The country's major telecom operators are pitching themselves as more than network providers, according to a Manila Times supplement published this Thursday, October 29.
What each operator is building
- PLDT and Smart are combining 5G, artificial intelligence, fiber, data centers and satellite connectivity.
- Globe is moving from 5G-Advanced toward an AI-ready network architecture and has begun outlining a path to 6G.
- Converge ICT Solutions is assembling a stack that runs from nationwide fiber through subsea cables and satellite links to data centers and sovereign cloud services.
Lasers for an archipelago
The supplement describes tests of point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access, Google's Taara laser communication technology, and direct-to-device satellite connectivity through Lynk Global. It also describes a plan to deploy more than 400 wireless laser links nationwide over three years, using technology from Transcelestial, to handle last-mile and backhaul connections where laying fiber across islands is difficult.
Globe engineering executive Joel Agustin said the company's approach assumes no single technology will define future national networks.
Why it matters
For startups, the shift matters because AI workloads, cloud services and sovereign data hosting need dependable networks and local infrastructure. A July report cited by digital rights monitors said Philippine 5G quality struggled to meet some minimum requirements for heavier AI use, so operators' build-out plans are worth tracking.
requirements for heavier AI use, so operators' build-out plans are worth tracking.
Sources: Manila Times