provide high-speed broadband at an affordable price point , accessible to everyone and anyone in the country ,” she adds .
“ We deployed over US $ 1bn of capital to-date to build one of the most extensive end-to-end fibre networks in the Philippines . Our network currently reaches nearly half of the households in the Philippines and serves nearly two million customers nationwide .”
“ WE FOUNDED CONVERGE WITH A
SIMPLE VISION IN MIND : PROVIDE
HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND AT AN AFFORDABLE
PRICE POINT , ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE AND ANYONE IN THE
COUNTRY ”
MARIA GRACE UY CHIEF RESOURCE OFFICER ,
CONVERGE
A David and Goliath story In a capital-intensive business , Converge ’ s growth was a story of David and Goliath .
“ We had to put in everything we ’ d built over the years , so we trusted our instincts and reinvested in the business ,” Uy adds . “ Each year , we slowly continued to grow from operating just in Pampanga to operating in the nearby cities , provinces and municipalities .”
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of fast , reliable internet connection to many people , Uy says . “ Everything happened very quickly . There was a surge in demand , so we set up additional customer service units to attend to applications and customer inquiries .
“ At that time , we were also planning for an IPO ,” she says . “ With the tremendous growth of the business amid the pandemic , we wanted to secure our five-year capex plan .
“ With the funds raised in the IPO , we were able to roll out our fibre broadband network nationwide very quickly .”
With a goal to reach the unserved and underserved , Converge ensured the network was able to reach the whole country . “ We saw the tremendous demand of Filipinos quarantined at home for broadband , so we acted quickly ,” explains Uy . “ We wanted to connect as many people as possible in the fastest possible time .” mobile-magazine . com 85