Pager giant EasyCall rolls out VSAT internet connectivity

Listed EasyCall Communications Philippines Inc. on Friday said it is setting up more communication satellite systems provide the far-flung areas of the country with secure and reliable internet connectivity.

In a regulatory filing by EasyCall general manager Vicente Martinez, the company said it is now installing very small aperture terminal (VSAT) in Bicol, Cebu, Iloilo, Cavite, Isabela, Zambales, and Negros Occidental as “part of ... efforts to continue to improve the digital landscape of the Philippines.”

VSAT is a two-way satellite communications system that can transmit and receive data via remote hubs or terminals.

“There is a critical demand for connectivity in far-flung cities and municipalities, especially in the aftermath of disasters and emergencies, for businesses with remote offices, and for efficient access to services,” EasyCall president Zaki Delgado said in the regulatory filing.

“Despite the complexities we are facing with the terrain and climate, VSAT can effectively deliver secure and reliable connectivity to these places, and enable progress and development,” Delgado noted.

“The need for connectivity is more important than ever, and we feel the responsibility to open up that possibility to millions of Filipinos who have limited connectivity access,” he said.

EasyCall was the top provider of pagers in the 1990s. It has since shifted business direction with the onset of text messaging in the 2000s.

Over the past decade, the company took an active involvement in the IT-BPO industry before turning to VSAT technology.

The company said it serves communities in Leyte, Iloilo, Samar, Quezon, Isabela, Bulacan, Antique, and Nueva Ecija.

Acquired by Philippine-owned Transnational Diversified Group in 2001, EasyCall is a telecommunications company licensed by the National Telecommunications Commission. — VDS, GMA News