**media**
Fiber broadband operator Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has deployed 5.5 million ports as of end October 2021, connecting the northernmost region of Luzon to Visayas and the southern cities of Mindanao.
A port in networking is a software-defined number associated to a network protocol that receives or transmits communication for a specific service. A fiber port includes the transmitter, receiver and cable components
Converge marked its nationwide presence with the opening of over 20 new business centers across the country this year under its #PurpleNation campaign.
Recently, the company opened branches in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; Candon, Ilocos Sur; La Trinidad, Benguet; Tuguegarao, Cagayan; and Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya in Northern Luzon; Gapan, Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon; Valenzuela and San Juan City in Metro Manila; Batangas City and Lemery, Batangas; and Imus and Dasmarinas, Cavite in Southern Luzon; Sorsogon in the Bicol Region; Iloilo City in the Visayas; and Cagayan de Oro and Davao City in Mindanao.
The pure fiber operator is fast-tracking its target of covering 55 percent of households with high-speed fiber connectivity and can achieve it by 2023, according to Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy.
With its accelerated port deployment, Converge now services over 440 municipalities and cities across the country.
The company’s total number of residential subscribers reached nearly 1.6 million at the end of September 2021, almost double compared to the same period last year.
“We’ve achieved a record rollout of 654,188 ports in the third quarter of 2021 alone, a solid testament to the robust demand we continue to see throughout the country," the CEO pointed out.
"In our new markets in Visayas and Mindanao, we’re glad to see a healthy uptake as 20 percent of the fiber rollouts were in these areas,” Uy added.
Last month, Converge completed its domestic subsea cable project connecting all the major islands of the Philippines to its national fiber backbone.
With this digital highway finished, Converge is one step closer to its dream of bringing internet access to every Filipino home.
“Given the shift of every activity to the online space, access to the internet should no longer be a privilege but should be a right of every Filipino," Uy underscored.
"The social and economic benefits that connectivity (particularly broadband) unlocks has to reach those at the margins,” he concluded.