MANILA – Philippine telecommunications firm Globe Telecom has joined the Asia United Gateway East (AUG East) submarine cable system consortium, aiming to support the region’s rising demand for high-capacity data transmission driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and other data-intensive technologies.
The 8,900-kilometer undersea cable will connect major digital hubs including Singapore and Japan, with landing points in the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Set to be completed by the third quarter of 2029, AUG East is designed to enhance bandwidth, increase network diversity, and improve reliability along a critical regional route.
Globe’s participation underscores its strategic focus on strengthening the Philippines’ digital infrastructure.
The move is seen as a response to projections that AI-related traffic will exceed traditional internet usage by 2031. Asia-Pacific is also expected to continue leading global investments in generative AI and digital backbone technologies.
AUG East will be constructed as a next-generation cable system with a high optical fiber count, capable of handling vast amounts of data traffic.
The system is expected to deliver sufficient capacity to meet the growing requirements of enterprises and support uninterrupted connectivity, even during natural disasters.
The investment forms part of Globe’s long-term strategy to future-proof its infrastructure and position the Philippines as a competitive digital hub in the region.
The company said the cable system will provide businesses with the scale and speed necessary to adopt emerging technologies and expand global operations.
Globe joins a growing list of regional operators investing in subsea infrastructure to meet surging demand for faster, more resilient data connections amid the rapid adoption of AI-powered applications and cloud-based services.
Business News Asia
