Oct 252015
 

(Second of two parts) In last week’s column, we discussed how the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued its final report on all the 15 BEPS Action Plans on Oct. 5, which was the culmination of two years of work with the intent of restoring confidence in the international tax framework by addressing weaknesses that create opportunities for Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). We previously looked at the first seven Action Plans, which discussed areas such as hybrid mismatch arrangements, controlled foreign company rules, interest benefits and treaty benefits, among others. We will now continue with the remaining six Action Plans.

Oct 202015
 
PLDT eyes $40-M cable landing, data center in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is looking to invest about $40 million for a cable landing station and data center in Mindanao to boost its network. Eric Alberto, executive vice president and head of enterprise at PLDT and Smart Communications Inc., said the company wants a cable landing facility and data center in Mindanao within the next two to three years. He said the company may invest a minimum $40 million for the cable landing station and data center in Mindanao. The final amount would depend on what is agreed upon with telecommunication firms from Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. “We are looking at a variety of consortium, with the Indonesian, Bruneian and Malaysian telcos… We have about two or three options. We are finding out which is the most feasible for us,” Alberto said. The cable landing station would link to Japan and then to the US. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The company is looking to invest in a cable landing station and data center in Mindanao to augment existing facilities in Luzon. The company has cable landing stations in Nasugbu in Batangas, Bauang in La Union, and in Daet, Camarines Norte. PLDT has earlier injected $55 million to the $550-million Asia-America Gateway project in La Union involving a 20,000-kilometer undersea cable network. The project connects Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and the US West Coast using 40 gigabits per second (Gbps) technology and Read More …