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MANILA - Meralco and PLDT have dropped a plan to offer broadband over power lines because of interference from radio signals.
“After several trials in Metro Manila, we found the broadband over power lines project unstable because of electrical usage interferences. That’s why it was terminated,” Napoloen Nazareno, president of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., said.
Manila Electric Co. and PLDT had been offering BOPL on a pilot test basis since August 2009 in Malabon.
“The test results were not promising. Too much interference over the power lines on Meralco’s current infrastructure," said Ramon Isberto, PLDT spokesperson.
Meralco and PLDT were banking on BOPL to increase broadband penetration in the country, where only 20 million out of 90 million Filipinos can go online.
In lieu of BOPL, the two utilities have since shifted their attention to offering prepaid electricity. “Prepaid electricity is generally positive,” said Nazareno.
The scheme will undergo pilot tests in Angono, Rizal starting November. If successful, the project would ride on the electronic loading facilities of the PLDT group.
Whereas BOPL had failed to take off in countries such as the US, prepaid electricity has gained traction in Australia, India, Indonesia, New Zealand and South Africa.
With the BOPL project shelved, the PLDT group is pushing its PLDT Fibr, a fiber-to-the-home data service.
“In the meantime, we are rolling out the FTTH,” Nazareno said, adding that the company will roll out 150,000 broadband lines capable of handling data speeds of up to 100 megabits per second.
“We would have installed over 150,000 FTTH lines by the end of the year,” he said.
PLDT first made the service available last November to residents of Forbes Park and Urdaneta Village in Makati, Palms Pointe in Alabang, Wack Wack Village in Mandaluyong, and all Valle Varde Villages in Pasig.
“Our PLDT Fibr will be present in more areas in Metro Manila,” said Isberto.
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