PLDT's Smart Communications Inc. on Tuesday said it had partnered with EdgePoint Towers Inc. for the rollout of solar-powered telecommunication towers across the country, starting with 20 Smart-leased sites in off-grid areas.
Smart said the move was part of efforts to integrate sustainability into its network operations while upgrading service reliability in remote and underserved areas.
“Ensuring reliable connectivity is our foremost priority, especially in communities where power supply is unstable," PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo Jimenez Jr. said.
"Solarizing these towers significantly improves uptime and service continuity by giving our equipment a more dependable energy source for our network,” he added.
PLDT said the installed solar capacity and battery storage of the towers would help reduce reliance on diesel, reducing consumption by approximately 198,000 liters annually and avoiding around 545 tons of carbon emissions each year.
The telco added the initiative also supported its decarbonization roadmap, which aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 from a 2019 baseline.
Meanwhile, EdgePoint CEO Suresh Sidhu said they plan to continuously work alongside PLDT in strengthening sustainability across its network operations.
“As demand for connectivity continues to grow, it is critical that infrastructure evolves in a way that is both resilient and environmentally responsible,” he said.
“Our goal is to deliver dependable, energy-efficient tower solutions that not only help operators like Smart expand reliable connectivity to underserved and remote communities, but also significantly reduce the environmental footprint of network operations,” he added.
PLDT shares on Tuesday rose P51, or 3.93 percent, to close at P1,350 each.
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