(Image from Pixabay)
Fiber internet provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. (Converge ICT) reveals its partners in its aggressive rollout plan of fiber optic nationwide with investments of about $1.8 billion.
The company tapped local and foreign companies with the best track record in the industry to fast-track the plan that is hoped to serve 13 million households with seamless internet connection and these are Korea Telecoms Corp. (KT Corp.), LSI-Fibernet Konstruk Corp., and (Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications LLC) TE Connectivity Subcom.
“We have set our sights to bring the best internet connectivity by starting in Metro Manila and some key provinces in Luzon,” said Dennis Uy, president and CEO of Converge ICT. “By going nationwide, we can do more rollouts and more installation in other islands in the country, helping more people connect with one another through our infrastructure.”
Converge ICT tapped KT Corp. for the rollout of 1,700 kilometers of fiber cables in Northern Luzon. KT Corp. is Korea’s largest telecommunications company with a revenue of $21 billion in 2017. According to the report State of the Internet published by Akamai Technologies, South Korea has the fastest average internet connection in the world at 28.6 Mbit/s, which is four times faster than the world average of 7.0 Mbit/s.
Converge ICT is partnering with Fibernet Konstrukt for the rollout of 1,098 km of fiber optic cables in Southern Luzon, 600 km in the Visayas, and 900 km in Mindanao.
For its submarine cables, Converge tapped the services of TE Connectivity Subcom. The company more than 100 optic networks and is one of the leading suppliers in the communications industry.
The partnerships are slated to implement both Full Turn Key (FTK) and Semi Turn Key (STK) approaches, according to Miles Tonn Chua, chief operating officer of MetroWorks ICT Construction Inc., a subsidiary of Converge ICT). FTK entails an end-to-end approach, which includes supply for imported materials and provides services up to acceptance. The STK approach, on the other hand, is where the Converge Group provides owner-supplied materials, an approach that is practical, especially for demographics, which include the National Capital Region. The partnership is currently both in ongoing implementation and final negotiation stages.