that our people can harness the power of the internet to realize their full potential,” he said further.
With the SEA-US cable’s undersea placement, the Philippines can expect a reduced dependence on international cables that go through Japan and North Asia, but also an internet connection that can deliver superior service despite the occurrence of natural disasters. In fact when the recent super typhoon hit Hong Kong, Globe Telecom’s network was able to provide uninterrupted internet connection to its corporate and individual customers in spite of the damages caused by the calamity.
An undeterred connection like this will definitely allow local businesses to further thrive and develop in the constantly-changing landscape of technology. And this in effect, will help in the increase of economic growth within the country.
Senior Vice President for Globe Enterprise Group, Peter Maquera explains, “The SEA-US cable system will augur well for businesses in Davao City. It will attract more players from major trade and industry centers in Mindanao region and expand more BPO spaces – which means the creation of more jobs in the service sector and more livelihood opportunities not only the people of Davao but also for neighboring cities and municipalities.”
A Worthy Investment
Globe Telecom has invested an approximate 80 Million USD on this new cable system. And with the annual investment used for LTE deployment of 700 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, and 2600 Mhz frequencies, internet subscribers and local business owners can anticipate markedly improved internet speeds in their homes and offices in the near future.
The SEA-US cable system was built by a consortium of seven international telecommunications companies which includes Globe. Globe Telecom is also a member of an international consortium of telecommunications and technology companies operating the Southeast Asia-Japan Cable (SJC) system which links seven territories. It has also made investments in the East Asia Cable system (EAC), Asia Pacific Cable Network-2 (APCN2), Tata Global Network–Intra Asia cable system (TGN-IA), the City to City cable system (C2C), and is interconnected with major Trans-Pacific Cable systems that encompass the Unity, Tata Global Network-Pacific, (TGN-P) and the Japan-US Cable Network (J-US).