CONVERGE ICT SOLUTIONS INC./YOUTUBE

LISTED fiber internet provider Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. is investing up to P150 million to launch its pay television (TV) segment this year, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) said.

“Actually, we have a direct to home franchise already. We need to open that soon,” Converge CEO Dennis Anthony H. Uy told reporters last week.

The services will be fully rolled out this year, according to the company. Testing has commenced in Pampanga.

“Pay TV is going in a different direction, regardless of where you are, we should serve you. This is satellite because we have many islands that are not reachable,” Mr. Uy said.

The services are aimed at underserved areas, he added.

“For the pay TV, we plan to [cover] those areas that are not within the reach of fiber, we need to serve them through satellite.”

The services will be offered at price points ranging from about P99 to P299.

“But it is a bundled package of pay TV. Netflix will be separate. We will announce soon,” Mr. Uy said.

The investment cost for the project ranges between P100 million and P150 million. The investment is already included in the company’s capital expenditure for the year, which is “more or less” P15 billion, he said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose