Converge readies for switch-on of 2 undersea cables
Converge is also building up data center capacity and is a reseller of Starlink.
MANILA, Philippines — Converge ICT Solutions is ramping up the delivery of internet services with the launch of two international undersea cable systems.
The Southeast Asia Hainan-Hong Kong Express (SEA-H2X) and BiFrost Cable System are on track to go live soon.
Dennis Anthony Uy, Converge CEO and cofounder, said this in a virtual stockholders’ meeting held on Friday.
SEA-H2X is a 5,000-kilometer (km) subsea cable which has a design capacity of 160 terabits per second (Tbps). It traverses six markets including Hong Kong, China, Thailand, East Malaysia and Singapore.
The 15,000-km BiFrost project, meanwhile, has a capacity of up to 15 Tbps. It links the Philippines to Singapore, Indonesia, Guam and the west coast of North America.
READ: Converge lays out P7B in own-use data centers
Submarine fiber cable systems support the transmission of international data. They enable users to send emails, conduct video calls and access webpages, among others.
Converge is building up data center capacity
Along with this, Uy said they were also building up data center capacity amid the growing needs of hyperscalers. These are entities that provide cloud, networking and internet services. Examples are Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google GCP, Alibaba AliCloud, IBM and Oracle.
Converge has about 10 megawatts in existing data center capacity. It is working with American tech giant Super Micro Computer Inc. for the construction of its data centers.
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The company will install Supermicro’s liquid cooling solution in its servers to reduce energy consumption by up to 40 percent. This will not only result in less environmental impact, but will also cut operational expenses.
Converge has earmarked P20 billion to P25 billion in capital expenditures this year. This is meant to fund the digital infrastructure plans and other projects.
In the first quarter, the fiber service provider saw its net income grow by 18 percent to P3.02 billion, thanks to stronger residential and enterprise revenues.
Converge, as of end-March, has 2.7 million residential subscribers, up 20 percent from a year ago. Its household coverage also rose to 64.46 percent from 63.54 percent.
In March, Converge announced it had partnered with tech tycoon Elon Musk’s Starlink as the latter’s reseller in the country. As a reseller, Converge also offers installation, network management and maintenance services.
