Better connectivity at home through fiber technology

Radius Telecoms brings fiber-powered service closer to homes

By Adrian Paul B. Conoza

As the pandemic kept people in their homes and so forced them to continue their work or classes virtually, the demand for internet connectivity has increased. At the same time, the realities about internet connections in the country were stressed more deeply, and the call for improved connections have apparently rung louder.

While leading telcos respond to these amplified concerns, there are new players that are expected to provide fresh and timely solutions for Filipino homes and businesses.

Among these new players is Radius Telecoms, Inc., a wholly-owned Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) subsidiary that delivers data, internet, managed, and cloud services on an end-to-end full fiber optic network. Seeing the increasing need for connectivity among homes, Radius is optimizing fiber technology in order to provide services that households will enjoy.

Initially, the telco player entered the market as a carrier’s carrier providing the last mile requirements of both local and foreign telcos. It then expanded its offering to businesses, catering to corporate and large enterprises. Aside from its strongholds in Metro Manila and economic zones around Central Luzon, Radius has already reached enterprises in Clark and Cebu.

“Business customers choose Radius because of our ‘higher-than-industry’ standard SLA and our shorter installation lead time,” Exequiel C. Delgado, chief executive officer and president of Radius, said in an e-mail.

Now, from primarily supporting wholesale, corporate, and large enterprise markets for two decades, Radius is stepping up to bring its reliable services to Filipino homes at a time when connectivity is a necessity.

Mr. Delgado shared that last year, Radius has started building a new fiber ring topology that utilize the Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology, a shared infrastructure that allows Radius to deliver a cost-effective internet broadband service.

“We have powered up key locations in the metro and we expect to end the year with more than 500 plus lit buildings and over 100 villages, with a total port capacity of almost two hundred thousand,” Mr. Delgado said.

The CEO finds the positive feedback it received from its current customers as a welcome development, especially for a new player. He also recognized that Radius is jumping in at a very opportune time when many home users are subscribing to an additional internet link as an active backup, which is only being done previously by business customers.

A big edge of Radius among the competition is its network that runs on 100% pure fiber. For the company’s chief operations officer, Jenevi L. Dela Paz, fiber technology is “the way to go and will continue to be the gold standard in wired deployments.”

“Its flexibility and capability to offer higher bandwidth allows the provider to deliver a better customer experience for the consuming public,” Mr. Dela Paz explained in the same e-mail. “This can be complemented further by the ability of the provider to effectively haul the traffic of the end-users to the world wide web through multiple peering partners, a sound caching strategy, and reliable IP transit providers.”

Fiber-powered connectivity at home
Powered by these enhancements, Radius is bringing its service closer to consumers as it partners with direct-to-home satellite provider Cignal TV to deliver a dual-play service to Filipino homes.

In February last year, the pay TV service and the fiber broadband provider inked a partnership that rolls out RED Fiber. This newest bundle brings together the great services from Cignal TV and Radius for every household to enjoy at prices that will suit every household budget. RED Fiber is offering consumers its unlimited fiber internet + pay TV plan for as low as P1,299 per month.

“This kind of package showcases the technological capability of fiber, which allows the delivery of internet and content using the same link, without affecting each other’s performance,” Mr. Delgado shared.

With RED Fiber, the CEO added, product manipulations, upgrades, and additional IPTV HD channels can be completed quickly. Add to these Radius’ responsive customer relationship management and reliable platforms, RED Fiber subscribers can enjoy a vastly improved customer experience.

In addition to this powerful bundle, RED Fiber also offers a higher service-level agreement (SLA) as it meets increased bandwidth requirements brought by the ‘now normal.’

“Radius has invested heavily on a superior network architecture and all-digital customer platforms to effectively offer superior customer care that will result in a longer customer lifecycle value,” Mr. Delgado said.

With the launch of RED Fiber, he added, Filipino customers now have a reliable option to choose from for their internet connectivity needs at home.

As it upgrades its network and provides wider access to more consumers, Radius aims to be a more active telco player that delivers its brand of delightful customer experience. With its entry to a bigger yet more demanding market, consumers are given an additional choice for their intensified connectivity needs.

“The more choices consumers have, the better it is for them since providers will be trying to outperform each other in the area of service quality to attract and retain customers,” Mr. Delgado said.