Marcos ‘optimistic’ as PH gets longest domestic submarine fiber cable network

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expressed excitement and optimism as the country officially lit up the beam of the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) on Thursday.

Spanning approximately 2,500 kilometers, Marcos noted that the PDSCN is now the “longest and highest capacity domestic submarine fiber cable network in the Philippines” which connects the country’s islands in various touch points from the provinces of Quezon to Zamboanga.

“With the completion of the PDSCN, let me express our excitement and our optimism as we zoom in on faster fiber internet speeds for Filipinos,” Marcos said in his speech during the lighting ceremony held in Makati City.

The Philippines lags behind its neighbors in Southeast Asia in terms of internet connection stability, according to the Pulse Internet Resilience Index (IRI).

The IRI report produced by Internet Society, a global internet advocacy group, noted the country ranked 7th in the index after scoring 46 percent, with Singapore scoring the highest with 72 percent; followed by Vietnam with 52 percent; Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Thailand with 51 percent each; and Indonesia with 48 percent.

READ: Japan teams up with US, Australia to build submarine cables

Behind the Philippines are Myanmar with 45 percent; Cambodia, 43 percent; Laos, 42 percent; and Timor-Leste, 38 percent.

The IRI, which covered 170 countries, assessed the availability of internet infrastructure, the ability of networks to provide services, the service providers’ ability to offer a stable connection, and the price of internet deals.

READ: In terms of internet stability, PH ranks only 7th in Southeast Asia

Marcos said the government is continuing to pursue solutions to improve the perennial connectivity issues in the country.

“With the help of our private sector partners, we continue to pursue measures towards providing the Filipino people with reliable and affordable internet services, which will enable us to improve our standing in the world in terms of broadband and mobile internet speed and coverage,” Marcos said.

“Tonight, what we have done here will accelerate the pace of our improvement anew,” he added.

During his visit to the United States in 2023, Marcos expressed that he also wants a deal with technology giant Starlink of American billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk in a bid to solve internet connectivity woes in the country.

READ: Marcos eyes deal with Musk firm on internet connectivity