CONVERGE MULLS OVER FORAY INTO ONLINE GAMING
Converge ICT Solutions Inc. sees the online gaming segment as the next big thing in the digital landscape, identifying virtual reality (VR) as a potential venture for the company that has been building infrastructure to support features with high data needs.
Dennis Uy, cofounder and CEO of Converge, told reporters last week that the company was keen on delivering online gaming features to its customers as value-added products at a time of heightened digitalization.
VR is among the emerging trends in online gaming and is characterized by its immersive experience for the players.
The gamers, through VR headsets, can virtually explore a computer-generated environment and interact with other players.
Uy made this announcement amid an optimistic outlook for the online gaming segment. A 2023 study by online media monitoring firm Meltware noted that 95.8 percent of internet users aged 16 to 64 in the Philippines played video games.
The CEO previously shared its vision of transforming Converge into a digital onestop shop for Filipinos starting with the launch of its TV streaming platform BlastTV.
Operated by local media company Tap Digital Media Ventures Corp., the online streaming portal is available to all Converge subscribers for free. It is bundled with the customers’ internet deals.
BlastTV has a portfolio of movies and TV series. The portal also has sports channels such as Sports+, Golf+, Fight Ticket, Cue, BlastFC, UFC TV, Outdoor Channel and USA Today Sports.
Converge made its foray into online streaming business amid the changing viewing behavior by consumers given the rise of over-the-top platforms like Netflix and Disney+.
As Converge ramps up its digital products, the internet service provider also works on expanding infrastructure to support such services requiring higher data load.
Uy said they would be spending at least $60 million to build three data centers in Pampanga, Quezon City and Cebu, which will accompany existing facilities in Clark and Pasig.
Each data center will have 600 racks, which can be expanded to 1,000. A rack houses servers, networking devices and other equipment.