News

Converge gears up its pure fiber internet service for nationwide rollout

Can Converge solve the Philippines’ internet problems?

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Converge has made their commitment to delivering better internet service to Filipinos. The company’s pure fiber internet services are already sought after since they offer faster speeds with cheaper monthly fees. But, their service area has been pretty limited in Central Luzon and Metro Manila. In the next five years though, that’ll change as Converge will soon go nationwide.

The internet service provider has made strategic partnerships will local and foreign companies such as Korea Telecoms, LSI-Fibernet Konstruk Corporation, and TE Connectivity Subcom to fast-track their network rollout in the Philippines.

The new partners will help build and deploy necessary infrastructures to provide pure end-to-end fiber internet connectivity at a nationwide scale. The goal is to create an advanced and reliable fiber optic backbone.

In a press briefing, Converge believes that their five-year nationwide rollout plan has the potential to reach more than 13 million of the 22 million households nationwide, particularly in the major islands situated in Visayas and Mindanao.

The network backbones are targeted to be completed by 2021 but would be operational through different phases to enable the project to become complete prior to 2021. To be exact, here are the network backbone completion dates shown during the briefing: South Luzon by January 2019, Visayas by July 2019, and Mindanao by February 2020.

When asked if Converge is set to become the Philippines’ third major telco, Converge President and CEO Dennis Uy responded that there are no current plans to become a wireless provider and their focus is on fixed broadband services, specifically FTTH (fiber to the home). He firmly stated that their game, for now, is to serve the public with faster broadband service. Government support also plays a key role in their future plans as Uy has concerns about existing telco measures such as availability of frequency, red tape, number portability, and interconnection fees.

SEE ALSO: Converge launches new FAST plans for businesses

Gaming

Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming co-op roguelite spinoff

If you liked Nightreign, you might like this.

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Like Valve, the PlayStation’s tentpole franchises are allergic to the number 3. The Last of Us, the ongoing God of War arc, Spider-Man, and Horizon all don’t have a third game yet. These franchises, however, have all gotten rumors of spinoffs. Now, Horizon is getting more than just a rumor; an official co-op spinoff is happening. Say hello to Horizon Hunters Gathering!

Today, Guerilla unveiled Horizon Hunters Gathering, an official co-op roguelite set in the Horizon universe. The game will feature multiple players working to take down difficult enemies, bosses, and dungeons.

The title shares similarities with Elden Ring Nightreign. For one, players can choose between six characters with different roles. The main mode, called Machine Incursion, takes players to a wide map with powerups and roaming monsters. The map then has a shrinking ring that… well, you know what a shrinking ring does.

Horizon Hunters Gathering also has a different game mode called Cauldron Descent. Compared to the Nightreign type of gameplay, Cauldron Descent is a more traditional roguelite mode. Players enter a dangerous dungeon and choose alternate paths that vary in challenges.

Both game modes will be available through an upcoming closed playtest through the PlayStation Beta Program.

Because this is from Guerilla themselves, this is an official game. But it’s far from the only spinoff for the universe. Previously, NCSoft, a South Korean gaming studio, announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO set in the Horizon universe. Like Horizon Hunters Gathering, Steel Frontiers has an unknown launch date.

SEE ALSO: Horizon Steel Frontiers is an MMO set in the Horizon universe

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Report: HONOR tops global smartphone shipment growth in 2025

HONOR also improves overall market share

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HONOR topped last year’s global smartphone shipment growth, according to an Omdia report. The manufacturer achieved an 11% year-over-year growth, which ranked first among the world’s top 10 smartphone vendors.

Furthermore, as per data from IDC, in the first three quarters of 2025, HONOR also led all top brands in overseas shipment growth across these premium segments:

  • Smartphones priced above US$ 300 (premium and upper-mid-tier)
  • Tablets in the US$ 300 to US$ 600 price band (upper-mid)

Such growth enabled HONOR to improve their overall market share to 6% in 2025. They’ve already edged Lenovo (5%), HUAWEI (4%), and realme (3%) after a strong calendar year.

Unarguably contributing to their performance are the releases of the flagships HONOR Magic V5 and HONOR Magic7 Pro, as well as mid-rangers like the HONOR 400 series and a handful of HONOR X series devices.

Meanwhile, Transsion, which holds the Infinix, TECNO, and itel brands, have an 8% market share combined, which is the same as OPPO and vivo. Xiaomi is at 13%, while giant players Apple and Samsung both have a 19% market share each.

Building on their growth, HONOR is set to unveil groundbreaking products at MWC 2026 in Barcelona this March.

These include the HONOR Robot Phone and the brand’s latest flagship foldable, the HONOR Magic V6. The impending releases accelerate the momentum of HONOR’s Alpha Plan.

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Gaming

Valve is delaying the launch of the Steam Machine

But it’s still scheduled for the first half of 2026.

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Overshadowed only by the Nintendo Switch 2, the upcoming Steam Machine was one of the most exciting gaming devices announced last year. Unfortunately, especially if you were waiting intently for the console’s launch, Valve is delaying the device by an undisclosed amount of time.

Initially, Valve anticipated a launch for the Steam Machine sometime in the first half of 2026. However, as the calendar rolls on into the second month of the year, the company has yet to announce either a price or a launch date for the console. Valve says that both should be out by now.

In a recent update, the company confirms that ongoing chip shortages have forced a reevaluation of the Steam Machine’s price and shipping date. This also goes for the Steam Controller and the Steam Frame. Valve is going back to the drawing board to figure out what is feasible for the console market.

On the bright side, Valve is still aiming to launch all three devices in the first half of the year. It’s just a matter of determining when that is.

The Steam Machine is just the latest in a growing line of devices affected by the chip shortage. Today, chipmakers are funneling their supplies to the supposed demand for AI servers. Naturally, more infrastructure means less chips reserved for regular consumers.

Also recently, NVIDIA was rumored to skip this year for a new GPU launch because of the AI “boom”. It’s the first time that this has happened in thirty years.

SEE ALSO: Valve announces its own console called the Steam Machine

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