GLOBE Telecom Inc. has joined the Candle Cable System consortium, a regional collaboration led by Meta, SoftBank Corp., IPS Inc., TM, PT XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera Tbk and NEC Corp.
Globe said it joined as both investor and landing party, as the cable will connect to Globe’s Nasugbu landing station in Batangas, complementing the Philippine landing station in Baler, Aurora.
The telco said its participation would cover the planning, financing and construction of the new landing station in Batangas.
The consortium is building an 8,000-kilometer, 24-fiber-pair submarine cable system that will pass through Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The submarine cable system is expected to become operational in 2028, providing up to 570 terabits per second of total capacity once online.
“Candle raises the bar for the country’s digital backbone. With the Nasugbu and Baler landings, we are giving enterprises a more resilient path for cloud workloads, AI development, and global operations,” Globe business head KD Dizon said in a statement.
“Businesses cannot afford uncertainty, so our focus is on infrastructure that stays ready even when conditions are tough. This investment reflects our commitment to help Filipino companies compete and grow in a fast-moving digital world,” Dizon added.
Globe said the Candle system would help support the growing need for high-capacity routes that enable advanced analytics, cross-border collaboration and cloud-based operations.
It added that the infrastructure also aligned with the Philippine government’s digitalization and Cloud First direction, which calls for diversified subsea paths and stronger international gateways.
“International capacity is only one part of the equation. The real advantage comes from integrating the Candle Cable System directly into our extensive domestic fiber network,” said Raymond Policarpio, head of strategy management and business investments at Globe.
“By linking this international capacity into our nationwide infrastructure, we ensure that high-speed and low-latency connectivity supports enterprises, small businesses, and mobile and broadband customers across the archipelago,” Policarpio added.
Globe shares closed at P1,615.00 each last Wednesday ahead of a holiday break, down by P10.00 or 0.62 percent.
