Converge strengthens its presence in Cebu

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY -- Converge ICT Solutions Inc. (Converge) strengthened its presence in Cebu with the opening of its new Cebu City Business Center located at One Central Mall, Cebu City on September 1 in partnership with the local Marketing Services Provider (MSP) owned by Cebu businessman Justin Uy and with JFiber Internet Services Corp. operator Go Deep strategy to ensure Converge continuous operations in the province.

“We are very glad that Converge is in the care of Justin and Jonathan, who are both homegrown with well established businesses in Cebu. We are sure that under their leadership, Converge will reach new heights in the market,” Converge Head of Sales for Consumer, SME and Emerging Channels, Ariel Concejero said.

Converge has laid out more than 600,00 fiber ports in central and southern Philippines in the first seven months of the year.  VisMin is increasingly becoming a vital growth area for Converge as it accounted for nearly a fifth or 20 percent of the total gross subscriber adds in the second quarter of 2022.

Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy said that Converge has nearly doubled its fiber footprint in the Visayas and Mindanao regions in just seven months from the 300,000 ports rolled out as of end-2021. It is a commitment to the growing customer-base in these areas, Converge opened business centers in key locations in Cebu that started in 2021 having launched its first business center and regional head office in Mandaue City.

 Uy explained that they remain bullish on the VisMin market and recognize the massive potential for Converge in Cebu where they see customers clamoring for world-class fiber connectivity. As the economy opens, Uy said that Converge also sees much opportunity in the SME Enterprise segment which increased by 26 percent during the first six months of 2022.

“Justin and I share the same vision of uplifting the lives of our kababayans by providing them world-class fiber connectivity. Under his leadership, I am sure Converge will be able to win more subscribers and provide customer support that is akin to the needs of the local market,” he added.

Converge Chief Operations Officer Jesus Romero shared that for 2022, the company focused its efforts on expanding our presence in Visayas and Mindanao as these remain to be underserved and are untapped markets for Converge.  It is speeding up the rollout of ports in VisMin cities and are doubling down on reaching these eager customers. 

He bared that the company recently bagged major connectivity contracts in Visayas, helping boost the local tourism economy's transition to digital.  Major hotels such as JPark Island Resort and Waterpark, Sarrosa Hotel, and Bai Hotel - all in Cebu - are now fiber-powered by Converge.

Justin Uy, JFiber chairman said during today’s opening that over the past one year, JFiber have grown to around 400 employees, creating jobs in parts of Metro Cebu. This is proof of how committed JFiber is to support the growing network of Converge in the province.

Jonathan Uy, CEO of JFiber said that his company is glad to be partnership with Converge to grow the business in Cebu.  Converge and JFiber working together means both companies are able to address the concerns of the growing customer base faster and more efficiently. “We’ll also be able to provide local employment opportunities for Cebuanos,” he added.

“It is the vision of our good mayor Michael Rama to make Cebu like Singapore. How will this happen? Cebu city needs to be a smart city, and one of the foundations of that is having reliable and fast internet. We are hoping for a strong partnership with Converge and JFiber especially in our aim to become a smart city,” Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who graced the business center opening said.

Converge Regional General Manager for the Visayas and Mindanao Michael Maquiran shared that the new business center would facilitate different transactions and services to address customer-related concerns, especially as restrictions have eased and more and more Filipinos are venturing out of their homes.

Maquiran said, the launching of the business center here is just one of the many initiatives in providing a premium customer experience to our subscribers. Through this new facility, Converge assures its customers in Cebu that they can easily reach out to them for support to expand their internet requirements beyond the digital channels.

Converge Business Centers facilitate customer transactions such as service inquiries, application processing, plan upgrades, billing-related transactions, technical reporting, and repair requests, among others. Likewise, the said service offices also feature self-service kiosks for fast and contactless payment transactions. 

 The fiber internet provider continues to strengthen its presence in Cebu with network coverage spanning the cities of Mandaue, Lapulapu, Talisay, Bogo, Carcar, Toledo, and Naga. (Photos: Converge)