{
  "id": 14487432,
  "title": "Philippines pitched as Asia’s subsea cable corridor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/philippines-pitched-as-asias-subsea-cable-corridor",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-14T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Philippine Star Business",
    "slug": "philippine-star-business",
    "url": "https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/10/15/2563227/philippines-pitched-asias-subsea-cable-corridor"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Manila, Philippines — In a bid to position itself as a vital digital crossroad in Asia-Pacific, telco giant PLDT Inc. has pitched the Philippines as a hub for submarine cable corridors. The country's strategic location in the Asia-Pacific region makes it an ideal candidate for such a role, according to PLDT Global Corp. president and CEO Albert Villa-Real. However, transforming the Philippines into a major transit point for these cables demands significant investments and procedural reforms, particularly from the government. Villa-Real emphasized the need for the government to simplify the permitting process for cable deployment, repair works, and the establishment of a robust network backbone, including cloud ecosystems, data centers, and underground lines that connect to households. Subsea cables, crucial for internet connectivity in the archipelagic nation of over 7,600 islands, face risks from man-made and natural threats, such as earthquakes, fishing activities, and ship anchoring. PLDT's first vice president for network design and engineering, Arvin Siena, highlighted the difficulty in protecting these cables and the necessary specialized vessels for repairs, which require multiple government permits. While national security is a priority, Siena warned against overly complex procedures that could hinder infrastructure development. PLDT's network already connects to critical subsea cables like the Apricot Cable System and the Jupiter Cable System, underscoring the importance of underwater cables for rapid and reliable global connectivity.",
  "summary": "The Philippines, with its strategic location, has the potential to become a convergence point for submarine cables, but this would require investing in high-value assets, according to telco giant PLDT Inc.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}