Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal on Wednesday allayed the fears of electronic espionage in its internal and external security platform with the impending installation of electronic communications facilities by the third telecommunication firm Mislatel or Dito Telecommunity inside military camps.
Madrigal, with Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Electronics, and Information Systems, signed an agreement with Mislatel through its chief operating officer Dennis Uy and lawyer Adel Tamano, chief administrative officer, which allows the third Telco to put up its facilities inside military camps.
“We exercise security on all aspects to ensure security on our communications,” Madrigal said.
Currently, Telco’s Globe Telecom and Smart Communications also have existing facilities in several military sites.
The Mislatel consortium, which will adopt the name Dito Telecommunity, is composed of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Udenna Corp, and China Telecom.
It was given the status of New Major Player in the telecommunications industry by the National Telecommunications Commission on Nov. 19 last year.
Based on the agreement, the AFP will determine specific locations with its rental value for use of Mislatel in the installation and management of its communications sites without undermining the operations of affected AFP units.
Under the agreement, Mislatel will be required to “furnish all equipment, labor, and materials necessary to effect the co-location of its facilities and shoulder all expenses in connection with or incidental to the co-location” and payment of all taxes, permits, licenses, and other charges.
Payment will be made by providing CEIS equipment, upgrade, services, and training to the AFP equivalent to the monetary value of the lease subject to inflation.
“Our MOA with other telcos significantly improved the ICT infrastructure of the AFP and we are optimistic that this opportunity will also bring great benefits to the armed forces,” Madrigal added.
Dito’s CEO Dennis Uy, for his part, said it “guarantees that the devices, equipment, and/or structures installed at the site provided by the AFP shall not be used to obtained classified information” as a measure to prevent electronic espionage.
“We at Dito Telecommunity are truly grateful to the AFP for this partnership. The roll-out of Dito’s towers is indeed one herculean feat. With this partnership with the AFP, we are nearer our goal of building a wide and robust network,” said Uy.
Uy said Dito Telecom ensured the availability and accessibility to reliable telecommunications, including secure and fast internet access, suitable to the needs of aspirations of the nation.
Tamano said the Dito Telecom planned to cover 84 percent of the country in its 5G platform, eventually giving fastest internet speed to its subscribers.
Presently, the country ranks 103rd out of 139 countries in terms of mobile internet speed.
The Philippines is even slower than, Zimbabwe (15.2 Mbps) and Syria (19.48 Mbps).
The countries with the fastest mobile internet are Norway (67.54 Mbps), followed by Canada, Qatar, the Netherlands, and South Korea.
“Today is just first step among many more steps to realize our mission of providing better telecommunications services with wider coverage at more reasonable prices. But nonetheless, it brings us one step closer to our goals, We are glad to be working hand in hand with the AFP,” Uy said.
Madrigal said that “Our MOA with other telcos significantly improved the ICT infrastructure of the AFP and we are optimistic that this opportunity will also bring great benefits to the armed forces.”