President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. announced that the Philippines will be connected to the first subsea cable system from the United States that would improve Wi-Fi connection in the country.
Marcos bared that the country will benefit from the project that will put a submarine fiber optic cable from the west coast of the United States which will give bigger bandwidth and faster internet connection. Micro Duct Accessories System
He said this following a meeting with Converge founder and CEO Dennis Anthony Uy and proponent partner Thomas Pang Thieng Hwi, CEO and executive director of Keppel Telecommunications and Transportation Inc., on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
"I just finished a meeting with the Converge group who have tied up with the Keppel group to put in a submarine fiber optic cable from the west coast of the United States; it will connect to the Philippines and it will also connect to Singapore and Indonesia and this will again give us bigger bandwidth," Marcos said.
"This will give us a better communication system when it comes to all the online services that we are using globally," the chief executive added.
The President said the Bifrost Cable System Project, a joint undertaking of Converge and Keppel T&T, would include the Philippines in its fiber optic cable coming from the west coast of the United States.
According to Malacañang, the Bifrost Cable System Project is the world's first subsea cable system that directly connects Singapore to the west coast of North America, passing through Indonesia, Philippines, and Guam.
The multiple fiber-paired, high-performance Bifrost Cable System will also be the largest high-speed transmission cable across the Pacific Ocean, it added.
The 15,000-kilometer system, which is expected to be completed in 2024, aims to boost the connectivity of the region’s governments and businesses, including cloud operators, telecommunications operators, network providers, over-the-top providers, data centers, and consumers for a better digital experience.
As of January 2023, the Ookla Speedtest Global Index data showed that the Philippines ranked 82nd out of 142 countries in terms of mobile internet speed and 41st out of 180 countries in terms of fixed broadband media speed.
Micro Duct Accessories System WATCH: President Marcos bares meeting with internet provider Converge to achieve the Philippines' goal to boost Wi-Fi connectivity with subsea cable system. PCO @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/Gn5DixqMgc