DITO CME Holdings Corp. subsidiary DITO Telecommunity Corp. has linked up with Converge ICT Solutions Inc. to further strengthen their network coverage across the Philippines.
The partners, whose top executives are both named Dennis, on Thursday signed a landmark master facilities provisioning agreement (MFPA) that will allow them to share select terrestrial and submarine fiber optic cable assets under mutually agreed terms and conditions.
This resource exchange arrangement will strengthen the network of both as this redounds to expanded coverage and increased redundancy.
At the same time, it will create savings from increased operational efficiencies and reduced capital expenditure requirements.
“We want to leverage our respective existing facilities through this resource sharing agreement to bring us closer to our goal of empowering every Filipino home with quality broadband connectivity,” said Converge chief executive officer and co-founder Dennis Anthony H. Uy. His DITO CME Holdings Corp. counterpart is Davao businessman Dennis Uy.
Uy said the collaboration will allow Converge to reach more customers and deliver a better service with increased resiliency.
“Under the spirit of forging alliances and healthy competition, this agreement is a testament to both our organizations’ shared commitment to provide the best user experience that our customers deserve – whether consumer or enterprise,” DITO Telecommunity chief executive officer Ernesto R. Alberto said.
Converge chief operations officer Jesus Romero further noted the milestone agreement pushes both networks higher as the robust state-of-the-art pure fiber network of Converge matches the brand new network of DITO Telecommunity.
As of November 2023, the total fiber assets of Converge span 682,000 fiber kilometers and passes over 16.7 million homes. Its operations cover 62.3 percent of all households in the Philippines.
DITO Telecommunity, on the other hand, has over 7,000 cell sites reaching over 80 percent of the population in over 850 cities and municipalities of the country. It now has over 9.5 million activated subscribers enjoying access to a pure 4G/5G network broadcast unhindered by any legacy infrastructure.
DITO Telecommunity retired Major General and chief technology officer Rodolfo D. Santiago said: “This agreement strengthens both our networks and eliminates the costly time, motion, financial, and manpower resources involved for such a network enhancement undertaking.”
The agreement bolsters network reliability, enhances fiber services for the over two million Converge customers, and fortify mobile services for over 9.5 million registered DITO Telecommunity subscribers, contributes to faster coverage expansion and supports the country’s digitalization initiatives.
The partners aim to achieve lower downtime, faster throughput, and more reliable connectivity leading to enhanced user experience of Converge and DITO Telecommunity customers.
For purposes of implementing the MFPA, separate facilities agreements have to be agreed by the partners specifying, among others, the location (routes), service restoration and first line maintenance of the covered facilities.
