Philippine telecoms companies Converge ICT Solutions and DITO Telecommunity have signed a master facilities provisioning agreement (MFPA) to share select terrestrial and submarine fibre-optic cable assets.
The two companies said that the network-sharing agreement is part of a broader effort to enhance Converge’s fibre services and fortify DITO’s mobile services by enabling lower downtime, faster throughput, and more reliable connectivity.
DITO Telecommunity CTO Major General Rodolfo D. Santiago (ret) said the MFPA will strengthen the network of both operators with expanded coverage and increased redundancy. At the same time, he added, it will create savings from increased operational efficiencies and reduced capex requirements.
“This agreement strengthens both our networks and eliminates the costly time, motion, financial, and manpower resources involved for such a network enhancement undertaking,” he said in a joint statement.
“Our collaboration will allow us to reach more customers and deliver a better service with increased resiliency,” said Converge CEO and co-founder Dennis Anthony H. Uy.
The MFPA will be followed by separate facilities agreements under which Converge and DITO will specify which routes will be shared, and how service restoration and first-line maintenance will be handled for each.
As of November 2023, Converge’s fibre assets span 682,000 fibre kilometres across the Philippines, passing over 16.7 million homes. Household coverage currently stands at 62.3%.
DITO Telecommunity’s 4G/5G mobile network has over 7,000 cell sites covering over 80% of the population in over 850 cities and municipalities. Almost three years after its commercial launch, DITO says it now has over 9.5 million activated subscribers.