Multi-faceted approach needed to address Internet accessibility
THE Philippines needs to adopt a multi-faceted approach that combines innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to social responsibility to address the issue of internet accessibility.
Jamie Jefferies, VP and GM at Ciena International, told BUSINESSMIRROƔ in an e-mail interview that the telecommunications ecosystem must start working toward improving infrastructure in underserved areas by investing in the expansion of broadband coverage to rural and remote locations where connectivity is often sparse or non-existent.
“By leveraging technologies like satellite internet or wireless broadband, network providers are extending their reach to areas where traditional wired infrastructure is impractical or costly to deploy,” Jefferies said.
He stressed that technology vendors like Ciena must continue innovating, creating technologies to support network operators’ bandwidth demands and also by developing more energy-efficient products. At the same time, he said the communications ecosystem can explore innovative pricing models and subsidy programs to make internet services more affordable for low-income households. “This could include providing subsidized devices such as smartphones or tablets or partnering with government agencies and non-profit organizations to implement targeted assistance programs for those in need,” Jefferies said.
Meanwhile, major Philippine fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. recently said the Network Intelligence Automation Platform (NIAP) technology in the Converge network significantly improved network metrics such as average time to resolve backbone-related issues and efficiency of field work such as deployment of repair personnel. The technology has been awarded at the regional level, recently earning recognition from the Asian Telecom Awards for AI Initiative of the Year (Philippines) and Technology Innovation of the Year (Philippines).
“After conducting an in-depth analysis of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest, Converge has been named the Fastest Internet, Best Internet Gaming Experience, Best Internet Video Experience, and Top-rated Internet in the Philippines by Ookla’s Speedtest Awards,” said Stephen Bye, president and CEO of Ookla, a division of Ziff Davis.
“These awards are given to fixed network operators that demonstrate exceptional speed and performance in comparison to other major fixed networks in the market for Q3–Q4 2023.
We are thrilled to acknowledge Converge for this achievement, which is the result of their unwavering focus on delivering a superior network experience to their customers.”
Converge operates the biggest fiber-to-the-home network in the country, with over 7.9 million ports as of end 2023. The network is equipped with 10GPON technology, the mainstream fiber-to-the-home technology that is 10 times faster than the typical one gigabit standard.
“Converge selected the better version of 10GPON, called XGS-PON, which is symmetric. The upload and download are done at the same speed. This is important because many of the applications today actually require more upload than download—the reality of the Metaverse, for example, requires a lot of bandwidth, data transfer to the cloud, and AR and VR,” explained Converge chief operations officer Jesus C. Romero.
“We are also prioritizing subscriber education of 5GHZ Wifi technology. As you can see, it’s a collective effort from everyone at Converge so customers can maximize their internet connectivity,” he added.