Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. is looking to spend over P50 billion yearly over the next two years amid rising demand for network quality and tightening competition in the telecommunications industry.

In a statement, the telco said its projected capex of more than P50 billion for 2018 could be kept at the same level over the next two years to continually finance plans to upgrade its internet and digital services.

“In 2018, PLDT’s capex will well exceed P50 billion and is expected to stay at that level over the next two years.”

This would advance the group’s capital spending to nearly P260 billion or about $5 billion, in line with the telco’s “historic five-year P260 billion capex program (2016-2020).”

“What this means is that for every P1 of service revenue, we reinvest between P0.30-0.35 in the business to super-charge our networks and advance our digital transformation program,” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“This is a massive effort to turn our networks into powerful, pervasive and resilient platforms for delivering relevant digital services and solutions that our people can use to improve their daily lives, as well as enable the country to compete and thrive in this digital age,” he added.

PLDT group also disclosed its goal of bolstering its networks in the next 12 to 18 months to secure its position in the sector amid the government’s call for a third major telco player.

For its mobile business, its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications targets to double the number of long term evolution (LTE) base stations to about 17,700 and increase the number of LTE-equipped cell sites to over 6,800.

PLDT noted most of the new base stations will use the acquired frequencies from conglomerate San Miguel Corp.

Its fixed line business, meanwhile, will see doubled fiber and hybrid fiber broadband capacity to over 2.2 million ports, which will not only expand its fiber network but also upgrade the group’s copper-based broadband service to hybrid fiber connections.

Because of this, PLDT said its 1.2 million copper-based DSL consumers can expect fiber-fast internet by 2019.

“The net result is that within the next 12 to 18 months, world-class internet services on PLDT’s super-charged fixed and mobile networks will be available to many more Filipinos in many more parts of the country,” Pangilinan said.

PLDT is also tapping the expertise of global leaders in information and communications technology, fiber optics, and data communications, such as China-based Huawei Technologies; fiber tech firm FiberHome Technologies; ICT solution providers Ericsson and Cisco; software and services firm Amdocs; and technology company Nokia to further improve its networks.

Setting a historically high capex mirrors the group’s commitment to delivering better quality telco services, Pangilinan said.

“This is a conviction program, backed up by statement capex,” he said.