ZAMBOANGA CITY — Long isolated by geography and years of limited digital infrastructure, the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi are poised to take a major step toward digital inclusion as telecommunications giant Globe Telecom prepares to roll out its Submarine Cable Project in early 2026—an initiative seen as critical to ensuring that island communities are no longer left behind by the mainland in terms of internet access and connectivity.
The project will deploy a 48-core, 175-kilometer submarine cable linking Zamboanga City to Isabela City in Basilan, with planned extension toward Sulu, forming a high-capacity digital backbone that will significantly improve internet reliability and speed across the island provinces. Once operational, the infrastructure is expected to serve as a gateway for broader connectivity reaching even the farthest and most underserved areas of the Bangsamoro region.
Beyond the undersea cable, Globe’s initiative includes the construction of inland and fronthaul infrastructure, cable landing stations, access transport facilities, and core and access network nodes, all designed to support both broadband and mobile services. These components are essential to creating a resilient and scalable network that can withstand disruptions while meeting growing data demands.
The submarine cable survey is scheduled to begin in early 2026, with full construction targeted for completion by mid-2027. Once finished, Isabela City is expected to emerge as a resilient high-capacity internet hub, aligning with the government’s National Broadband Plan and accelerating connectivity in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs)—particularly in island and conflict-affected communities.
“This is more than infrastructure. It is a bridge to opportunity,” said Globe President and CEO Carl Cruz, underscoring the project’s broader impact on education, governance, healthcare, and local economies.
For years, limited and unstable internet access has constrained development in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi—hampering online learning, e-commerce, digital governance, and emergency communications. Stakeholders say the submarine cable project could be transformative, enabling students to access digital classrooms, farmers and fisherfolk to reach wider markets, and small enterprises to participate in the digital economy.
The initiative comes as data consumption continues to surge nationwide, with average monthly data usage now exceeding 30 gigabytes per user. To keep pace, Globe has aggressively expanded its fiber and broadband footprint, investing ₱228 billion in capital expenditures and ₱236 billion in operating expenses over the past three years to strengthen and future-proof its network.
As Mindanao pushes for more inclusive growth, the submarine cable project signals a deliberate effort to ensure that progress does not stop at the mainland’s shores. For the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and eventually Tawi-Tawi, stronger connectivity is not merely a technological upgrade—it is a long-awaited lifeline toward equitable development and lasting peace.
📶 With faster, more reliable internet on the horizon, island communities in the southern Philippines are finally being connected to the opportunities of the digital age.