US tech giant, Cisco, has bagged a multimillion-dollar deal with PLDT, the country’s largest telecommunication company, to transform its Infrastructure into a fully automated software defined 5G-ready network. This is part of PLDT’s broader transport network transformation project, which will be implemented over the next three years.
PLDT has the country’s largest fiber network footprint of over 244,000 kilometers. It includes four cable landing stations linking the country to major international gateways worldwide. Under this project, PLDT and Cisco will deploy technologies across PLDT’s network to make it more efficient, more resilient, more scalable, and easier to maintain and repair. The software defined architecture will also enable PLDT to fortify customer services with highly dynamic and agile networking capabilities, as well as cybersecurity to safeguard customer data. The automated architecture of the network will also enable PLDT to manage traffic congestion, minimize network outages, and launch new digital services faster. The network transformation project is also part of PLDT’s 5G efforts, and will support the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and Smart City initiatives.
PLDT has also partnered with Huawei for Visayas and Mindanao regions and Ericsson and Nokia for 5G standalone solutions for educational institutions.
(Sources: PLDT; BusinessWorld, Inquirer, The Fast Mode)
