Philippines operator Globe joins Candle submarine cable consortium

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Optical & Fixed Networks; 07 April 2026; 7069 views

Philippines operator Globe Telecom has joined the Candle Cable System consortium, an approximately 8,000 kilometre submarine cable system connecting Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2028.

SoftBank Corp announced in September last year plans to collaborate with Meta, IPS Inc, TM Technology Services, and PT XLSmart Telecom to develop the new international submarine cable system. NEC Corporation has been contracted as the system supplier.

The construction of the Candle submarine cable system will contribute to infrastructure expansion and secure redundant routes to meet the increasing demand for data communications driven by 5G and generative AI.

Its 24 fibre pair configuration will enabling the construction of higher-capacity, lower-latency communications infrastructure to support improved connectivity across Asia. Candle will provide up to 570 terabits per second of total capacity once online.

The Manila Times news service reports that Globe has joined the consortium as both investor and landing party; the cable will connect to Globe’s Nasugbu landing station in Batangas in the Philippines' Calabarzon region. It complements the landing station in Baler on Luzon Island.

Globe explains that its participation is to cover the planning, financing and construction of the new landing station in Batangas. It notes that the Candle system will help support the growing need for high-capacity routes that enable advanced analytics, cross-border collaboration and cloud-based operations.

Globe adds that the infrastructure is also aligned with the Philippines government’s digitisation and Cloud First direction, which calls for diversified subsea paths and stronger international gateways.