Luzon-based broadband provider Converge ICT is expanding to Mindanao and has tapped Finnish network firm Nokia to deploy fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) solution.
With the deployment, Converge ICT will be expanding its broadband network coverage to the region by connecting more than 300,000 homes and businesses to broadband services over the next three years.
The broadband firm is currently on expansion mode after getting $250 million (around P12.5 billion) from US investment fund Warburg Pincus, one of the world’s biggest private equity firms.
The terms of the deal between Nokia and Converge ICT were not disclosed. It is interesting to note, however, that Converge ICT picked Nokia over Huawei even if the broadband firm’s founder — Dennis Uy — used to be a China-born citizen before arriving in the Philippines and making his fortune as a tech entrepreneur in Clark, Pampanga.
In a statement, Nokia said its fiber solution allows Converge ICT to deliver a differentiated broadband service to customers and will play a key role in its ability to seamlessly evolve its network over time.
The deployment uses fiber access nodes from the Nokia Lightspan FX series, which provides Converge ICT with the flexibility to use their fiber more efficiently and evolve to next generation technologies such as XGS-PON, 25G PON, next-generation PON line cards and Software Defined Access Network (SDAN), through a software upgrade.
The deployment is seen as pivotal towards laying the foundation for the digital future of the Philippines as it aims to provide access to affordable broadband in one of the far-flung regions of the Philippines.
Nokia said the availability of fiber-based Internet connectivity in Mindananao will create new opportunities for the island to grow economically while strengthening the digital backbone for industries and government-run facilities.
Uy, who is also the CEO of Converge ICT, said: “Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, people have started to increasingly use digital platforms to complete a number of day-to-day tasks for which they demand an agile broadband network. Our network infrastructure will allow us to provide best-in-class broadband network to our subscribers especially during unprecedented times like these. We are confident that Nokia’s fiber solutions will enable us to enhance the overall quality of our services.”
Don Abad, head of customer team at Nokia Philippines, said: “We are delighted to support Converge ICT in its mission to provide superior broadband services to its customers. Our fiber solutions will help Converge ICT bring enhanced ultra-broadband services to its subscribers across the Mindanao region while our 7360 ISAM FX product portfolio will enable them to capture a greater share of the lucrative broadband services market.”
