Amidst controversies, one of the leading internet and cable television providers in the Philippines today is expanding its services as millions of Filipino households remain unserviced by fiber optic connections in the country.
Dennis Anthony Uy, president and chief executive officer of Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. (Converge), said a large portion of Filipino homes throughout the Philippine archipelago “remain under served” when it comes to fast and reliable internet service.
This, even as the homegrown entrepreneur ordered a staus quo on the implementation of a new billing and collection system in the Metro Clark area that became the subject of inquiry by the Angeles City Council.
Despite the setback for which he apologized, Uy said some additional 20,000 ports of fiber optics will be installed in the cities of Angeles, Mabalacat and other adjoining towns.
Uy said there are about 26 million Filipino households that need reliable internet service. Of the total, only about two million are provided with fiber optic connections.
“We are not the only player in internet service and we cannot meet this huge demand. We can probably reach anywhere from six to seven million homes,” Uy said Monday in a media conference.
Converge has laid fiber optic lines from Baguio in the north all the way to Sorsogon in Bicol, making it one of the leading internet service provider with its own infrastructure. The investment costs $42 million which also covers eastern Luzon provinces like Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija.
This forms part of the Luzon Belt where some 1 million fiber optic ports are planned under a $200 million investments.
Uy hopes that Converge will be able to help the Philippines in terms of fiber optic “penetration” where it lags behind southeast Asian neighbor Vietnam.
Starting in the VHS and Betamax rental business with his brother Jack, Converge has become a pioneer in fiber optic connections in 1996 under its old flagship company ComClark.
Uy also plans to rollout one of the lowest internet plan for the D and E market with only P500 monthly fees for a no data cap at 5 mbps speed. Uy said that prices of Converge are relatively lower by 20 to 30 percent compared to its competitors.
Part of the innovations that Converge will launch towards yearend is an IPTV (internet protocol television) service that will take the place of the standard cable television services.
