PLDT: More safeguards needed for telco infrastructure

MANILA, Philippines —  Telco giant PLDT Inc. has committed to scale up collaboration and efforts to protect technology assets from natural disasters and man-made troubles that could interrupt services on a large scale.

PLDT plans to lead nationwide actions to safeguard telco infrastructure similar to how it did last year, underscoring the need for public and private teamwork to ensure reliable connectivity.

PLDT, together with wireless unit Smart Communications Inc., led the establishment of Protecta Pilipinas, a coalition that seeks to campaign for the protection of telco assets.

The group includes private groups like Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators and state agencies like the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. Specifically, the group wants to create a monitor on the health and performance of telco infrastructure.

Similarly, PLDT is working with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in identifying the exact stretches where fiber cables are laid under. This way, government road works will able to avoid damaging them during excavation.

The telco is also teaming up with industry peers on raising awareness among consumers on how to report illegal activities, particularly cable theft.

Smart vice president and head of regulatory affairs Roy Ibay said it has become necessary to keep telco assets safe in this digital era when almost everyone is connected to the internet.

“Protecting our infrastructure is not just about safeguarding our business operations – it is about ensuring that customers and communities can rely on uninterrupted connectivity and technology that are essential for our country’s development,” Ibay said.

Telcos, including PLDT, are losing billions of pesos annually from the destruction of telco assets. Whereas it may be difficult to contend with natural calamities, telcos also lament losing property to petty but costly crimes, such as cable theft.

Criminals take off cable lines and copper wires installed by telcos to sell them as scrap. In turn, the communities where these crimes happen suffer from service disruption, affecting livelihoods that rely on the internet, such as e-commerce.

Currently, telcos depend on Republic Act 10515, or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013, to punish perpetrators of wire cutting.

The law lists the removal of cable, internet and telephone facilities as punishable acts that could end up in up to five years of imprisonment or as much as P100,000 in fines, or worse, both.