VITRO REIT, Inc. and PLDT Global Corp., both members of the PLDT group, have signed a colocation agreement with SG.GS Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based wholesale telecommunications carrier, in a move aimed at expanding network interconnection in the Philippines and supporting regional connectivity across Asia-Pacific.

Under the agreement, announced in a media release on Thursday, SG.GS will deploy network infrastructure within VITRO's carrier-neutral facilities to facilitate interconnection with carriers, cloud providers, internet service providers, and enterprises in the Philippines.

Carrier-neutral colocation — the model in which multiple telecom operators, cloud platforms, and enterprises house their equipment in a shared facility rather than in operator-owned exchanges — has become a common building block of interconnection, allowing networks to exchange traffic directly and shorten routes between markets.

"We welcome SG.GS to the VITRO ecosystem. By colocating within our carrier-neutral facilities, they gain direct access to a rich interconnection landscape — spanning global carriers, cloud providers, ISPs, and Philippine enterprises — that strengthens the Philippines' position as a high-performance transit hub in Asia-Pacific," said Davis Yolangco, VITRO Assistant Vice-President and Sales Group Head.

According to VITRO REIT, the deployment is expected to expand interconnection options for organizations operating in the Philippines while supporting connectivity between domestic and international networks.

"It is also expected to contribute to the continued development of the country's digital infrastructure and regional connectivity ecosystem," the company said.

VITRO REIT noted that SG.GS maintains more than 200 points of presence across more than 30 markets and connectivity to more than 30 subsea cable systems. The company added that SG.GS also facilitates connectivity between networks across Asia-Pacific and international destinations.

The Philippines sits along several international submarine cable routes, and PLDT has invested in a number of subsea cable systems linking the country to Asia-Pacific and trans-Pacific destinations — infrastructure that underpins the domestic-international connectivity the new agreement is meant to strengthen.

PLDT Inc. said the partnership is expected to improve latency, strengthen redundancy, and create additional pathways for cloud, content, and enterprise workloads.

"At PLDT Global, we see connectivity as a key enabler of economic growth and digital transformation. Our collaboration with VITRO and SG.GS demonstrates how strategic infrastructure partnerships can strengthen the Philippines' position as a regional digital gateway — bringing together global networks, cloud platforms, and enterprises through resilient, scalable, and world-class connectivity," said Edith Gomez-Cudiamat, Chief Operating Officer of PLDT Global.

VITRO REIT is the data center arm of ePLDT Inc., while PLDT Global Corp. is the international business arm of PLDT Inc. VITRO REIT listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2021 as the country's first data center real estate investment trust, with a portfolio of data centers in Metro Manila, Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Cebu, and Clark in Pampanga operated by ePLDT.

At the local bourse on Thursday, PLDT shares fell P51, or 4.3%, to close at P1,135 apiece.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.

— Ashley Erika O. Jose