Filipino consumers wanting near-200Mbps speeds via satellite broadband will have to wait and look past 2021. The chief executive officer of Converge ICT himself, Dennis Anthony Uy, has confirmed that a launch of a satellite service is not possible this year.
During a media briefing today, Uy confirmed that his company is still keeping in touch with the US-based SpaceX in anticipation of the commercial availability of its Starlink project. However, Uy also noted that the project still needs to deploy more satellites to its constellation to provide Internet access with satisfactory quality.
Therefore, according to Uy, the Q3 2021 estimate for a Starlink rollout in the Philippines is no longer possible. Instead, Converge ICT is focusing more on improving its fiber broadband service through expansions to reach 55 percent of total households by 2025. Besides SpaceX, Converge is also considering other satellite service providers.
Meanwhile, Cignal has recently launched its own satellite broadband service called Connect.