Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25) — Industry giant PLDT is optimistic its fiber home broadband service will continue to gain ground this year despite more employers demanding workers to get back on site amid the drop in COVID cases.
PLDT senior vice president and head of Consumer Business-Home Jeremiah de la Cruz said the group expects its fiber broadband subscriber base to gain more than one million more subscribers by the end of 2022.
This, as the market still poses a “huge opportunity” amid fixed broadband’s low level of penetration, which is estimated at 20%, the executive said.
He added that the COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the need to invest in a reliable connection at home.
“We do know that there are changing conditionsI think we’re talking about hybrid school conditions, hybrid work conditions… If you’re looking at hybrid, it means the need is still there. You still do need the connectivity at home. I think that’s reflecting with the demand remaining strong in the marketplace,” de la Cruz said.
Currently, PLDT Home has reached more than 3.1 million fixed broadband homes, 2.6 million of which are fiber subscribers.
In the first quarter alone, the segment attracted 213,000 new fiber-to-the-home subscribers.
Earlier this month, PLDT bared it decided to hike its investment for this year, from an initial ₱76-80 billion to ₱85 billion. It said in a filing dated May 5 that the boosted capital expenditures would support its home broadband and data center businesses.
