New broadband player enters under Konektadong Pinoy Act

For corporate market

MANILA, Philippines — A new internet service provider (ISP) for businesses has arrived, introducing a new challenger to the broadband segment in an initial win for the Konektadong Pinoy Act.

Bitstar Telecom Inc. yesterday announced its entry into the Philippine telco industry, enabled by the Konektadong Pinoy Act that permitted it to plug into network assets of long-time players.

Bitstar plans to penetrate the corporate demand for broadband services in Metro Manila first, and eventually eyes to bring its presence to provinces.

Bitstar president and CEO Miguel Bitanga said the company is also built to address the changing demands of businesses. Bitstar vows to deliver a simplified end-to-end experience, from inquiry and onboarding, to service and support.

“Digital customer experience ought to be more common to service companies, an opportunity for Bitstar to cater to the evolving needs of the modern interest user. We use apps for everything else in our lives, our internet should not be any different,” Bitanga said.

Based on Bitstar’s website, clients are given two options for their subscription: Shared Business Broadband Plans and Dedicated Internet Plans.

The Shared Business Broadband Plans guarantees download speeds of up to one Gbps, and Bitstar said the package is best for small teams and hybrid offices for around 15 users.

The Dedicated Internet Plans, on the other hand, provide private and high-speed connections for critical operations, affixing internet speeds from 50 Mbps to one Gbps.

Bitstar said the Dedicated Internet Plans could serve any business size and model. The package is split into different speeds and user capability, with the highest at one Gbps, designed to serve large offices with more than 150 employees.

Bitanga said Bitstar offers some of the most affordable connectivity subscriptions for enterprises. The ISP wants to contribute to the government’s effort to bring down broadband costs.

“Affordability is important for Bitstar customers because fiber internet is a relative commodity in other countries, but still a luxury for many businesses here,” Bitanga said.

The Konektadong Pinoy Act requires existing telcos to share network assets with new entrants in a bid to cut lengthy timelines for infrastructure buildup and reduce connectivity prices.