Converge says targeting SMEs through 'flexible' speed plans

Jessica Fenol, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Oct 12 2021 05:17 PM

MANILA - Converge ICT Solutions Inc said Tuesday it aims to boost the productivity of both large firms as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the pandemic with products tailored to fit their needs through its brand Converge Business.

Converge Business offers customizable SME plans with bandwidth delivered to them when they need it to give them the best value for their money, said Converge Chief Operations Officer Jesus Romero.

SMEs can "maximize" operations using products such as flexiBiz Day Plan and flexiBiz Peak which provides connectivity during the peak hours of the day depending on their needs, Converge said.

Solutions under Converge Business seek to address "pain points" in terms of connectivity as the pandemic drove demand for IT solutions such as cloud computing, big data, virtual reality, streaming and remote storage, among others, said Romero.

In the Philippines, 99 percent of businesses are micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) or about 1 million firms. 

During the pandemic, many small businesses temporarily and permanently closed as mobility restrictions negatively affected foot traffic and sales.
 
Many of those who survived pivoted to digital solutions to reach consumers. 

"We do have instances where lockdowns are implemented. Through a reliable internet connection, food establishments [for example], were able to expand online and offer their service to customers," Romero said. 

“One thing is key and that is we needed to provide businesses flexibility to maximize their investments. We are very sensitive to the need of SME market,” he added.

The Dedicated Internet Access product is "ideal" for firms operating either at night or in the morning, Converge head of Sales Rose Abarquez told reporters. 

Meanwhile, the Enterprise Segment caters to larger corporations with products such which allows corporations to choose when to boost the speed of their connectivity in sync with their operations. It also has an option that offers firms private data connectivity to send and receive files securely and converts their offices "to a fully digital branch," Abarquez said.

The company recently partnered with Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation for its participation in the Bifrost Cable System, which would eventually boost its capacity.

Converge earlier said it would invest around $100 million (about P5 billion) to develop a branch of the Bifrost Cable System that would land in Davao.

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