MANILA, Philippines — When Covid-19 lockdowns crippled mobility restrictions, several small and medium enterprises (SMEs) found themselves fighting for their survival. Some of them managed to stay afloat while others could not stop the revenue bleeding and shut down.
But for those SMEs who made it and emerged even stronger, it was their quick and stunning digital transformation that got them out of the coronavirus hole.
“The Covid-19 pandemic brought about drastic changes. With SMEs unspared, lockdowns and safety protocols have disrupted many businesses and forced them to shift to digital solutions,” Vince Tempongko, co-coordinator at Eastern Communications, a telco and IT solutions provider, said in an interview.
“Digital ready SMEs were the ones that emerged from the pandemic stronger,” Tempongko said.
This is where companies like Eastern Communications came to the rescue. At the height of the health crisis, Tempongko said Eastern Communications not only offered connectivity services to SMEs with its high-speed fiber internet offerings but also supported these enterprises in their digital shift with various ICT solutions.
For example, Eastern Communications provides “Eastern Cloud”, one of its latest ICT solutions offering a world-class method of storing and sharing company data and applications securely over the Internet. This helps advance overall business performance at a time companies are implementing remote work, which could carry many risks and dangers to business data. There are also other efficient Microsoft 365, which allows for collaborative working across teams and online.
“These ICT solutions enabled the digital transformation of companies and businesses — allowing them to be more agile thru the safe and secure digitalization and automation of their operations,” Tempongko said.
“A paradigm shift to digital and having a reliable ICT partner are key to a successful digital transformation of a business,” he added.
And the tools worked for many SMEs, which account for over 10% of all businesses in the country. Many of these SMEs may be found outside the city center. Eastern’s products have earned the trust of numerous regional businesses. Case in point, major regional hospitals in the province of Pampanga, including Jose B. Lingad Memorial, Greencity Medical Center, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta have subscribed to Eastern’s Internet Dedicated Service and Fiber 1 offerings to be able to cater to the increasing demand for reliable connectivity as these health centers continue to grow post-pandemic. This has helped them in daily operations and function smoothly amid the influx of patients in the last few years.
Eastern Communications’ support for SMEs does not end with its product offerings. Recently, the telco firm continued a series of industry webinars called “E-Huddle” which talked about innovative solutions that business owners can adapt to thrive amid the Covid-19 crisis.
“We’ve initiated these thought-leader webinars to reach many SME owners, key decision-makers, and business owners who would want to learn from our partners and customers who successfully saved their enterprises from ruin,” Eastern Communications Co-Coordinator Atty. Aileen Regio said in an interview.
Those efforts, in turn, have been recognized. Cisco, a global leader in IT and networking, recently awarded Eastern Communications as their “Top Small Business Partner of the Year” for growing its Small Business revenue to 136% year-over-year amid the pandemic. The telco firm also managed to grow its customer base by 7% on-year in 2020, thanks to high demand for work-from-home productivity tools, residential internet, and enterprise connectivity.
In another testament of its efforts to nurture SMEs, Eastern Communications has earmarked P3 billion for nationwide expansion this year. Its presence is expected to be felt in Legazpi City, Sorsogon City, Naga City, Bacolod City, and Dumaguete City by the first quarter of the year. The telco is also expanding to Kalibo, Boracay, Zamboanga, Butuan, and Bohol by the second and third quarter.
In 2021, Eastern Communications completed the roll out of their services in Tuguegarao, Batangas, Lucena, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City, to augment the company’s existing coverage areas in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Pampanga, Baguio and Cebu.
“This year, Eastern has set its sights on expanding to more underserved areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,” said Regio. “Apart from just the locations, we’re eyeing to support industries such as: IT-BPO, tourism, and local ISPs and CATV providers, which are all predicted to expand in and outside of the metro. Through this, we will be able to expand our reach to SMEs and residential areas in need of fast connectivity where there is little to none for them.”
“As part of our service to Filipinos, we aim to elevate the lives of our fellowmen through connectivity and ICT products. Industry trends have shown that there is promise for greater digital growth in these locations. A large part of our regional strategy was to target these places to stimulate their local economy, and when their business grows, jobs increase, and lives are uplifted,” Regio added.
With half of the year already passed, it can be expected for Eastern Communications to roll out more exciting news and projects in support of these emerging businesses.
