Converge ICT allots P1.5 B for expansion

Fiber optics provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. plans to spend around P1.5 billion this year for its fiber access network as it continues to expand its reach across Luzon.

In an interview Wednesday, Converge chief operating officer Jesus Romero told reporters the firm is looking to spend around the same amount on capital expenditures as last year, as it works on optimizing its fiber optics backbone in areas in Luzon.

“Last year, we spent close to P1.5 billion. That’s for the fiber access network, the backbone. We’re changing all of our backbone. We’re modernizing it,” Romero said.

“This year, depending on how fast we can roll out, we’ll probably spend about the same,” he added.

The company said at present, it has laid out more than 6,000 kilometers of fiber optic reach in the Luzon area and is still working on expanding its network. It is already servicing clients in the North of Luzon, particularly Baguio and down South in Batangas.

Other areas targeted by the firm include Nasugbu in Batangas and San Fernando in La Union.

Converge said it is already covering a few cities in Metro Manila such as Valenzuela, Las Pinas and Muntinlupa.

Romero said the firm continues to build its network in Metro Manila, as it has started building in Parañaque and is set to also build in Makati.

“This year, Metro Manila, we’ll probably triple our subscribers. But again, we’re just starting, again it’s a small base,” Romero said.

He noted the company is looking to grow its number of subscribers by 40 to 50 percent this year, which is not difficult to achieve since the company is still “small.”

Another factor to contribute to the company’s growth is its new product offerings. On Wednesday, Converge launched its latest products, which caters to different markets.

Among these new products are FiberX, which is for home users with a burtsable speed of 25Mbps to as much as 100Mbps; IBiz, which is for SME companies; and Converge Enterprise for larger companies, which comes with scalable internet connection of up to 1Gbps.