PLDT to deploy Ph's first laser internet

GOOGLE'S TAARA

- By ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

Telco giant PLDT Inc. is activating the first laser communication sites in the Philippines that can provide internet to consumers without the need for submarine cables and underground fiber.

After evaluating the technology for more than a year, PLDT is introducing Google's Taara in the country, targeting three sites in Luzon as the first bases.

The telco plans to operate the laser sites in Talim Island in Rizal; Dipaluda, Isabela and Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City.

Taara is developed by Google's X, The Moonshot Factory, which creates breakthrough solutions to address complex issues. Taara uses beams of light to transmit data in long distances, much like fiber optics but minus the physical cable.