PLDT in talks with other 5G vendors amid Huawei issues

MANILA, Philippines — PLDT Inc. has entered in talks with other vendors for the rollout of 5G technology amid security concerns raised by lawmakers in the US.

PLDT chairman and chief executive officer Manuel V. Pangilinan said in a recent press conference that the telco is in talks with three other vendors, namely Ericsson, Nokia and ZTE, apart from Chinese technology giant Huawei, for 5G.

“In respect of 5G, at this stage, we have asked at least four vendors including Huawei to provide effectively a plan for several locations so that we are able to test respective platforms and technologies on separate locations in 5G,” he said.

He said PLDT considers the issues raised by the US against Huawei as legitimate.

“That is something we are aware of and we are quite sensitive to as well…I think we ourselves have a heightened concern about security on the network and devices,” he said.

He said PLDT has also informed Huawei of its concerns.

“So, I think part of the concern of the US is it would have military applications and to the extent that a vendor might have access on data generated by the network and by mobile devices…We ourselves have communicated this concern to Huawei as well. So, we asked for their cooperation and transparency in terms of telling us where the possible danger points are in terms of mobility and if they are able to access data generated by the network,” he said.

Some US lawmakers have raised concerns China could use Huawei’s technology for espionage.

5G is a wireless technology expected to provide high speeds with low latency, as well as open opportunities for use in healthcare and smart cities.

While PLDT has acknowledged the concerns raised by the US on Huawei, Pangilinan said the telco is still considering the Chinese firm for 5G.

This as Huawei has become the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer.