Cybersecurity issues continue to hound PH’s new telco player

DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. INQUIRER file photo

What security threat, when, in fact, Chinese equipment have long been in the country’s telecommunications (telco) industry?

Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr.  of the Department of Information and Communication and Technology  raised this argument  on Tuesday  as security concerns continue to  hound the new major player (NMP).

The government recently named  Mislatel Consortium  as the provisional  new major  player.  The consortium is comprised of Udenna Corporation, Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp and state-run China Telecommunication.

At the hearing  of the Senate  committee on public services, Senator Grace  Poe first asked National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon  Jr.  about  the reported cyber security  attacks involving  China Telecom that affected  several countries like the United States.

“Did this not concern you sir?”  Poe asked.

Esperon confirmed this during the Senate hearing about the said report but said the government is  still validating it.

“We have the 90-day period to do that  and  the winning provisional NMP will have to  undergo a background check by the National Intelligence  and  Coordinating (Agency),” he said.

But Rio informed  the committee that the  countries  allegedly affected by the said cybersecurity breaches like America and Asutralia never had  any Chinese product  in their  network.

“Unlike in our country, Globe and Smart— 90 percent of  their equipment are Chinese,” Rio said.

“So the threat of  Chinese  product, Chinese  people really operating our telecommunications are already here.”

In the case of Globe and Smart,  Rio  said the government simply told the telco giants to  come up with a third party cyber security audit  to report  to government any  breach.

The  official also  pointed  that during a 90-day period after awarded the provisional NMP,  Mislatel   has  to come up with  a rollout plan that will  assure the government that  their  network will not pose  any national security.

“Globe and  PLDT  in their disclosures  to NTC, they admit that most of their equipment. In fact,  around  80 percent  of their equipment are Huawei because they are very much  cheaper than in Ericsson, Nokia,” Rio said.

“So the Chinese equipment are already in our country. They are already in our  telecoms network…In other words, if   Mislatel will come up with their network, it will be the same equipment that Globe and Smart have,” he added.

Senator Francis Escudero then asked: “Sir  sorry, what’s your point? Yari  naman na tayo ngayon e  ok lang na patuloy ang pagiging yari natin?”

“No your honor,” Rio quickly said, but stressed that  the government has necessary   infrastructures  to ensure that the third telco would be cybersecurity compliant. /jpv