Fiber broadband and technology provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. said it has forged a partnership with Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s Space X, to deliver broadband internet access to remote regions in the Philippines.
Under the partnership, Converge will resell the Starlink product to provide redundancy and ensure uninterrupted internet connectivity to its enterprise clients across the country.
“We’re among the few in the Philippines authorized by Starlink to resell its services—an acknowledgment of our deep market expertise and commitment to meeting the evolving needs of both enterprise and government clients. We’re bringing solutions that empower industries to scale and innovate, even in the most remote areas,” Dennis Anthony Uy, Converge co-founder and chief executive officer told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday.
Uy said the company has initially invested $3 million to $4 million in Starlink inventory kits for reselling to enterprise clients such as banking and mining, among others. The partnership is now expected to increase its revenues by 5 to 10 percent in enterprise business this year.
In 2024, Converge’s revenues on enterprise business grew 22 percent to P6.2 billion from the year-earlier P5.08 billion. Small and medium enterprises (SME) continued to be its fastest-growing subsegment, with 31 percent revenue growth, and with all subsegments maintaining their double-digit growth rates.
“Many businesses operating in remote and underserved regions still struggle with unreliable internet. By integrating Starlink into our suite of products, we’re unlocking new opportunities for these industries and the countless Filipinos who depend on them,” Sherie Ng, the managing director of Converge Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Converge ICT Solutions, Inc., said.
With Starlink’s high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity, Converge said it can serve industries that demand reliable and resilient internet. Among these industries are construction, mining, agriculture, retail and hospitality in far-flung areas, which are too expensive to reach via fiber connectivity, it said.
As an authorized Starlink reseller, Converge offers end-to-end turnkey solutions, including installation, network management, monitoring and maintenance.
Converge also announced a partnership with NASDAQ-listed Ribbon Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: RBBN) to strengthen its network in response to the growing need for high-speed, low-latency and reliable connectivity.
The company said it will leverage Ribbon’s advanced Muse Multilayer Automation Platform (MAP), designed to maximize the value of IP Optical network investments through comprehensive control, analysis, design, and planning applications. Its powerful low-code automation and customization engines allow Converge to optimize its resources and maintain peak network performance.
Uy said Ribbon’s advanced technology has been included in its P25 billion capital expenditure set for 2025.
Converge expects to spend P20 billion to P25 billion in capex on international subsea cable systems and the two data centers, on top of port expansion and redundancy.
“We are planning important developments in the products and services we offer to our customers, and it’s vital that our infrastructure can support these. Adopting this new technology is essential for effectively managing large amounts of data from IoT applications, cloud services, and future innovations,” Uy said.
This collaboration expands the initial tie-up between Converge and Ribbon nationwide, to integrate the US firm’s cutting-edge 5 nanometer (nm) – 140Gbaud transmission chipset, which boosts the firm’s network capacity to 1.2 terabits per second (Tbps). This technology was first rolled out in the metro and regional sites of Converge across Northern and Central Luzon.
