By Emmie V. Abadilla PLDT, Inc. reported that its fiber-fast Internet connections reached four million households last years, up by nearly half from the previous year, the company announced over the weekend. Along with greater coverage, PLDT said it has also increased the capacity of its fixed broadband network to over one million ports by end-2017, double the number two years ago. “Because of this expansion of fiber-fast connectivity, PLDT customers can seamlessly view movies, listen to their music playlist, play online games without any lags, or visit their social networking sites,” PLDT senior vice president and Head of Consumer Market Development Oscar Reyes Jr. said. PLDT is deploying fiber-fast connectivity through the installation of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities and the “fibrization” of its existing copper-based network through hybrid technologies such as VVDSL and G.fast used in Germany and South Korea. PLDT will be spending over R50 billion every year until 2020 to supercharge both its fixed and mobile networks, Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan earlier announced. “By 2019, all of PLDT’s 1.2 million copper-based DSL subscribers will have fiber-fast Internet. We will expand its ultrafast broadband coverage to 6 million homes passed by 2020, reaching more areas of the country," he added. In 2017, the biggest increases in the number of ports or actual broadband lines were posted in the provinces of Cavite, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Cebu, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and Laguna. With the cooperation of Local Government Units (LGUs), PLDT is converting entire areas into "smart cities" with its extensive fiber coverage. The first “Smart City” was set up in Toledo City, Cebu in March last year, followed by General Santos City in Mindanao, Naga in the Bicol Region and South Metro Manila. The latter includes Parañaque and Las Piñas, East Metro Manila which includes Pasig and Antipolo, and central business districts like Rockwell Makati and Bonifacio Global City.  Cavite became the first “Smart province” late last year. “Within the next 12-18 months, world-class internet services on PLDT’s fixed and mobile networks will be available to more Filipinos in more parts of the country."