MANILA, Philippines – Leading internet service provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has more than doubled its fiber network to over 55,000 kilometers at end-2020 from the previous year, making available high-speed broadband internet to more areas in the country.
“We have been accelerating the expansion of our fiber optic network because we wanted to reach the underserved and unserved areas in the country which are longing for fiber-fast internet service,” said Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy.
“The community quarantine regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic that made people rely more on their internet service for work and study at home have only made our mission to deliver fiber-fast broadband to a greater number of Filipinos more urgent,” Mr. Uy noted.
Converge added more than 28,300 kilometers of fiber optic cables last year, expanding its fiber network by 107% from about 26,600 kilometers laid down at the end of 2019.
Converge is the only fixed broadband provider in the country that utilizes end-to-end pure-play fiber optic technology from the national backbone to its distribution network. Fiber optic internet is said to be the future of broadband as it can provide the fastest speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) currently.
With this fiber infrastructure, Converge has made available nearly 2.7 million FTTH ports for broadband customers nationwide. As of end-December 2020, Converge residential subscribers reached over one million, nearly double from around 529,000 the previous year.
“We are well on track to meeting our goal of reaching over 15 million or 55% of Philippine households by 2025 and ready to serve the high-speed broadband requirements of the majority of our people,” said Mr. Uy. As of December 2020, Converge recorded 6.1 million homes passed, accounting for 25% of total households in the country.
Converge is implementing its twin strategies – Go Deep and Go National – for its network expansion. With its “Go Deep” strategy, Converge aims to penetrate unserved and underserved areas within its existing customer base. For the “Go National” strategy, the company plans to complete within the year the expansion of its network coverage nationwide by connecting Luzon with Visayas and Mindanao through a primary domestic fiber backbone.