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