Internet service provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. more than doubled its fiber network to over 55,000 kilometers last year, despite challenges posed by the pandemic.
“We've accelerated our fiber optic expansion to reach underserved and unserved areas in the country in need of high speed broadband internet,” explained Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy.
“Community quarantine regulations due to the pandemic made people rely more on the internet for work and study at home only made our mission more urgent,” he reasoned.
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 using end-to-end pure-play fiber optic technology, from the national backbone to its distribution network.
Fiber optic internet was dubbed as the future of broadband for its speed of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps).
With its fiber infrastructure, Converge made available nearly 2.7 million FTTH ports for broadband customers nationwide.
As of end-2020, Converge residential subscribers have reached over one million, nearly double 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,” Uy declared.
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 seeks to penetrate unserved and underserved areas within its existing customer base.
For its “Go National” strategy, the company intends to expand its network coverage nationwide within this year
by connecting Luzon with Visayas and Mindanao via a primary domestic fiber backbone.