NTT WORLD Engineering Marine Corp. said it is bullish on opportunities in the Philippines, noting growing demand for connectivity as the economy digitizes.
The company announced the planned launch of its new submarine telecommunications cable laying vessel, CS VEGA II, in April.
This vessel will be Philippine-flagged and will maintain domestic submarine telecommunication cables, including international submarine cables in nearby waters, the company said.
“For the new vessel that we launched, this will enable international submarine cable maintenance as well,” the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer Mamoru Watanabe told reporters on the sidelines of an event last week.
The company is a partner in the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) which is jointly owned by Eastern Telecommunications Philippines, Inc., Globe Telecom, Inc. and InfiniVAN, Inc.
Eastern Communications parent company Vega Telecom, Inc. is owned by PLDT and Globe.
The PDSCN submarine cable network seeks to enhance connectivity particularly in underserved areas. The project covers a total cable distance of 2,500 kilometers and is considered the longest in the Philippines.
“The opportunity is even more present now because global security is very unstable and a lot of unexpected things (are happening), so demand for submarine cable is increasing. There’s demand from the Philippine side for us to do the laying of submarine cable,” he said.
The company sees an opportunity for submarine cable maintenance in a growing Philippine market, he said.
PLDT Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez, Jr. said PLDT signed a contract last year with the Japanese company to repair and maintain its submarine cables.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose