Google/FB cable connection to PH to start this August

Eliseo Rio Jr., Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary, has confirmed that the international submarine cable project collaborated with Google and Facebook will be available this August.

Dubbed as the Pacific Light Cable Network (PCLN), the project will connect the Philippines, Taiwan, and HongKong to Los Angeles with an undersea cable system. It aims to provide the Philippines with a high-speed internet connection at a much lower cost.

Initially set to launch last year, the project has seen delays due to geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. It was reported that the Trump administration had not authorized the direct connection from Los Angeles to HongKong; however, Facebook has been granted authorization to connect the Philippines.

The PCLN project will provide the Philippines with an annual internet capacity of 2 Tbps (terabits per second) for free, in exchange for using the government’s Luzon Bypass Infrastructure, the Philippines’ government-controlled landing stations and cable facilities. The PCLN project, specifically, will connect to the Baler, Aurora station, by the third quarter of 2020.

Source: The Inquirer