Mobile Magazine November 2022 | Page 82

CONVERGE enrol in vocational courses in computers , refrigeration , and air conditioning services .”
At the same time , he was flexing his entrepreneurial chops selling and renting Betamax videos , while also selling computers .
“ When cable arrived in the 1990s , I knew the Betamax era was coming to an end ,” Uy says . “ I sold my Betamax tapes and got into cable .”
After the Mt . Pinatubo eruption in 1991 , he set up the Angeles City Cable Television Network ( ACCTN ). “ People thought I was crazy ,” says Uy . “ The city and the nearby Clark Air Force Base were blanketed in thick ashfall ; major bridges were destroyed , the economy collapsed , and the Americans departed .
“ But I saw a business opportunity . At the same time , I felt the need to provide people with news and entertainment to lift their spirits .
“ Soon , the Internet came to Pampanga . I got into prepaid and dial-up internet . Then , because I had my cable TV infrastructure in place , I offered internet access through cable technology .
“ At this point , I made the decision to stick to one type of technology , and I knew that fibre would be the best choice . Fibre is not a passing trend in technology . Even back in the 90s , I knew fibre was the future .
“ In 2016 , we launched Converge . The rest is history .”
Best-in-class connectivity Among the different types of broadband , fibre is the best-in-class option , with speed that surpasses copper and mobile technology , Uy says , and fibre-to-the-home lines coming in at 1Gbps .
“ With copper technology – whether DSL or coaxial – the upload is a whole lot slower than the download , and not suited for workfrom-home that we ’ ve been doing a lot these days ,” he adds .
“ With the pandemic exposing the need for high-capacity and high-speed internet that
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