PLDT Home is set to launch in December a 10,000 megabits per second (Mbps) fiber-optic service, which is seen to enable smart homes in the Philippines.
PLDT Home will pilot the new service in Metro Manila in December and then roll it out to key cities outside the capital region such as Cebu and Davao in 2022.
“The 10,000 Mbps fiber-optic service lays the groundwork for future innovation like smart homes,” PLDT Senior Advisor for Home Business Jeremiah De La Cruz said at a virtual event on Friday.
Smart homes, as defined by market and consumer data provider Statistica.com, are private households that are controlled, monitored, and regulated through networked devices.
According to Statistica, the Philippines’ household penetration rate would be 7.5% this year and 14.2%, or 3.4 million active smart homes, by 2025.
This year, the Philippines ranked 48th out of 110 countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index because of improvements in internet quality and electronic security, according to a study by information technology firm Surfshark Ltd.
In 2020, the country ranked 66th due to poor scores in internet affordability, internet quality, electronic infrastructure, electronic security, and electronic government. The Philippines’ main issue was its internet quality, which ranked 84th.
“Launching 10,000 Mbps shows our commitment to bring the country’s digital infrastructure to the future,” Mr. De La Cruz said.
“PLDT Home’s fiber will not just power smart homes, but also new metaverse applications that are currently in development around the globe,” he added.
PLDT added 324,000 new fiber subscribers as of September, bringing the company’s total fixed broadband customers to 2.77 million at the end of the third quarter.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin