The Philippines takes an important position in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry worldwide. Submarine networks serve as critical components to the BPO industry, providing reliable and diverse links between the Philippines and the rest of the world.

Since the acquisition of Digitel by PLDT in 2011 and the takeover of Bayantel by Globe Telecom in 2013, PLDT and Globe Telecom have formed the duopoly on international subsea cable market in the Philippines. 

In 2017,  the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the state-owned firm Bases Conversion and Development and Development Authority (BCDA) collaborated with Facebook to land PLCN in the Phillippines under the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) project which is a government initiative for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) , the first of its kind for the Philippine government to implement by building and operating its own submarine cable landing stations. The BCDA builds the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) made up of two cable landing stations and a 250 km long cable network corridor connecting the two cable landing stations.  

In 2021, Converge ICT Solutions Inc.(Converge) announced the investment of more than US$100million to participate in the Bifrost cable system. Meanwhile, Converge is building a domestic submarine cable network in the Philippines, Converge ICTSI Domestic Submarine Cable Network (CDSCN), connecting 22 landing stations throughout the Philippines.

There are now 10 in-service international submarine cable systems connecting the Philippines, and another 3 transpacific subsea cables under construction, including PLCN, CAP-1, Bifrost.

PLDT's cable landing stations include:

• Batangas Cable Landing Station for APCN (retired), APCN-2, Guam-Philippines, SMW3
• Cavite Cable Landing Station for EAC (now a part of the EAC-C2C network)
• La Union Cable Landing Station for AAG
• Daet Cable Landing Station for ASE and Jupiter

Globe Telecom's cable landing stations include:

• Nasugbu Cable Landing Station for SJC and C2C (now a part of the EAC-C2C network)
• Ballesteros Cable Landing Station for TGN-IA
• Davao Cable Landing Station for SEA-US

BCDA's cable landing stations include:

• Baler/Aurora Cable Landing Station for PLCN (2021)
• San Fernando Cable Landing Station for PLCN (pending)

Converge's cable landing stations include:

• Davao Cable Landing Station for Bifrost (2024)

By 2024, there will be 5 trans-pacific subsea cables connecting the Philippines to the US, Guam-Philippines, AAG, SEA-US, Jupiter, PLCN, CAP-1, Bifrost, building the position of the Philippines as an international telecommunications hub in the APAC region.

Along with the rising position for trans-pacific subsea cables, data centers in the Philippines are growing. 

PLDT, through its subsidiary PLDT Enterprises (ePLDT), is the major operator for data centers in the Philippines, operating the following data center facilities:

• VITRO Data Center Cebu 1 (200 racks)
• VITRO Data Center Cebu 2 (800 racks)
• VITRO Data Center Pasig (1800 racks)
• VITRO Data Center Pranaque (800 racks)
• VITRO Data Center Clark (1515 racks)
• VITRO Data Center Makati 
• VITRO Data Center Makati 2 (3584 racks)
• VITRO Data Center Davao

(Updated: June 2021)