PLDT seeks gov’t help on fiber safety

Telco giant PLDT Inc. is seeking cooperation from the government and other service providers to help in ensuring the safety of fiber cables from construction and excavation activities.

PLDT said fiber optic cables, which deliver the fastest and most reliable connectivity, are seen as the most vulnerable to external factors and events that are beyond the control of service providers.

“As we continue to ramp up our installation and repair capability while expanding our fixed and wireless networks to improve service quality, we must also work more closely with the government and other service providers,” PLDT regulatory and strategic affairs head Aileen Regio said.

“Proper and prior coordination with other entities before they conduct their construction and excavation activities will help us avoid incidents of damage to our facilities which consequently result in hampered or disrupted telecommunications services,” she said.

While fiber is resistant to human or electrical interference, fiber optic cables can be physically cut and damaged, leading to disrupted service.

To help mitigate the impact of a physically cut or damaged fiber optic cable, PLDT has put in place a resilience and redundancy program for a large part of its fiber infrastructure,

This program provides multiple cable routes that allow the network to reroute and redirect affected data traffic, helping ensure continuous operations and connectivity amid fiber cuts or maintenance activities.

However, PLDT said accidental physical cuts to PLDT’s fiber network have still been found to cause service disruption even with the redundancy program in place.

Debbie Hu, first vice president for network operations under the PLDT-Smart technology group, said the bulk of service disruptions encountered by the company was caused by man-made incidents that accidentally damage its fiber cables.

Hu said incidents that include road excavation, drainage projects, bridge construction, diggings, and related works have caused significant service interruptions and outage.