PLDT to expand fiber connections to greenfield areas across the Philippines

PLDT's home broadband unit is reportedly seeking to expand its fiber connections to more greenfield areas across the Philippines, as the company continues to dominate the fiber-to-the-home market segment with 3.2 million customers as of the end of 2023.

PLDT Home generated 53 billion Philippine pesos (US$925.21 million) in fiber-only revenues last year, a 9% growth from the year before. It accounts for 50.6% of the industry's total fiber-only revenues.

"We have to be able to sustain it. We want to continue to grow and outpace the market. In 2024, we are going to reaccelerate our fiber rollout in greenfield areas," said Jeremiah de la Cruz, senior vice president and head of consumer business at PLDT Home, during a press briefing held in Manila on Thursday.

By pushing fiber connectivity into undeveloped areas of the country, PLDT Home expects to reach more households nationwide.

In 2023, PLDT Home reported an average revenue per user of PHP1,493 ($26), an 11% increase from the year before. It also recorded a low customer churn rate of 1.8%, which is below the 2% industry average.

Targeted broadband plans

PLDT Home is coupling its drive to build fiber connectivity in undeveloped areas with an expanded portfolio of broadband services that cater to specific needs of each market segment.

"We plan on leveraging our multiple technologies and tailor-fitted packages to enable connectivity to every home," said de la Cruz.

In February, the company introduced its ultra-fast gigabit fiber plan targeted at high-end customers whose online habits demand higher data speeds than the average 100Mbits/s home Internet connections.

According to PLDT Home, its newest fiber plan delivers broadband speeds that are at least 100 times faster than the average Internet connection.

PLDT Home's Gigabit Fiber comes in four different plans – 1 Gbit/s, 2.5 Gbit/s, 5 Gbit/s and 10 Gbit/s – with monthly subscription fees ranging between PHP7,499 and PHP49,999 ($131 and $873.49). Each plan includes a Wi-Fi 6 mesh system and subscriptions to IPTV and global streaming apps, as well as security services for personal devices.

Currently, subscription to Gigabit Fiber is only available in selected areas in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, but PLDT Home is gearing up to fully launch the service within the year.

Meanwhile, PLDT has been ramping up its subsea cable projects to support its broadband services.

The telco giant is expected to complete by next year its part of the 12,000km Apricot cable system, which will connect the Philippines to Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan and Guam.

PLDT said its fiber infrastructure currently spans over 1.1 million cable kilometers, consisting of more than 200,000 cable kilometers of international fiber and about 900,000 cable kilometers of domestic fiber as of end-September 2023.