Leading fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. took the platform to showcase its superior and multi-awarded network on the occasion of a visit by the global CEO of network intelligence and connectivity insight firm, Ookla®, to its headquarters.
On April 4, 2024, Ookla President and CEO Stephen Bye was warmly received by the top executive team of Converge; foremost among them are co-founders Dennis and Grace Uy, who seized the chance to demonstrate that the successive wins of Converge in Ookla®’s latest Speedtest Awards™ are well-deserved.
Mr. Bye’s official visit was for a ceremonial awarding and thanksgiving event at the ritzy VU’s Sky Bar and Lounge at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila.
“It’s an honor to host Ookla at this momentous time of our conquering the major Speedtest Awards. We’re eager to show them how a relatively young and innovative player in the ICT industry swept the awards for *Fastest Internet Service Provider in the Philippines, *Best Internet Gaming Experience, *Best Internet Video Experience, and *Top-Rated Internet in the Philippines,” said Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy.
“Clinching major awards of a network intelligence provider such as Ookla is a multi-faceted effort. It’s not just the network technology but also the back-end work, such as customer service and network operations. These all worked together, and in sync, to merit such recognition,” added Converge President and Co-Founder Grace Uy.
Mr. Bye was briefed about recent developments in the network of Converge; among these is the deployment of AI technology in its network operations. The Network Intelligence Automation Platform, or NIAP, technology in the Converge network significantly improved network metrics such as average time to resolve backbone-related issues and efficiency of field work such as deployment of repair personnel. This technology has been awarded at the regional level, recently earning recognition from the Asian Telecom Awards for AI Initiative of the Year (Philippines) and Technology Innovation of the Year (Philippines).
“After conducting an in-depth analysis of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest, Converge has been named the Fastest Internet, Best Internet Gaming Experience, Best Internet Video Experience, and Top-Rated Internet in the Philippines by Ookla’s Speedtest Awards,” said Stephen Bye, President and CEO of Ookla, a division of Ziff Davis. “These awards are given to fixed network operators that demonstrate exceptional speed and performance in comparison to other major fixed networks in the market for Q3–Q4 2023. We are thrilled to acknowledge Converge for this achievement, which is the result of their unwavering focus on delivering a superior network experience to their customers.”
Converge operates the biggest fiber-to-the-home network in the country, with over 7.9 million ports as of end-2023. This network is equipped with 10GPON technology, the mainstream fiber-to-the-home technology that is ten times faster than the typical one gigabit standard.
“Converge selected the better version of 10GPON called XGS-PON, which is symmetric. The upload and download are done at the same speed. This is important because many of the applications today actually require more upload than download—the reality of the Metaverse for example, requires a lot of bandwidth, data transfer to the cloud, and AR and VR,” explained Converge Chief Operations Officer Jesus C. Romero. “We are also prioritizing subscriber education of 5GHz Wi-Fi technology. As you can see, it’s a collective effort from everyone at Converge so customers can maximize their internet connectivity,” he adds.
All these innovations lead to a faster, more responsive network that is easily scalable and flexible to the needs of consumers. This is why, just this March, Converge made the move to empower its customers through its ‘Boost Mode’ campaign with a free speed boost of its entry-level FiberX1500 plan, now giving speeds of up to 300 Mbps connection until June 30, 2024. To recall, the FiberX1500 plan began in 2016 with just 20 Mbps, then was consecutively increased until 2023, when it reached 200 Mbps. With a 300 Mbps connection for Php 1500, the estimated price per Mbps is at its most affordable, at Php 5/Mbps—the cheapest in the country.
Customer service is also a key factor in Converge dominating the Speedtest Awards. According to Chief Commercial Officer Benjamin Azada, its customer service force has been logging improvements: higher answer call rates and quicker average handle times were seen in the fourth quarter of 2023. Pretty soon, an AI-powered complement of tools will further enhance customer care in this area.
“Customer care is a cornerstone of our service to our more than 2 million subscribers. This is why, year after year, we improve on our customer response methods, and we are grateful this has been noticed by Filipinos and shown in the customer-initiated major awards we got from Ookla,” ended Azada.
