Globe Telecom’s subsea cable bet bolsters PH data hub bid
Globe Telecom Inc.’s participation in a new regional undersea cable system is expected to strengthen the Philippines’ digital backbone and firm up its position as an emerging regional data hub, according to BMI.
In a report on Wednesday, the Fitch Solutions unit described Globe’s investment in the Candle Cable System as a “strategic move” that would enhance the country’s international connectivity by providing higher-capacity, low-latency links across the Asia-Pacific region.
This system is an 8,000-kilometer subsea cable that links the Philippines to Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is expected to play a key role in addressing capacity constraints and strengthening network resilience.
Globe joined the consortium behind the Candle Cable System both as an investor and landing party.
The cable system is set to connect to Globe’s Nasugbu landing station in Batangas. It is targeted to begin operations in 2028.
BMI said such investments are becoming critical as global data traffic surges, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, cloud adoption and enterprise digitalization. This, even as geopolitical risks could push up project costs.
“The Candle submarine cable project looks to bolster infrastructure expansion and establish secure, redundant routes to support the Philippines’ digital backbone, addressing the country’s escalating demand for international data traffic fueled by next-generation technologies such as AI, cloud computing and 5G,” it added.
This comes as the Philippines continues to lag behind regional peers in digital readiness, scoring 59 in BMI’s 2026 index.
Through the Candle project, Globe will deliver the connection through its Nasugbu site, complementing an existing landing in Baler, Aurora. This will create dual entry points on the country’s west and east coasts to improve network resilience.
Candle is designed with 24 fiber pairs and can deliver up to 570 terabits per second of total capacity. This places the project among the highest-capacity cable systems in the region, Globe said.
“Candle raises the bar for the country’s digital backbone,” said KD Dizon, vice president and head at Globe Business.
“With the Nasugbu and Baler landings, we are giving enterprises a more resilient path for cloud workloads, AI development and global operations,” Dizon said.
BMI said the partnership comes as demand for cloud and data services continues to grow in the Philippines.
The research firm projects the local cloud market to expand to $9.1 billion by 2031 from $1.8 billion in 2025.
