30 October 2025
Philippine telecommunications provider PLDT is advancing its digital infrastructure by deploying optical solutions from US vendor Ciena, aiming to improve data transmission from the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) system to local users..png?lu=498)
The upgrade involves the deployment of Ciena’s 6500 platform to enhance the backhaul of international traffic — specifically from global cloud providers — across PLDT’s domestic network backbone. This initiative is designed to increase the efficiency, capacity, and reliability of data flows within the Philippines.
Blums Pineda, Senior Vice President and Head of the Enterprise Business Group at PLDT and Smart, emphasized that this upgrade is a strategic move to strengthen the country’s digital backbone: “it ensures that international capacity from the ADC system effectively translates into improved connectivity for our users.”
Matt Vesperman, Vice President for Asia Pacific at Ciena, highlighted the Philippines’ growing importance as a regional hub for cloud providers and expanding enterprises. He noted that Ciena’s optical solutions are instrumental in boosting connectivity quality for these players, enabling the country to support increasing digital demands.
Ciena’s technology allows PLDT to manage multi-terabit traffic volumes with low latency and high capacity, connecting the ADC landing station to the national backbone efficiently. The ADC system is linked to PLDT’s recently launched VITRO Santa Rosa data centre, which is touted as the country’s first AI-ready facility. Operated by PLDT’s VITRO Inc., this high-tech data centre forms part of the company’s broader strategy to expand enterprise connectivity and support digital services through its extensive data centre interconnect network across the Philippines.
