PLDT, Inc. has obtained certification from technical services provider TüV Rheinland for its cable landing stations.
In a statement, the telecommunications firm said three PLDT cable landing stations were awarded ISO 22301:2012 certifications, namely the La Union Cable Landing Station (LUCLS) in Bauang, La Union; the Daet Cable Landing Station (DCLS) in Daet, Camarines Norte; and the Batangas Cable Landing Station (BCLS) in Nasugbu, Batangas
ISO 22301:2012 is a comprehensive international standard for management systems that ensures business continuity.
“This ISO certification states that PLDT is well-prepared and equipped to manage the impact of disasters that may affect our cable landing stations which are mission critical facilities in delivering quality voice and data services to our customers,” PLDT Chief Corporate Services Officer Ray C. Espinosa said in a statement.
“The certification evidences PLDT’s conformance to rigorous practices in preventing, mitigating, responding and recovering from disruptive incidents. As a mission-critical enterprise, PLDT continues to raise the bar of excellence and reliability as we assessed and certified their compliance with this world-class standard ISO 22301,” Tristan Arwen G. Loveres, managing director of TüV Rheinland Philippines was quoted as saying in a statement.
The La Union Cable Landing Station covers the Asia America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable system located at the seabed connecting LUCLS to Tanguisson, Guam and South Lantau, Hong Kong.
The Daet Cable Landing Station contains the Asia Submarine Cable Express (ASE) and connects to Shinmaruyma, Japan, East Coast, Singapore and Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong.
The Batangas Cable Landing Station is home to the South East Asia Middle East Western Europe 3 (SEA-ME-WE3) and Asia Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) submarine cable systems. SEA-ME-WE3 and APCN2 link the Philippines to countries in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Western Europe.
PLDT has invested around P300 billion or nearly $6 billion in the last decade for its fixed and wireless network infrastructure, which now has 150,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables.
Last week, PLDT said it is investing around P7 billion ($136.7 million) in a new Trans-Pacific cable system called JUPITER. The system will be built and operated by a consortium of global firms including Amazon and Facebook.
The new Asia-Africa-Europe 1 Submarine Cable System (AAE-1) is expected to be launched before the end of the year. PLDT invested P500 million for AAE-1.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. – Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
