Local tech startup Quicksilver Satcom Ventures, funded by social impact venture capital fund Ignite Impact Fund, is seeking to increase internet penetration in far-flung and underserved areas in the country through the use of satellite technology.
Quicksilver, endorsed by the Philippine national government as a satellite provider, styles itself as a “boutique connectivity firm” that utilizes various connectivity solutions depending on what a certain geographical area requires.
“One of the key essential infrastructure components or any sort of economic development or investment management outside urban areas has to do with connectivity, which is why we started Quicksilver years ago,” Quicksilver director Vinci Roxas said.
Establishing basic connectivity in far-flung rural areas, which is especially challenging due to the country’s archipelagic nature, is a major step in providing underserved communities more advanced necessities.
Quicksilver’s mission is to work with local governments as well as private clients to set up service areas, and then help leverage internet connectivity into greater economic development.
“Once you set up connectivity, you can do online banking, microfinance, and ecommerce,” Roxas said.
“The local businesses can connect to the local economy, and then you can do things like imports and exports. It’s connectivity as an enabler for economic development,” he added.
