Ookla president visits Philippines, recognizes exceptional Converge network

MANILA, Philippines — 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, Ookla president and CEO Stephen Bye was warmly received by the top executive team of Converge led by 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. 

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*,” Converge CEO Dennis Uy said . 

“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,” Converge president Grace Uy added. 

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,” Bye shared.

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 10 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 continued. 

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 300Mbps connection until June 30.

*Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data for Q3-Q4 2023. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.