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National Digital Transmission Network
Nationwide digital fiber-optic telecommunications backbone
The National Digital Transmission Network (NDTN), the country's second privately owned nationwide transmission facility, was launched earlier this year. The fully digital fiber optic network, spanning from Cuyapo, Isabela in the north down to Cagayan de Oro in the south, is equipped with an efficient 2.5 gigabits per second transmission capacity. In layman's terms, this is sufficient capacity to handle up to 180,000 simultaneous telephone calls.
The NDTN is owned by the Telecoms Infrastructure Corporation of the Philippines (TelicPhil), a consortium of seven (7) franchised telecom operators. Bayan Telecommunications (Bayantel) is the single biggest stockholder of Telicphil, with a 65 percent share. The other consortium members include: Smart Communications, Inc., Globe Telecommunications, Inc., Express Telecommunications, Eastern Telecommunications, Philippine Telephone & Telegraph Co. (PT&T), and Digital Telecommunications, Inc. (Digitel).
The NDTN is composed of three segments: Microwave Radio in the Luzon, Submarine Fiber Optic in the Visayas, and Land Cable in Mindanao. Telicphil awarded the project to two (2) major telecom suppliers: Fujitsu Limited (through its affiliate Fujitsu Philippines Inc. Telecom Group) and Alcatel. Fujitsu supplied the 2.5 Gbps SDH fiber optic transmission system FLX 2500A for the submarine cable route in the Visayas and the land cable route for Mindanao. Fujitsu also supplied the NMS (Network Management System) and the radio portion in the north. Alcatel supplied the optical fiber cable for submarine and land cable route. Project construction began in 1997.
"The main objective of the project is to have another backbone facility, as an alternative to the transmission facility owned by PLDT," says Yasuhiro Hara, EVP and General Manager of the FPI Telecoms Group. "The consortium wanted to install large nationwide transmission capacity, running from north to south of the Philippines. They required a system equipped with the largest capacity of voice and data channels available in the market with high-quality and reasonable price."
"The consortium's future plan is to upgrade the transmission capacity and construct restoration route for the submarine portion as backup route. However, no definite time schedule is yet determined," adds Hara. "The fully digital fiber optic network has provided much needed relief and improvement in the country's telecommunication systems. The NDTN project shows that with the support of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), rival carriers can work together toward a common goal."
Hara adds, "The NDTN allows state-of-the-art simultaneous transmission of voice and data, which will greatly benefit the Philippines. We are very proud that Fujitsu has played a key role in supplying and implementing the technology to achieve this."
